William "Bill" Spencer

It is with a heavy and saddened heart that we share the news of the passing of William F. Spencer, affectionately known as "Bill," on April 16, 2024, due to complications from surgery for pancreatic cancer. Born in Boston, MA, on March 11, 1936, to Sarah (Long) and Walter Spencer, Bill spent his early years in Quincy, MA, where he actively participated in scouting and achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. He graduated from North Quincy High School in 1953 and earned his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Northeastern University in 1958. Following graduation, he served in the Army Reserve from 1959 to 1961. Bill embarked on his 34-year career with New England Telephone as a Northeastern University co-op student. After working in various locations, he settled in New Hampshire. Bill valued community and actively contributed as a member and chairperson of the Litchfield Budget Committee for 25 years, advocating for fiscal responsibility for the town's improvement and its residents' welfare. Bill could often be found behind the lens of a camera, as he chronicled his family’s life events. His commitment to family inspired him to delve deep into his genealogical past, spending countless hours tracing family lines and connections. Bill had hoped to find his direct connection to the Mayflower but had to settle for connections through his children’s spouses much to his chagrin. His children fondly remember his love of the outdoors, taking them camping, skiing, ice skating, swimming, and hiking. Bill's passion for competitive running began during high school and college, where he excelled as a member and captain of the cross country and track teams. Although he took a break from running for many years, he returned to the roads in 1991 after his retirement. In his own professional running journey, he achieved 38 individual age records in New Hampshire, spanning distances from 5k to half marathon. Transitioning to Masters Track and Field in 1997, he secured an impressive tally of 22 National Championships across distances ranging from 800 meters to 10k, along with 3 National Cross Country Championships. In 2011, he showcased his talent on the global stage at the World Masters Championship, earning 3rd place in the 800 meters and 5th place in the 1500 meters. His exceptional accomplishments led to inductions into multiple halls of fame, including the Gate City Striders in 2012, the New England 65+ Runners Club in 2007, and the Millenium Mile in 2010. Remarkably, at the time of his passing, he held the 9th rank worldwide in the 800 meters for his age group (85-89). Bill is well known in the cross country and track community; in 1999, he began his coaching career with a group of 11- and 12-year-olds eager to compete each December in the National Junior Olympics Cross Country Championships and never looked back. “Coach Bill” continued until his passing as he remained dedicated to all his teams, with close to 15 years of coaching at Bishop Guertin High School. One parent shared, “My daughter ran for PAL for four years and had Bill Spencer as her coach for two. Bill was unquestionably her favorite coach. He trains his runners to compete and is particularly good at recognizing and developing talented girls. For the benefit of those who don’t know Bill, he is a very accomplished runner with many years of training experience. He tailors each athlete’s training according to their capabilities and goals. While direct and sometimes gruff, he sincerely loves to see the girls succeed, and cares about them long after they’ve left the PAL program.” Bill’s dedication to the running community extended beyond coaching. He began tracking and recording New Hampshire road race results in the late 1990s and began posting records in 1999. To accomplish this, Bill had to cull through many file drawers of NH races going back to the early 1980s and went through literally every race result to find the best individual age times for NH residents, as well as the best all-time in the state. Bill leaves behind his loving family: Pat (Maciolek), to whom he was married for 46 years; daughter, Michele Geesaman (William); son, Chris Spencer (Amy); daughter, Debby Spencer (Peter Parodi); grandchildren Sarah, Michael, Aidan, Daniel, Ella, Simon, and Samuel; many nieces and nephews; and grand-pups Leila, Samson, and Murphy. He was predeceased by his parents, Walter and Sarah Spencer, and siblings, Walter Spencer, Katherine Downey, and Marie Hagelston. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at Immaculate Conception Parish, 216 East Dunstable Rd. in Nashua, NH on Thursday, May 2nd at 10:00 am. In lieu of flowers, donations in his honor would be welcome to an organization that he tirelessly supported both physically and financially: Bishop Guertin High School at https://www.bghs.org/giving/make-a-gift/ “Clearly winning individual championships, as I have, is fulfilling but it is nowhere near as satisfying as seeing a kid that you have worked with for a few years succeed.” - Coach Bill

William "Bill" Spencer

March 11, 1936 - April 16, 2024