‘My dad really loved this city’: La Cañada pays tribute to Dave Spence
An overflow crowd of family members, friends and city and regional officials turned out at La Cañada Presbyterian Church Wednesday to share personal memories of City Councilman Dave Spence — a six-time mayor of La Cañada Flintridge — and to reflect on a long life well lived.
Spence, first elected to the City Council in 1992, was found unresponsive at his home the morning of May 16 and was later pronounced dead at a hospital. He was 80.
Dr. Chuck Osburn, pastor of the church Spence and his late wife Alice attended since 1969 and where Spence taught Sunday school for decades, said memorial services are always a time of mixed emotions.
The pastor recalled being fresh out of Fuller Theological Seminary and three days into the job when he met the Spences who, like him, had similar Midwestern ties.
“Ever since then, I’ve always thought of the Spences as ‘homies.’ And their home was always a place of warmth, hospitality and tremendous acceptance,” Osburn said. “Now this homie … has gone home, home forever to that ultimate place of welcome, warmth, hospitality and acceptance that we know as heaven.”
In the 90 minutes that followed, family members and longtime friends and colleagues fondly remembered the life of a man known equally for his public service, compassion, charm, love of good food, wine and friends and his rascally ways.
“He was the quintessential people person — Dave was social media long before that term was [invented],” recalled former City Councilman Don Voss.
Voss recounted taking a trip with Spence to a conference in Washington, D.C. Spence pulled out a paper sack containing a two-thirds full bottle of cabernet sauvignon he’d opened the night before with a neighbor and wanted to share with Voss.
After some questioning, he confessed he’d simply corked the bottle and packed it in his suitcase. But what if it had popped open from the air pressure? Voss asked him.
“Dave calmly replied, ‘But it didn’t.’ And I thought, that’s classic Dave,” he said. “So long, my friend. For your final journey, I am sure you packed a very nice bottle of wine.”
Keli and Jim Rapose, who were like children to the Spences, recalled the countless family dinners and home renovations they engaged in together, the shared holidays and laughter over the years.
“I thank God for the privilege of being part of such an extraordinary family,” said Keli Rapose, Alice Spence’s second cousin. “We are all better people because we were blessed to have Dave in our lives.”
Adult sons Steve and Andy Spence — who have special needs and have been well provided for, Osburn assured the audience — each offered their parting words and thanks to a great dad.
“My name is Steve, and I miss my dad,” Steve Spence said. “He taught me how to play softball, and he helped me with my homework in high school.”
“My dad really loved the city,” said Andy Spence. “And a lot of people knew him very, very well.”
Fiancee Jacky Hollingsworth, who along with her late husband John had known the Spences for years, choked back tears as she recalled the many trips they took together and Spence’s willingness to go for broke while playing gin rummy, a game he never really perfected.
Longtime friend Sheri Morton accompanied Hollingsworth at the podium, and took over reading her remarks when Hollingsworth could no longer continue.
“Dave and I especially depended on each other for the past four years,” Morton read for Hollingsworth. “He filled my life with kindness, patience and support. I shall treasure those loving moments and miss his warm smile, as will all of us.”
Twitter: @SaraCardine
