Alvira Rose "Sally" Spencer

Sally Spencer passed away on December 3, 2025, two months before her 104th birthday surrounded by dear friends and caring staff at The Lakeside at Amelia Island, which had been her home for the past 4 ½ years.
Sally was born in East Lansing, MI to Irene (nee Keyes) and Charles T. Spencer. Her father was a physician who died when Sally was 2 ½ years old, leaving her mother alone to raise Sally and her older brother, George.
Her mother raised her to be a strong and independent woman. She studied at Michigan State University where she pledged Alpha Chi Omega, a national sorority focused on developing resilient women, and then transferred to the University of Michigan where she earned her pharmacy degree in 1943. After graduation she joined the WAVES, training WWII medics in the use of medicines. After the end of WWII, Sally worked as a pharmacist for over 30 years, including owning and operating the Campus Drugstore in East Lansing.
Sally lived in Fernandina Beach for 23 years with her now deceased close friend, Jean. She loved the ocean and the small friendly island. Sally was a strong woman, and she had strong opinions. She always "told it like it is" but she never complained. She tried to find the good (and often the humor) in everything she experienced.
Sally was predeceased by her father, Charles T. Spencer, her mother, Irene Keyes Spencer, and her brother, George T. Spencer. She is survived by two nephews, Michael T. Spencer (Anna) and J. Patrick Spencer (Celeste), and a niece, Isabel Spencer Hansen (John).
Sally also left behind close friends who will miss the lively conversations and Sally's big smile when they visited. She was thoughtful and always asked about what was going on in others' lives. In her later years, she lived vicariously through all she could discover in conversations with her friends and family. It was her focus on others that gave her a rich and meaningful 100+ years. Although, she also attributed her long life to taking her vitamins with champagne each day!
A celebration of life will be held in February in honor of her 104th birthday. Donations to The Barnabas Center, barnabasnassau.org, may be made in Sally's memory