Spencer S. Colwell

Spencer S. Colwell, 82, of Elim Park Place, Cheshire, formerly of Hamden, died Tuesday, July 30, 2002. He was the widower of Emogene Sigsbee Colwell and the son of the late Dr. Howard S. and Mary S. Colwell of New Haven. He leaves a son, Steven S. Colwell, and daughter-in-law, Susan N. Colwell, of Harvard, MA; a daughter, Elizabeth Ann Colwell Koehler, and son-in-law, Alan G. Koehler, of Fripp Island, SC; and a son, Attorney William S. Colwell, and daughter-in-law, Deborah McDonnell Colwell, of Cheshire. He also leaves a sister, Elizabeth C. Kessler, of Salisbury, MD, widow of Edward H. Kessler; a sister-in-law, Mary C. Colwell, of Hamden; and seven grandchildren: Abigail N. Colwell, of Lexington, MA; Charles S. Colwell, of Harvard, MA; Robert C. Wolfe, of Washington, D.C.; Caroline W. Benton, of Salisbury, NC; Hamilton S. Colwell, of Edgartown, MA; Christian M. Colwell, of Cheshire; and Caitlin S. Colwell, of Cheshire. He was predeceased by a brother, Dr. Bradford S. Colwell, of North Haven, and a sister, Eleanor C. Oneil, of Lancaster, PA, widow of Robert S. Oneil. Spence was born in New Haven on August 14, 1919, and was a graduate of Hillhouse High School, Deerfield Academy and Colgate University. He served in the United States Army during World War II. He retired from the Southern New England Telephone Company after 33 years of service as a supervisor in the Rates and Tariffs Department. He was a lifelong member of Church of the Redeemer, New Haven, and served on the Board of Deacons, Board of Trustees and other committees. He was the long-term Secretary of the City Missionary Association. He volunteered with F.I.S.H. of Greater New Haven and was the baseball coach for many years of the Beecher and Bennett Pee-Wee baseball team of the Hamden Fathers Baseball Association. He was a member of the High Lane Club in Hamden and the Graduate Club in New Haven. Spence was his class representative for the Colgate alumni magazine and he received the coveted Maroon Citation from Colgate in 1996. In addition, he received the Jack Mitchell Loyalty Award from the Colgate football association and the Silver Puck Award from the Colgate men's hockey association. He was also named an honorary member of the Colgate women's soccer team. He served as the President of the Colgate Club of New Haven for many years. Friends are invited to attend a memorial service at Church of the Redeemer at Whitney Avenue and Cold Spring Street in New Haven on Saturday, August 10, at 2:30 p.m. Memorial gifts may be made to the Spencer S. Colwell Scholarship Fund, c/o Colgate University, 13 Oak Drive, Hamilton, NY 13346; or to the Spencer S. Colwell Memorial Fund, c/o Church of the Redeemer, 185 Cold Spring Street, New Haven, CT 06511. Arrangements under the direction of BEECHER & BENNETT, 2300 Whitney Ave., Hamden.