William H. “Bill” Spear Jr. died on Jan. 8, 2024, in St Pete Beach, Fla. He was 88.
Bill was born in Paterson in 1935 to William H. Spear Sr. and Ruth (Fippinger) Spear. As a child, he and his sister, Joyce (Spear) Ibbetson, moved with their family to West Milford, where he spent most of his life until moving to Florida.
Bill was a printer by trade. He worked for several newspaper publishers over his career and had owned Lakeland Cold Type in Butler and West Milford Printing in West Milford.
Bill enjoyed hunting and took many trips to Canada with friends and family to hunt big game.
As a young man, Bill enjoyed boat building and racing on Greenwood Lake, where at age 16, he met his beloved wife, Jean, on Brown’s Point. They were married in 1956 and built their home in the Hewitt lake community of Awosting, where they raised their children and enjoyed many years of the lake life.
They had been married for 64 years and always felt they were soulmates, truly emphasized by the fact that Jean predeceased him three years ago to the day. They truly shared a “Notebook” marriage and final parting.
Bill is survived by two children, Shawn (Spear) Brown and William “Bill” H. Spear III; four grandchildren, Kyle and Devin Brown, Drew Anne (Spear) Williams and Samantha (Spear) Weilheimer; and two great-grandchildren.
A private family memorial will be held at a future date.
Donations may be made to Suncoast Hospice, 3050 First Ave. South, St. Petersburg, FL 33712.