Jeffrey W. Spencer's Obituary
Jeffrey Wayne Spencer was born on September 13th, 1963, to parents, Margie (Newman) and James Spencer in Nashville. Jeff was a rambunctious kid who enjoyed spending time with his brother, Kevin Spencer, and many cousins and friends. Growing up, he loved Batman and putting on magic acts like Harry Houdini. He loved basketball, football, and fishing. He also loved music as a child and began playing in garage bands as a teenager, playing music by Elvis and any other rock music at the time. He went to Maplewood High School and, shortly after, married his high school sweetheart, Gina (Brogdon) Merrell. He had his first child, Kayla Spencer, on December 16th, 1983. Jeff and Kayla shared a love for Halloween and all things spooky! Jeff loved to cut up, laugh, play practical jokes, and he always brought a smile to everyone’s face with his fun-loving attitude about life.
Jeff was a talented musician who played bass guitar in several bands around Nashville. Music was his passion and he loved all types. His best times were spent hanging out with family, having jam sessions, and working on songwriting with his friends. Jeff welcomed his second child, Savanna Spencer, on June 5th, 1993, with longtime girlfriend, Kelly Garrett. Jeff and Kelly were then married from 1998 until 2011. Savanna and Jeff share the same great love for music. Jeff was a contractor and skilled carpenter who did custom construction work for many years. He loved helping people and eventually took a job at Home Depot in Inglewood where he was able to combine his love of helping people and his background in construction work. Jeff continued to write music and help people with small home repair jobs in his spare time. Jeff had a kind heart and was always there for his family and friends. He loved staying connected to his friends from school and through his life, pulling them all together for different occasions. Like his mother, Margie, Jeff loved to cook, create recipes, and grill out for his family and friends. He loved hanging out, listening to music, laughing, and reminiscing with his family and friends at get-togethers.
Jeffrey Wayne Spencer died on November 5th 2016 at Skyline Medical Center of heart-related illness at the age of 53. He was preceded in death by his mother, Margie (Newman) Spencer; his grandparents, Charles and Alice E. (Green) Newman of Nashville, and Emery and Theolene (Burgess) Spencer of Portageville, Mo.; his uncle, Kenneth Newman of Nashville; and his aunts Linda (Spencer) Wagoner of Portageville, Mo. and Sandy (Newman) Coon of Nashville.
He was survived by his father, James E. Spencer of Madison; a brother, Kevin D. Spencer of Green Hills; two daughters, Kayla Spencer of Union City, Tennessee, and Savanna Spencer of Nashville; his aunts, Jo (Newman) Winn of Fort Lauderdale and Evelyn (Newman) Waynick of Springfield; his uncles, Terry Newman of Springfield, Charles Spencer and Larry Spencer of Portageville, Missouri; and several beloved cousins and friends.
A celebration of his life will be held at Spring Hill Funeral Home and Cemetery at 5110 Gallatin Road in Nashville on November 10th, 2016. Visitation will be from 12:00pm-2:00pm. A funeral service will be held at 2:00pm, with a gravesite service to follow at the Spring Hill Cemetery.
What’s your fondest memory of Jeffrey?
What’s a lesson you learned from Jeffrey?
Share a story where Jeffrey's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Jeffrey you’ll never forget.
How did Jeffrey make you smile?
