Soren Edgar (Ed) Spence

Mr.Spence was born on August 18, 1924, in Stamford, Connecticut, to Garnet Daye and Gladys Jenson Spence. He was 87 years old.

He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Minniver (Betty), four children; Dianne Benson and husband Bob, Donald Spence and wife Marilyn, Teresa Rogers and husband Jackie, and Barbara Speed and husband Rob. He has eleven grandchildren and sixteen great-grandchildren. He is also survived by a half-sister, Beatrice Lindsay, and a half-brother, Donald Valentine.

Mr. Spence married Minniver (Betty) Galliver on 11-11-1944 in Torquay, England, while serving in WWII. LTC (ret.) Spence joined the U.S. Army in 1942 and retired November 30, 1968, proudly serving his country for twenty-six years. At the time of his death, he was one of the few remaining WWII veterans. Mr.Spence then began his second career in 1972, as the Assistant Business Manager at Central Texas College, later becoming the Administrative Officer of Purchasing, and retiring in 1989 as the Dept. Chair of Food Services Management, now the Hospitality and Food Industries Department.

His military decorations include Purple Heart, Oak Leaf Cluster to Purple Heart, American Campaign Medal, EAME Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, WWII Victory Medal, Philippine Liberation Ribbon, Army of Occupation Medal (Germany), National Defense Service Medal with 1st Oak Leaf Cluster, Vietnam Service Medal with 3 Bronze Service Stars, Bronze Star Medal, Armed Forces Reserve Medal, Army Commendation Medal with 1st Oak Leaf Cluster, Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, and Legion of Merit.

A celebration of life service will be held on July 2, 2012, at 2:00pm at the Crawford-Bowers Funeral Home in Killeen. Burial will be at the Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery will full military honors.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations are made to the Wounded Warriors Project at www.woundedwarriorproject.org or to Scott & White Hospice.