Arthur Prescott Spencer Jr.

Age 87, passed away on April 25 at Florida Hospital in DeLand due to complications from congestive heart failure. He was born on Aug. 24, 1924, in Alachua, Fla., to Arthur Prescott Spencer, Sr., and Pearl Thomas Spencer. After graduating from Alachua High School, Arthur enlisted in the Navy where he served on the U.S.S. Entemedor, a submarine that patrolled the Pacific during WWII. After the war he attended the University of Florida where he received his bachelor’s degree in education.

He taught history at numerous schools in Gainesville, including Sidney Lanier, Westwood Middle and Gainesville High. Arthur’s teaching career took him back to Alachua, the city he loved his entire life and where he lived on the land that was homesteaded by his family, the Spencers of England. He taught at Santa Fe High School there and then Mebane Middle School working as Assistant Principal until his retirement on Dec. 31, 1981.

Arthur married Marion Turk on July 30, 1961, and they spent 50 happy years together. A devoted husband, father and grandfather, Arthur enjoyed many activities in addition to his passion for history. He was a very skilled horseman, enthusiastic Gator fan and also loved to fish and farm. Arthur was especially proud of his Heart of Florida Farms club calves that produced many grand and reserve champions in the state.

He was a member of the First United Methodist Church of Alachua, the Florida Cattleman’s Association, Florida Farm Bureau and Kappa Alpha Fraternity.