Gary Kyle Spencer, 78, of Lexington Park, Maryland, passed away on January 23, 2023 at his home in Lexington Park, MD with his wife by his side.
He was born on June 30, 1944, in Grayson County, VA to the late Kyle M. Spencer and Denton Biarlah (Testerman) Spencer. He is survived by his children Gary Dean Spencer (Wendy) of Annapolis, MD, Kenneth Douglas Spencer (Missy) of Mardela Springs, MD, and Alice Love Manning of Kent Island, MD; his two grandchildren, Cameron Spencer (Kasey) and Chase Austin and his two great-grandchildren Leighton and Hudson.
Gary grew up farming in Southwest Virginia with his mother and father until he enlisted in the military. He was 18 years old when he went into the Army and he was honorably discharged. He worked several different places after leaving the Army. He got a job with the Greyhound Bus Company in Washington, D.C. and apprenticed to a journeyman Diesel Mechanic and worked there a few years. When he left the bus company, he moved on as a mechanic for the Giant Food company. He progressed quickly from mechanic to becoming the Fleet Maintenance manager of the Maintenance Department. Gary enjoyed sharing his trade with others and teaching them how to fix mechanical issues that may arise on the tractor trailers. He had a passion for working on heavy equipment and was also gifted at doing electrical repairs.
Gary made his way to Maryland for work. He fell in love with his first wife and they got married, he adopted her daughter and they had two sons together. Although their relationship didn’t work out it didn’t stop him from falling in love with his current wife Valerie. In 1986, they started to date. They took their time getting married because they wanted to wait until they felt God’s calling for them to wed. They have been married for twenty-five years and became one in Christ. Gary said in his last days that now he understood what God meant for a marriage to emulate the oneness that Jesus and the Father have together. We are one in body, soul and spirit and he was blessed to have Valerie as his soulmate and wife.
Gary had many hobbies that he enjoyed from hunting, fishing, mountain climbing, sewing, cooking and building things. Some of the animals he looked forward to hunt were birds, squirrels, ground hogs, deer, elk and buffalo. He enjoyed going to South Dakota where he shot his first buffalo and traveled to Colorado to hunt mule deer. He amazingly took spare parts to fabricate his own two-wheel cart for getting deer out of the public hunting areas before Cabella’s or Ganders Mountain had designed one for sale. He liked to travel to visit his brother in Oregon, his nephew in Kansas and to Virginia to visit his parents and siblings. He was an outdoorsman at heart, he loved adventures and riding motorcycles, three and four wheelers and his 4 x 4 pick up trucks. He was a gunsmith and knew how to reload his own ammunition. He won many first place trophies at the International Handgun and Rifle Metallic Silhouette competitions. He had great knowledge on tractors regarding their year, make, model and specifications. He was mostly self-taught when it came to his sharpening skills of saws and knives. Gary enjoyed watching many different TV programs but some of his favorites were RFD Tractor Fever, mechanical repair and hunting television programs. Also, old westerns especially ones, that had John Wayne in them. He enjoyed watching several sports programs like NFL Football, Baseball, Boxing and Nascar Races on TV and going to the racetrack in person. He enjoyed listening to a variety of music from bluegrass, old fashion hymns, country music and of course, Elvis Presley.
Gary was known to keep things orderly, neat, organized and reliable. He was a loyal man who kept his word. He had a sentimental side which meant he would keep memento’s, cards and photos that were important to him. He always had one or more dogs throughout his lifetime and said if you want a friend, get a dog.
Gary retired in 2003 from Giant Food. He was involved in several ministries within his church from being a trustee to the evangelical bus ministry, grounds and building maintenance, to helping cook for the Wednesday night dinners. He helped with the set-up and clean up like washing the dishes. He planted and tended a very large garden to share with the church congregation for many years. He also would cook at home and do the dishes to give his wife a break. He knew how to sew, so if something needed to be hemmed, he could do it himself. Gary always loved being around children teaching them Christian values. Wherever his homestead was, he made sure to find a church to belong to because he loved to read and study the bible. He did the same, with his kids as they were growing up because he wanted them to be great Christians. His friends and family meant the world to him and any time he spent with his kids and grandchildren filled his heart with much love. He will be missed by many.
The family will receive friends on February 4, 2023 at 11:00 a.m. for a Celebration of his Life Service, at Lexington Park Baptist Church, 46855 Shangri-La Drive, Lexington Park, MD 20653. There will be a potluck meal following the service in the church fellowship hall at 1:00 p.m., please bring a side dish, snack or finger food. Military honors will be preceding or following the service, as well.
Condolences to the family may be made at www.brinsfieldfuneral.com.
Arrangements by the Brinsfield Funeral Home, P.A.
