Harold Ernest Spell

Obituary for
Harold Ernest Spell
Stepped into Eternity March 20, 2024

Harold Ernest Spell was born in Nashville, Georgia on July 17, 1932, the fourth of five children of James and Marjorie Spell.

While Harold spent thirty years living and working in Maryland, Florida was his beloved home. He grew up in Anthony, Florida where he was the star of his high school 7-man football team. He was the recipient of a full football scholarship at the University of Florida, earning a bachelor's degree in Agriculture. In his later life he was a resident of Orlando, Florida.

Harold was proud to be a veteran, having served in the Korean War from 1951-1952, rising quickly to the rank of Master Sergeant, the youngest in his platoon to do so. He served as a tank commander, earning double bronze stars for meritorious service, and a medal for marksmanship. He proudly recalled he was the "number one soldier in his company for physical fitness." Harold always a strong man, in body, will and spirit.

He married his very first girlfriend, Betty Lou Katiba in 1950. They celebrated 50 years of marriage and had four daughters. He was predeceased by Betty in 2001. In later life, he had a long loving companionship with Vivian McCartney, who survives him. They celebrated life, traveling, attending charity events, and enjoying family.

Harold had a lifelong love affair with the building business, and was a custom builder in Maryland, and community leader, serving as the president of the Maryland Home Builders Association. He was also tapped to run for Maryland State Senate as part of the Senator Larry Hogan Team in the early '70s. He and his wife, Betty, were core members of the Clinton Baptist Church where he served as a deacon, sang in the choir, and is remembered as a beloved teacher in the teenager's Sunday School and Training Union.

Harold will always be remembered as having a terrific sense of humor, always ready with an original joke or a remembrance of his childhood. He was an avid reader and a student of history, and had an encyclopedic knowledge of, well, everything.

He is survived by his four daughters and their spouses and partners, Christine Buckingham (Peter), Constance Spell (Glenn Ritterpusch), Cynthia Spell (Andrew Baida), and Cheryl Pirillo (Robert Thollander), and by his seven grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews. He is also survived by his remaining sibling, Charlotte Bunyan of Ocala, his sister-in-law, Runges Marshall, and his life-long Christian brother, Charles Tighe.

His memorial service will be held Saturday, April 6th, 2024 at 11:00 am at Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church, 1655 Peel Avenue, Orlando (www.newcomerorlando.com). Private interment will be at Florida National Cemetery, Bushnell, Florida alongside his wife, Betty. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to https://k9sforwarriors.org or another organization that supports military veterans and their families, or which supports research for dementia.