William "Bill" Speth

1930 - 2020

William "Bill" Speth
William W. Speth, 90, of Bend, Oregon died Friday afternoon, August 7, 2020 at his home during his afternoon nap. Born in Davenport, Iowa on May 17, 1930 he was the only child of Benjamin Speth and Jeannette (Krenek) Speth.
His early life was spent on farms near DeWitt and Comanche, Iowa and in Davenport where he received most of his public schooling. Following high school graduation, he served in the U.S. Navy for one year and trained as an aerographer. He earned an undergraduate degree at the University of Wisconsin in 1954 and a doctorate in Philosophy at the University of Oregon in 1972. While teaching at Central Washington State College, he met his future wife and loyal friend, Constance H. Weber. They were married in Ellensburg in 1970.
He was an academic, interested in knowledge and learning and made the history of American geography and anthropology his major interest. He valued Buddhist doctrine and experience of Nature. Both were sources of spiritual sustenance for him.
After nearly 50 years of marriage, Constance passed away on September 14, 2019. January 2020, Bill moved to Bend, Oregon where he had previously taught at Central Oregon Community College, and to be close to his daughter and son-in-law, Rachel Speth and Jeffrey Delkin of Bend, Oregon. Additional survivors are his son Benjamin Speth, and his partner, Becky Hilton of Stockholm, Sweden.