David Anthony “Tony” Spencer was born in Chehalis, Washington on Jan. 31, 1941 to his parents Ruth and Hobert Spencer. He was the fourth of six children. He would then spend the next 18 years in Mossyrock, Bucoda and Centralia attending school and working odd jobs until he joined the U.S. Navy in 1960.
In the Navy, Tony served as an air traffic controller and air crewman primarily on the American west coast and Pacific Islands. While never having seen combat, during his service he survived a plane crash in the Pacific Atoll called Midway Island. The crash saw the loss of six of Tony’s fellow officers, but luckily for the other 16, Tony and another officer were able to rip the door from its hinges, allowing the company to escape before the fire engulfed the plane. After the crash, Tony served in active duty until he was 25, continuing his service in the National Reserves for the following 20 years and retiring out of the Navy as a senior chief.
Tony attended Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, California for five years, while working at a mental hospital to support himself and his family. Following his graduation with a degree in political science, he returned to Washington to teach middle school in Centralia for the next 20 years. During this time, Tony would touch the hearts and homes of countless residents in Lewis County as he worked as a self made carpenter and contractor, alongside his teaching work.
Tony is survived by his children Brett and Carrie, his wife Sandra Spencer with four children of her own, and a wealth of 24 grandchildren. Everywhere Tony went in his life he spread joy and laughter making friends and finding family all across the globe. Whether through his work, his service, or his own personal travels, Tony saw a great deal of the world, but of his travels his favorite part was always the people he would meet.
If you or someone you know are one of the countless friends whose lives knew the warmth of Tony Spencer, he and his family invite you to a celebration of life open-house on Saturday, Nov. 13 from noon to 5 p.m. at the Centralia American Legion. The family asks that you come with a story, a smile and a thirst so we can honor Tony in the way he had chosen for himself. In his words “give ‘em hell.”
