Josephine Louise Horwath Spencer

Joei was born in 1926 in Phoenix Arizona, the last child of 4 born to Steve and Josephine Horwath who immigrated from Hungary around 1900. Her childhood years were happily spent in Phoenix and Albuquerque, exploring the great west with siblings, Bobby, Steve, and Dusty. Early camping and horseback riding fostered a deep love of the outdoors. Her family moved to Burbank, California during her high school years, and then to their North Hollywood home on Magnolia Avenue. She attended Corvallis Catholic Girls High School where she graduated at the age of 16, class Valedictorian. Joei then attended USC studying journalism and staunchly supporting school activities, especially the USC football team. It was September 26th, 1942 while attending the Tulane vs USC football game at the Coliseum that she met Clay, a young marine from New Orleans stationed at Camp Pendleton. After his return from the war, they married and moved back to New Orleans to run his family’s business, Spencer Business College. With Joei by his side, they opened a second business school, Meadows Draughon Business College which was expanded in its curriculum to lead the industry with courses fashioned to assist young women into the professional workplace creating a course known as Nancy Taylor, a series of textbooks and a complete cosmetics line introducing proper business attire and etiquette as well as appropriate fashion and makeup. Joei and Clay enjoyed traveling both for business and pleasure throughout their life together and good time with family and, later, their five grandchildren at their beloved beach home on Dog Island. She was also an active member of many clubs and ladies’ organizations.

She is survived by her son Clay, his wife Stephanie and their three children Ginger, Clay and Jared and nine great grandchildren. She is also survived by her daughter Dodie Spencer Smith and her two children Brent and Kimberly and three more great grandchildren.

There will be a brief interment service for family, friends and devoted companions at the columbarium of St. Paul’s Church, 6249 Canal Blvd., on Wednesday, May 31, 2023 at 10:00am. In lieu of flowers, the family would encourage you to consider a donation to the Lighthouse for the Blind or a Macular Degeneration charity.