William Allan Speiser Sr.

William Allan Speiser, 81, of Simsbury, Connecticut and Newport, Rhode Island, beloved husband of 34 years of Mary Lucca-Speiser, passed away peacefully on Saturday, March 2, 2024, while surrounded by family.
The only child of William Z. Speiser and Rose Lavorgna, Bill was born on January 17, 1943, in Paterson, New Jersey. He attended Public School #24 and graduated from Eastside High School in January 1960. Bill continued his education at Rutgers College in New Brunswick, where he earned a Baccalaureate in English in 1964. He then completed a Masters in English at NYU in 1966.
Bill next took a job as a social worker for the Passaic County Welfare Board in Paterson, New Jersey and continued graduate work until he secured a teaching position at West Milford Township High School in West Milford, New Jersey in 1967. In 1970, Bill accepted a new teaching position in Rumson, New Jersey at Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School where he taught, supervised English teachers, and served as the school's Forensics coach.
On June 24, 1987, while in New York Harbor aboard the Nordic Prince with his parents and sons, he accidentally bumped into Mary Lucca, and was "colpito con il fulmine" (hit with the thunderbolt). Although Mary lived and taught in Connecticut, a long-distance romance blossomed and led to their wedding on July 4, 1989, which Bill renamed "Independence Day" years later. Bill and Mary lived separately during the school year until his sons had graduated high school and were successfully achieving at Kings Point and West Point before he accepted a teaching/supervising position at Northwest Regional High School #7 in Barkhamsted, CT in 1983. Fourteen years later, Bill retired from teaching.
Bill spent his retirement cruising with his wife, socializing at the local Healthtrax gym, and enjoying Newport, RI during the summer months, often on his beloved Vespa, Luigi.
Bill is survived by his wife Mary; sons, William, Jr. (wife Jennifer) of Franklin Lakes, NJ, and Michael, of New York, NY; grandsons, Gabriel and Samuel; brother-in-law, Frank Lucca (wife Kristine); nieces, Stephanie Cross (husband James), and Katherine Galvin (husband Sean), and seven great nephews.
The family wishes to extend a special thank you to the staff of Smilow Cancer Center at St Francis Hospital for their wonderful love, and support. We will be forever grateful for their compassion and care.
A Visitation will be held Thursday, March 7, 2024, from 4:00-6:00PM with a Memorial Service to follow at 6:00pm, at the Carmon Funeral Home & Family Center, 301 Country Club Road, Avon, CT 06001. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in William's memory to the St Francis Hospital Cancer Center, 114 Woodland Street, Hartford, CT 06105.