John Walter Spence

JOHN WALTER SPENCE Iowa City John Walter Spence, 76, of Iowa City, passed away on Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2022, at the VA Hospital in Iowa City comforted by his loving wife. John was born on Jan. 24, 1946, in Philadelphia, Pa., the son of Leroy and Mary (Maginnis) Spence. Growing up, John excelled in soccer and playing the violin. He served in the U.S. Army as a medic in Saigon during the Vietnam conflict. Upon returning from Vietnam, John moved to Iowa City to complete his undergraduate studies in Psychology at the University of Iowa where he met his first wife, Karen Lebbin, with whom he had two sons, Mike and Jeff. John received his Master's degree from the University of Iowa in social work and later was an LISW. He worked for many years in the Iowa Department of Corrections and as a family therapist for Families, Inc. of West Branch. Later John married Barbara Kay Saur (nee Barney) on March 3, 1990, in their home in Iowa City. A dedicated father, he coached soccer for IC Kickers, got numerous IC kids water skiing for the first time, and taught his two boys the value of enjoying the outdoors in Iowa, Minnesota and Colorado. John loved all genres of music, playing the guitar, harmonica, violin and was a great dancer. John enjoyed traveling with his wife Barb including tours with some of his siblings and their spouses to locations in Europe and China. He also took multiple trips to, from and within Mexico with Barb and also a sister-in-law. He discovered a joy for bicycling and made well over 30 long distance bike trips, including a ride across the U.S. from San Diego to St. Augustine, Fla. Among his nephews and sons' friends, he was known as the cool uncle/dad for his laid-back attitude and zest for life. John was able to recently celebrate his 76th birthday with his wife and sons at home in Iowa City. John is survived by his wife, Barb; sons, Mike and Jeff; siblings, Mary (Jim) McCue, Janet (Bob) Lowery, Dorothy (Jonathan) Schere, Robin (Dominic) Costa, Ginny Jones and Steve (Susan) Spence; as well as his siblings-in-law, Carly, Nancy, Tudy and Jeff. John is also survived by numerous nieces, nephews, and a large extended family and many friends. He was preceded in death by his parents, Leroy and Mary Spence; his former wife, Karen; and his brothers-in-law, Nelson, Dan and JB. His family wishes to send special thanks for the care John received from Ann Aschoff, ARNP and Dr. Andrew Ashby as well as many health care professionals at the Iowa City VA Medical Center, especially Drs. Jonathan Day and Alex Paschke. A celebration of John's life will be held from 1 to 6 p.m. Saturday, May 14, 2022, at City Park Shelter No. 6. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to Iowa City Free Lunch Program, Table to Table, Iowa City or a charity of the donor's choice. Online condolences may be shared at www.lensingfuneral.com.