MARGARET JANE SPEAR

MARGARET JANE SPEAR 1927 - 2013 Margaret "Jane" Spear passed away October 8, 2013 following an injury and brief illness. She was 86. The arc of time for Jane began in Adis Alem, Ethiopia where her Danish-American parents, Manuel and Maggie Sorenson, were missionaries who founded schools and hospitals during the reign of Haile Selassie I. The family returned to the U.S. following the Italian invasion, prior to WWII. Jane completed a bachelor's degree at Union College in Lincoln, Nebraska, followed by training to be a Registered Nurse at the Loma Linda University School of Nursing. She and her husband, Dr. Horace Spear, raised four children in Southern California, while continuing to volunteer for her church and community. Despite losing her sight in her early forties, she continued to be actively involved in many charitable organizations. She spent her late decades helping persons and families affected by mental illness through her work for the National Alliance on Mental Illness. She maintained a life-long love of the people and culture of Ethiopia, which she shared with those around her. Jane will be remembered for her determination, love of learning, kind heart, and generous spirit. Jane was preceded in death by two of her children, Steven and Jeffrey. She is survived by Horace, her loving husband of 60 years; two children, Janelle and Richard Spear; their spouses Tom Downs and Margie Sullivan; four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. We miss her. A memorial service will be held at the Hemet Seventh-Day-Adventist Church on Sunday November the 3rd at 2pm. We request that in lieu of flowers donations be made to "The Tropical Health Alliance Foundation", www.thaf.org or to the "National Alliance on Mental Illness" http://www.nami.org