Jean Spencer

Wilma Jean (Bland) Spencer, 82, of Winston-Salem, NC, and formerly a long time resident of Scranton, Iowa, died Tuesday, February 26, 2013, at Forsyth Medical Center in Winston-Salem, NC. Funeral services will be held at 2:00 P.M. Monday, March 4, 2013 at the Dahn and Woodhouse Funeral Home in Scranton. Visitation will be held from 1:00 P.M. on Monday at the funeral home until the time of service. Casket bearers will be Paul Spencer, David VanSchooten, Philip DiGiannantonio, and Andrew VanSchooten, Justin Robbins, and Bill Wenger. Burial will be in the Scranton Township Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be made to the Scranton Public Library. Jean Spencer, was born on November 28, 1930, to Abbie Marie and William Orville Bland in Valley Junction, Iowa. While Jean was still a baby, her mother died, leaving Jean and her siblings to be raised by their father and their beloved grandmother, Viola O’Connell. Jean was baptized and raised in the Episcopal faith. After graduation from High School, Jean attended Drake University in Des Moines. It was there she met her future husband, Harold Spencer, while at a dance. After college, Jean lived in North Carolina and worked as a bookkeeper and accountant until her marriage to Harold on June 1, 1953, in Jefferson, Iowa. To this marriage, four children were born: Jenise, Nancy, Rosemary, and Paul. In 1957, Harold, Jean, and their children moved to the Garland Farm in Kendrick Township where she and Harold resided until retirement. Jean was a wife, mother, and homemaker who devoted her life to her family and her community. While the children were growing up, Jean taught Bible Release Time at the Scranton Methodist Church. She was active in the Girl Scouts of America as a Brownie and Cadet’s Leader, and served as president of the Greene County Federated Women’s Clubs from 1982-1984. Jean was also a member of the Greene County Hospital Auxiliary and a past president of the Scranton Legion Auxiliary. Jean loved working as the librarian for the town of Scranton for eleven years until retiring in 1987. She, along with her dear friend Deanna Slocum, began the local book club, the Alphian Society. In addition, Jean was also involved with starting Scranton’s Mid-Summer’s Night Dream celebration. Jean was a passionate, caring volunteer. She was a Pink Lady at Jefferson Hospital, delivered Meals on Wheels, and dropped off and picked up library books to those who could not leave their home. In her later years, Jean volunteered at St. Anthony Hospital in Carroll. Many have enjoyed her generous and loving touch. In her spare time, Jean was an avid reader. She also liked filling her home with plants where her green thumb was on full display. Jean and Harold enjoyed traveling and had opportunities to travel within the United States, South America, and Europe. Left to cherish her memory are her daughters, Nancy (Philip) DiGiannantonio of Harleysville, Pa, and Rosemary (David) Van Schooten of Winston-Salem, NC; son, Paul (Vicki) Spencer, Prattsville, AL; seven grandchildren, two great grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews. Preceding Jean in death were her parents; husband, Harold; daughter, Jenise; two sisters, Beulah Bland and Cleo Bolin; and her brother, James W. Bland.