William Speyer

Speyer, William Eugene "Bill"

William "Bill" Eugene Speyer, 95, of Louisville, Kentucky passed away on December 12, 2024. Born in Dayton, Ohio, where he lived for most of his life, Bill graduated from Chaminade High School and attended the University of Dayton and Central Academy of Commercial Art in Cincinnati. He served in the Air Force for four years between 1950 and 1954, and was stationed in Chaumont, France and Furstenfeldbruck, Germany, Occupation Forces, for three of those years.

In 1972, Bill and his friend, Richard Eiken, went into business for themselves, starting a graphic arts business in Dayton called Color Systems, Inc. Mr. Eiken passed away in 1978 and Bill continued running the 45-employee company until 1991, when he sold it to a corporation from South Bend, IN, and retired. Bill was an avid pilot who logged over 4,000 hours of flying time during his lifetime. He received his pilot's license in 1957 and flew light aircraft for the next 51 years. In 1959, three months before he and Jane were married, he and a friend flew Bill's Piper Tri-Pacer aircraft from Dayton to north of the Arctic Circle in Alaska and then down the west coast of Canada and the US to Los Angeles, where they visited the newly opened Walt Disney's Disneyland before returning to Dayton; a trip of over 10,000 miles. In 1984, he purchased a kit for a high-performance experimental aircraft called a Glasair. After four years of construction in his garage, he flew his new aircraft for the first time in June of 1988. For the next 20 years Bill flew his creation all over the contiguous US, Alaska and Canada. He displayed it at numerous airshows all over the Midwest and won numerous trophies and awards. In 1999, he established the Hithergreen Aviation Club as an activities program for the Hithergreen Center, an adult center in Dayton. What started with five members grew to 125 a few years later. The club had monthly meetings with aviation-related guest speakers and remained very active for over 20 years.

In 2011, about a year after Jane had passed away, he was introduced to Darlene Murray by his match-making sister, Doris. Five years later, on December 23rd, 2016, Bill and Darlene were married in Dayton, where they lived until December of 2022, when they moved to Louisville, KY, to be closer to Darlene's daughter, Susi. Bill was preceded to heaven by his wife of 50 years, Jane Frantz Speyer; daughter, Susan Speyer Russell; best friend and sister Doris Speyer; and parents, Bill and Irma Speyer. He is survived by his wife, Darlene Murray Speyer of Louisville, KY; son, Gregory Speyer and husband Terry of Dallas, TX; step-daughter, Susi Murray Schmidt and husband Ralph of Louisville, KY; grandchildren, Madison Russell and Jay Russell; brother, Donald Speyer and wife Barbara of Sarasota, FL; sister, Marilyn Nagle and husband Daniel of Dayton, OH; a brother-in-Law, David Frantz of Ocala, FL; a great grandson and many loving nieces, nephews and friends. Bill always claimed he was a very blessed person because he lived a wonderful life. He fell deeply in love with, and married, two wonderful women.

Private services will be held by the family in the Dayton area on Saturday, January 25, 2025. Arrangements by Tobias Funeral Home – Far Hills Chapel.