Lewis M. Spear

MERIDEN - Lewis M. Spear, 77, of 76 Highland Ave., died Wednesday, May 9, 2001, at Westfield Care and Rehab Center. He was the husband of Lois Knight Spear. He was born in Pittsfield, MA on August 12, 1923, a son of the late Carlton and Marguerite Johnson Spear and attended the University of Connecticut. He was a member of the U.S. Army during World War II. He was employed at the former Besse-Boynton Store after which he worked in the Personnel Department of the City of Meriden for seventeen years, retiring in 1988. Mr. Spear was a charter member and former president of the Meriden Jaycees, on the Board of Directors of the U.S. Jaycees, Tulsa, Oklahoma, an officer of the Meriden Lions Club, first president of the Meriden Retail Trade Board, former co-owner of the Meriden Pro Basketball Team , vice-president of the Meriden Chamber of Commerce and the first person to broadcast live a UConn basketball game. Besides his wife, he is survived by a daughter, Christine Light of Naples, FL; two sons and a daughter-in-law, Lee Spear of New Britain and John and Leigh Ann Spear of West Granby, CT; two grandchildren, Jeffrey Carlton Spear and Catherine Meredith Spear of West Granby, CT; a sister, Virginia K. Spear of North Fort Myers, FL;a brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Robert and Wanda Knight of Middlefield; three nieces and three nephews. A memorial service will be held Saturday, May 12, 2001 at 11 a.m. at Beecher and Bennett Flatow Funeral Home, 48 Cook Ave., Meriden. The Rev. George H. True will officiate. Burial will be at the convenience of the family. If desired, contributions in Mr. Spear's memory may be made to the American Heart Association, 5 Brookside Drive, Wallingford, CT 06492.