John Edward Spenlinhauer III left the dock for the last time February 12, 2019
at the age of 78.
He was the son of Georgia Mangiaracine & John Edward Spenlinhauer Jr. from Belmont Mass. He will be remembered by his wife Paula Sheehan Spenlinhauer of 17 years, his brother Stephen (Alicia) Spenlinhauer, four children:
Sepp (Brian Fassett)
Meg (Peter Bergendahl)
Eric (Tania Rawnsley)
Emmy (Jesse Wychules)
two step-children:
Jennifer (Jeff Lloyd)
Rachael (Todd Croce)
And eleven grandchildren:
Tyler, Brooke, Spencer, Brady, Tia, Cole, Calvin, Andrew, Audrey, Quinn and Jolie, and nieces and nephews.
A graduate of St. Sebastian's and Boston College, class of 1962, John and his brother Stephen took Spencer Press, a small hand fed letter press business started by their father in the basement of their Belmont home and expanded it, first into a successful web-offset operation in Hingham, Mass and eventually moving to Wells, Maine to become the 6th largest privately owned printing company in the USA, with over 700 employees.
John loved numbers and was an early adopter of computers and spreadsheets. He developed new systems and integrated new technologies streamlining the process from press to mailbox putting Spencer Press at the forefront of catalog printing for decades. He was inducted into the Printing Hall of Fame in 1998 for his contributions to the industry and a proud member of Web Offset Association board of directors.
John’s truest love was boating and he named all his boats Tivoli, which spells “i lov it” in reverse …and he did love it. With a 200-ton captain’s license, John was always planning the next adventure or holiday on Tivoli, which he loved sharing with others. Many holidays started and ended in Antigua, and he was known as the unofficial Mayor of English Harbor. His other love was the coast of Maine and he belonged to the Arundel Yacht Club for many years.
He will be missed by family, friends and acquaintances alike. We invite everyone to “wander on up” to the celebration of life in June. Boat shoes and yellow socks optional…
A private ceremony was held in Maine and John is resting next to his dad in Belmont, Mass.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the National Sailing Academy in Antigua, based in English Harbor: www.NationalSailingAcademy.org include Tivoli under the Yacht name field.
Please visit this page in the coming months for more information about the Celebration of Life.