Richard E. Spies, 75 resident of Parkville, Maryland, died peacefully on Monday, January 2, 2017 at his home surrounded by his loving wife, daughter, and both granddaughters.
Born on June 9, 1941 in Baltimore, MD he was the son of the late Phillip Edward and Anna Wells Spies. He is survived by his loving and devoted wife of 53 years, Ellen Fundis Spies.
Richard graduated from City College in Baltimore and attended Baltimore Junior College. He worked in the banking industry for most of his career and became a bank examiner and assistant bank commissioner with the State of MD, banking supervisor. He was a veteran of the U.S. Navy and served during the Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba.
He was set-apart as a Deacon, in the Order of St. Stephen, Deacon in May of 1984 and served at St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Parkville, Maryland as a member of the OSSD. Consecrated as a Deacon in the East Coast Synod of the Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches on October 2, 1987, then becoming a part of the roster of Associates in Ministry upon the creation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Deacon Spies was called to serve as an Assistant to the Chaplain at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore, Maryland. He served there until 1999, when he received a brief call to the Church of the Holy Comforter (now the Churches of the Nativity and Holy Comforter), also in Baltimore. In May of 2000, he received a call to St. Abrahams Lutheran Church in Hampstead, Maryland, where he served until his retirement in 2015. In his spare time, he coached little-league baseball and was an avid Civil War history buff.
Surviving in addition to his wife are daughter, Stefanie Ellen Spies and husband Steven Walter of Parkville; son, Jeffrey Richard Spies of Ocean City, MD; granddaughters, Abigail Carrie Spies and Bethany Ellen Spies; brother, Ronald Edward Spies, Sr. of N.Y.; niece, Virginia “Ginger” Spies and nephew, Ronald E. Spies, Jr., also of N.Y.
Funeral services will be held at 12:00 p.m. noon on Friday, January 6, 2017 (Epiphany of our Lord) at Christ Lutheran Church, 16530 Trenton Church Rd., Upperco, MD 21155 with the Rev. Michael C. Adams officiating. Interment will follow in St. Abrahams Lutheran Church Cemetery in Hampstead. The family will receive friends on Wednesday, January 4th from 1-5 p.m. and on Thursday, January 5th from 6-9 p.m. at the MYERS-DURBORAW FUNERAL HOME, 91 Willis St. Westminster, MD. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made payable to the DE-MD Synod (memo line Richard Spies-St. Dysmas) send to DE-MD Synod, Attn: Jennifer Baxter, 575 S. Charles St., Ste 202, Baltimore, MD 21201.
Charitable donations may be made to:
DE-MD Synod Attn: Jennifer Baxter
575 S. Charles Street, Ste 202, Baltimore MD 21201