John William Speer was born in 1931 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and died peacefully surrounded by his family on July 3, 2018 in Winter Haven, Florida. John grew up in the Brewerytown section of Philadelphia playing in nearby Fairmount Park and doing things that most boys were doing growing up in the 30s and 40s. John spent 8 years in the US Army, 2 years on active duty and 6 years in the Army Reserves, traveling overseas with the 115th Engineer Combat Unit B Company in the Sixth Armored Division during the Korean conflict before being honorably discharged in 1960. John met his wife Viola (nee Wambold) in December 1955 and knew immediately that she was the love of his life and so he asked her to marry him on Christmas Day just three weeks after their first date. They were married in 1957 and spent the next 61 years together raising their three daughters, Mary, Janet, and Eileen in Holland, Pennsylvania. John joined the Sheet Metal Workers Union in 1955, eventually starting his own contracting business, Speer Roofing and Sheet Metal which he ran successfully with his wife for over 20 years. John retired in 1995, relocated to Four Lakes Golf Club Community in Winter Haven, Florida and took up golfing for the first time. Over the years he honed his golf game scoring not one but two holes-in-one, a feat many lifetime golfers never achieve. John, the unofficial governor of Four Lakes, and his wife spent their 23 years in Florida playing golf, traveling throughout the world, visiting with their ever growing families, entertaining friends, and partying with the Loopers, the Original Four Lakers and everyone else in their community.
John is survived by his wife, Viola (nee Wambold); his three daughters Mary (Steven) Goldberg, Janet (Dennis Cole) Speer, and Eileen (David) Nicastro; his ten grandchildren Jaclyn (Wilfredo) Gonzalez (nee Bentz), Ryan Bentz, Brittany (Shaun) Kieffer (nee Bentz), Jason Nicastro, Jacob Nicastro, Megan Cole, Ellen Cole, Jason (Candace) Goldberg, Marc (Erica) Goldberg, Randy Goldberg; and his eleven great-grandchildren Reanna Bentz, Summerlyn Bentz, Rogan Gonzalez, and Nolan John Richard Kieffer, Maverick McCollum, Darcy Goldberg, Emersyn Goldberg, Roarke Goldberg, Samantha Goldberg, Alyssa Goldberg, and Benjamin Goldberg.
Funeral Mass will be held at St. Ann’s Catholic Church, 1265 Robinson Dr, Haines City, FL 33844, on Thursday, September 27, 2018 at 10:30 am followed by a reception at the Four Lakes Golf Club Community Clubhouse, 990 La Quinta Blvd, Winter Haven, FL 33881, at 12:00 pm.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations in John’s name be made to the Parkinson’s Foundation.
Parkinson's Foundation Donations
