Marcia Grimes Spencer

Born June 27, 1936, Marcia Grimes Spencer passed away peacefully at Sparrow Hospice House of Mid-Michigan on May 11, 2023. Marcia lived all her life with no regrets. As a young child she lived on Sunset Lane in East Lansing and at the age of five moved around the corner with her parents and her brothers Tom and Pete to a wonderful home at 403 Southlawn Ave. At the age of eight she discovered the first love of her life, Camp Newaygo. There she spent eighteen summers as a camper, a counselor, and eventually the Assistant Director. Her happiest memories were Sunday night’s “Sing on the Lake” in big red canoes and on the waterfront where she learned to swim, sail, waterski, and build campfires. Her sisters at Newaygo became her lifelong friends and she passed down her love for that special place to her daughter, granddaughter, and dozens of young girls from lower Michigan.

Marcia went to East Lansing High School with her four dearest friends: Sandra, Nancy, Mary Ann, and Marilyn. She attended Albion College then Michigan State University where she graduated with a degree in education and, later, two master’s degrees. She met her first husband Roy Jensen, married just six months later, and together they had two children, Ted and Sarah. Just three years later Roy passed away of malignant melanoma, after which Marcia’s parents Howard and Helen Grimes welcomed their daughter, Ted, and Sarah back into Marcia’s childhood home on Southlawn. The kids grew up with three generations of family and friends coming and going from the house at all times of day. The kitchen and dining room were filled with Helen’s delicious homemade meals, many conversations, and lots of laughter. In this vibrant home there were cocktail parties, bridge games, neighborhood kids playing on the lawn, Thanksgiving gatherings, and huge Christmas parties.

When Ted and Sarah were young, after a few years of being a very admired teacher at Bailey Elementary School, Marcia got her real estate license and opened her own agency, Moore/Jensen, with Barry Moore, which she ran successfully for 25 years. She was a trailblazer for women in business, served on several boards, and was involved in several philanthropic endeavors. Her associations included the Zonta Club, the Junior League of Lansing, the Vestry at All Saints Episcopal Church, the East Lansing State Bank Board, the Wharton Center Inner Circle, and Sparrow Hospital’s Foundation Board. In 1987 she was awarded the “Athena Leadership Award” for Outstanding Business Woman of the Year in Lansing. She balanced her hard work with her love of gardening, vacationing at friends’ cottages in the summer with family, and meeting her “gourmet club” couples for dinners.

In her mid-forties Marcia was blessed to find her best friend and the love of her life, J Clyde Spencer. They married in the fall of 1982 and laughed and loved one another for over 40 years. Early on, Clyde and Marcia sailed the Caribbean with friends and took cruises to Scandinavia and New Zealand. Their happy place and sanctuary, however, became Vero Beach, Florida, where they escaped the long Michigan winters. There they played endless games of golf at the Indian River Club and enjoyed dinners and brunches at Bobby’s with their many close friends and family. Clyde and Marcia’s children and grandchildren visited their home there often, where they enjoyed swimming in the pool or ocean and sitting on the veranda watching the boats travel up the Indian River.

Marcia is preceded in death by her parents, Howard and Helen (Marsh) Grimes; first husband, Roy T. Jensen; brother, H. Peter Grimes; son, Theodore David Jensen; and nephew, Thomas Alexander Barone. She is survived by her husband, J Clyde; her children, Sarah (John) Hensien, Craig (Gina) Spencer, Bryce (Margo) Spencer, Todd Spencer, and Allison Duniven. She is also survived by her brother, Tom (Susan) Grimes; sister-in-law, Beth Grimes-Flood and Tom Flood; grandchildren, John Howard (Jack), Anna Elizabeth, Lauren, Clay, Katherine, Marissa, Chelsea, Hillary, and Brian; nieces/nephews, Ann (Russ) Barone, Tom (Amy) Grimes, Bill Grimes and Natasha Rose, Michael (Nikki) Grimes; and grand nieces and nephews, Russell, Helen, Peter, Calvin, Elliott, and Katie.

Visitation will take place on Thursday June 22, 2023, from 4:00-7:00 pm at Gorsline Runciman Funeral Homes East Chapel, 1730 East Grand River Ave. in East Lansing.

A Celebration of Life is scheduled for Friday, June 23, 2023 at 11:00 am at All Saints Episcopal Church in East Lansing. There is a luncheon to follow at Marcia and Clyde’s home at 403 Southlawn Ave. in East Lansing.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Marcia Grimes Spencer’s memory to:

1) Camp Newaygo

5333 S. Centerline Road

P.O. Box 610

Newaygo, MI 49337 Or go online to: Campnewaygo.org

2) Sparrow Hospice House of Mid-Michigan

1210 W. Saginaw St.

Lansing, MI. 48915