John Parke Spancake Jr.

John was born on February 13, 1936, in Hershey, Pennsylvania, the only son of John Parke Spancake, Sr. and Mary Elizabeth (Ruby) Spancake. He was raised in Hershey, where he attended schools through Junior College. As a boy, he developed a love for stamp collecting with his grandfather, Oscar Spancake, who often took him to the store to purchase stamps for his collection. John's father introduced him to golf at a young age on the juvenile golf course in Hershey, where he proudly achieved his first and only "hole in one" at the age of 12. This passion for golf stayed with him throughout his life.

After graduating from Hershey Junior College, John attended Boston University, where he earned a BS in Broadcasting in 1958. He began his career in radio at WNDP in Newburyport, Massachusetts, followed by WJDA in Quincy, Massachusetts. Seeking to pursue his passion for sports, he joined WESX in Salem, Massachusetts, where he spent five years announcing football, basketball, and hockey. John then transitioned to television, working at WIHS-TV in Boston, which was owned by the Archdiocese of Boston. The station operated with a dual license, broadcasting Catholic educational classes during the day and commercial programming in the evening. However, when the station was sold, all employees, including John, lost their jobs.

John then shifted careers to publishing, joining Addison-Wesley, an educational publishing company in Reading, Massachusetts. He enjoyed the regular 9-5 hours and the short commute from his home in Burlington, Massachusetts. He started as a copywriter and eventually became a Sales Manager during his ten-year tenure there. John later worked for CBI, Cahners Broadcasting International in Boston, another publishing company, for about five years. After CBI was sold, John was offered a position with a small software publisher in Wentworth, New Hampshire. Reluctant to leave Massachusetts, he diligently searched for other opportunities in the Boston area but eventually moved to New Hampshire in 1984.

While attending Boston University, John met Barbara Ann Jennison of Framingham, Massachusetts, a nursing student at Deaconess Hospital in Boston. They married in 1959 and had three children: Nancy Elizabeth, John Parke III, and Jeffrey Scott. The family lived in Burlington, Massachusetts. Barbara passed away unexpectedly in 1992.

John found comfort in his faith community and began attending Plymouth Assembly of God Church in Plymouth, New Hampshire, where he met Conni, a single mother of four daughters. In 1993, after Conni moved her elderly parents to live with her, John and Conni grew closer. They began dating and were married in John’s backyard on August 6, 1994.

John became a follower of Jesus Christ in 1976 at the age of 40. He and Conni dedicated their lives to serving in various Christian ministries. John was an elder at Lakes Region Vineyard in Laconia, New Hampshire, where he had the opportunity to preach, teach, oversee the food pantry, and minister in the county jail. In 2005, John and Conni purchased a house in Palm Coast, FL, and they permanently moved there in 2012. In Florida, they continued their ministry work with Child Evangelism Fellowship, which held after-school Bible clubs in public schools, participated in jail ministry, and served in the volunteer chaplain's ministry at Advent Health Hospital. They enjoyed 30 wonderful years together.

John is survived by his beloved wife, Conni Spancake, and their combined children and spouses: Nancy Purcell, John Parke (Kristen), Jeffrey Spancake (Laura), Kristal Stippich (Ryan), Kara Whitmer (Steve), Kimberly Rietkerk (Jeff), and Kadence Otto (Lise Gregory). Together, they have been blessed with four grandsons and eight granddaughters.

A graveside service will take place on September 21 at 10 a.m. at Flagler Memorial Gardens, 511 Old Kings Road. A Celebration of Life will follow at 11 a.m. at The Rock Transformation Center, 2200 N. State Street, Bunnell, FL.

In lieu of flowers, gifts in John's memory may be made to a local ministry that John was involved with, Open Door Re-entry & Recovery Ministry, PO Box 353594, Palm Coast, FL 32135.