James Spicer

[Bluecat]

My stepfather... just found out today that he died before Christmas.

I first knew him when he was courting my mother. I was 18, he and she were both in their late 50's. He was then a civil engineer in the nuclear power industry and had several inventions patented - owning a company called "Activated Sludge" for example. Oddly, it seemed to me, he was learning to play the cello as a beginner. But within 6 or 7 years he was playing in an orchestra. Before that, he'd decided to learn to paint. So he took some classes, painted for a few years, had exhibitions and sold paintings, until he decided he'd done enough of it and it was time to try music.

He had left school at age 14, when his father went for a walk and never came back (a postcard arrived some months later from Australia, but they never heard from him after that) and his mother, not having any qualifications or job experience, could only find work scrubbing floors. James signed up as an apprentice in the merchant navy: any country you could mention, if it had a port he'd been there. He started listening to classical music while following the printed score on these journeys and that was how he taught himself to read music.

Taught himself: that's an expression you often found yourself using around James. When I was home after my mother died, he and my aunt were talking about how wasteful of water washing machines etc are. He suddenly said "I was sitting in the bath one day and I thought, here I am paying for good clean water to flush down the toilet." So he had designed and installed a water system that collected bath water, pumped it and put it through the cistern. I asked him how he'd got the plumbing done. he said (this is a man in his early 80s, mind you) "Plumbing? I got a book from the library and did it myself..." He'd also taught himself Latin - enough to read the Vulgate New Testament - and Greek.

A rather isolated figure in later life, he became very deaf which unfortunately stopped his participation in music. It also made it tricky to stay in touch: he could no longer hear the phone ring. He spent a lot of time with his three daughters and his seven granddaughters, and was staying with his youngest daughter when he died.

[Rev Joe]

Sorry to hear about your step father. He sounded like an interesting guy.

[JimBob]

May he be remembered for all the good things he did in life.

Peace & Love!

[Sr.Sue]

Bluecat, I am sooo sorry to hear the bad news. I hope you're doing okay. Your stepdad sounds like he was a fascinating person.

[Rev Ed]

My condolences.

[remove]

I'm glad you were able to exprience his life and gain from it. I am sorry to hear that

he passed and wish you would have been told sooner.

[rev.daniel]

He sounds like a very talented man. Fortunately, it sounds like he had opportunities to live his dreams. God bless you and your family.

[lifeslittleuturns]

My thoughts and prayers are with you in this difficult time. When you are up to it and find yourself with the time. I suggest that you record you memories (either by writing, audio,video, or even memorial website) of James Spicer so you can keep his memory alive. Then you will have something that can be passed down through the generations.

[reilly61]

so sorry for your loss, seems he was quite a man, prayers for you and your family.