He was born in Dayton, Ohio to Jacob and Mary (Bond) Speraw. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his devoted wife of over 30 years, Shirley E. (Waldren) Speraw. He is survived by his sons, Jack Speraw (Tisha) of Schenectady, NY and Jake Speraw (Tina Willenbring) of Stafford, VA; his grandchildren, Joe Speraw (Stephanie) of Garner, NC and Cathryn Witt (Kyle) of Odessa, TX; his sister, Linda Stover (Larry) of Dayton, OH as well as numerous Speraw and Waldren extended family members.
Known as Bob to family and friends, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1946 serving aboard the USS Calvert for the remainder of World War II and the USS Bayfield during Korea. Following an Honorable Discharge in 1952, his civilian career included multiple facility maintenance and heavy equipment repair positions in both Dayton, Ohio and later Colorado Springs, Colorado. After 4 years in the Navy Reserves, in 1968 he returned to Active Duty Navy as a Seabee, serving with distinction in Viet Nam and was awarded the Navy Commendation Medal with Combat V. He was again Honorably Discharged, retiring in 1980 after 24 years of combined service. Bob then went on to work 5 years as a Security Officer with the Department of Defense.
While Bob enjoyed fishing and online checkers what he valued most was his time with family, friends and shipmates.
A graveside service will be held at 1:00pm on Friday, November 9, 2018 at Quantico National Cemetery.
