In Memoriam

Spencer Reynolds Sr., of Princeton, died peacefully November 28, 2021, following complications of vascular dementia. He was 83.

Spence was born in Providence, RI, but returned as an infant to the cattle ranch in Wyoming where his mother and her close friends from Providence had met and married cowboys a few years before. He grew up on ranches in Cora and Big Piney, Wyoming, then went “back east” to South Kent School in Connecticut. 

Spence attended Princeton with the Class of 1961, majoring in religion. He won a Rockefeller Fellowship which allowed him to explore a vocation for the church, at Church Divinity School of the Pacific in Berkeley, California. After one year in seminary, he joined the U.S. Army and spent two years as a lieutenant in military intelligence in South Korea, then he joined Chase Bank in Manhattan, first in money management and then in human resources. Human resources proved satisfying and he applied to the undergraduate admission office at Princeton, which launched a rewarding career spanning more than 50 years during which he consulted, consoled, and mentored both applicants and their families.

Today, at this time of rising awareness and celebration of human diversity, it’s interesting to note that, in the late 1960s, Spence was one of the first admission officers at Princeton charged with actively recruiting the heretofore untapped talent of minority students. Whatever their backgrounds, he derived lifelong satisfaction from the vast array of students’ accomplishments during college and after graduation.

Outside of the office, Spence carried Wyoming in his heart and on his head. He could be recognized around town and gown by his distinctive gait and cowboy hat, often uplit from under the brim by the glow of his pipe. You could see it too in the Levi’s and cowboy boots he proudly wore to his sons’ weddings, before it was fashionable to do so.

Most important to Spence personally, he was a caring and dedicated husband and father, taking great joy in the growth of his sons, and later of his grandchildren. Spence and Joy raised their family on Jefferson Road and Markham Road, and for the past two years lived together on Princeton Avenue in a cottage which they designed and built on Spencer Jr.’s and Abby’s property.

Spence is survived by his wife of 56 years, Joy, and their three sons and their families:  Spencer Jr., his wife, Abigail, and their four children, Spencer III, Sydney, Peyton, and James (Princeton); Thaddeus (San Francisco); and Bram and his wife, Rakia, and their three children, Skai, Zoe, and Bram Jr. (Princeton).

Ever practical, Spence bequeathed his remains to the Anatomical Association of Robert Wood Johnson Medical School for study and medical research. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his memory to the charity of your choice.