Thomas Frederick Spencer died Saturday, November 14, 2020 at Trempealeau County Health Care Center, Whitehall, WI, of complications from Lewy-Body Dementia and COVID at the age of 66.  Tom was born January 3, 1954 in St. Paul, MN, to Fred and Dona (Schilla) Spencer.  He attended Gladstone Elementary School (Maplewood, MN) and graduated from North St. Paul High School in 1972.  He joined the U.S. Army that fall, serving at Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, TX, and then at the army's disease research institute (USAMRID) in Frederick, Maryland as a lab tech.  In 1975 Tom returned to St. Paul where he worked at Ramsey County Nursing Service until 1977.  Then he moved to Turtle Lake, WI, and worked for Cifaldi Motors in Cumberland.  He married Sonja Knutson and they had two children, Melinda and Brian.  Tom and Sonja later divorced.

Tom and Maren met at First Lutheran Church, Cumberland, and on November 8, 1997, they married.  Tom continued to work at American Tool in the maintenance department until the company closed there and then he worked at Moberg Electric and Lab Safety Corp.  In 2005 he and Maren moved to Coral City, WI, and purchased the home from Maren's mother, Alice, (Dad died in 2004).  Alice lived with them for 5 years until she entered the nursing home.  Tom had several jobs in the Whitehall area, including part-time postal deliveryman, worker at Whitehall Specialties, clerk at Johnson Hardware and lay pastor at New Hope Lutheran Church.

Tom wrote poetry and made many wood items in his workshop for his home and gifts for friends.  He enjoyed gardening, yard work, going for walks and drives, and singing with Maren; loved hunting and fishing and especially loved spending time with family and friends.  Tom loved animals and enjoyed taking care of the birds, squirrels and his cats.  He was generous and kind and loved to make people feel welcome.  He and Maren were re-baptized in Pigeon Creek and were members of First Baptist Church, Whitehall, where they sang with the praise team and served as Sunday morning greeters.  Tom was a man of strong faith and convictions and looked forward to being in heaven.

Tom is survived by his wife, Maren; three step-daughters, Heidi (Keith) Dehn, Heather (Wade) Comstock and Holly (Jason) Price; nine grandchildren, Laura (Neil) Mast, Joshua, Micah, Hannah, Grace, Lydia and Benjamin Dehn, Karissa and Natalya Price; siblings, Susie, Merrie, Debbie, Jim and Phillip.  He was preceded in death by his parents.

The private funeral service for immediate family will be Thursday, November 19, 2020 at the First Baptist Church in Whitehall, WI followed by a graveside service about noon that day, open to family and friends.  Pastor Rob Buhl will officiate. The graveside service which will include military honors conducted by the  Hutchins-Stendahl American Legion Post #191 will be in the Lincoln Cemetery in Whitehall.  The church service will be live-streamed and can be viewed at firstbaptistwhtl.org and the graveside service will be video-taped for later viewing online so people can attend in those ways as well.

The Jack Funeral Home in Whitehall is assisting the family with arrangements.