The Life of Richard Burt Spear
Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Richard Burt Spear, 97, of Satellite Beach, Fla., passed away on Sunday, Sept. 27, 2015.
He was a native of Burlington. In 1936, he graduated from Burlington High School and then joined the Army National Guard and graduated from the Army's Command and Staff College and the Air Force's War College. Later on, he received additional education from Princeton and George Washington Universities.
Shortly after Pearl Harbor was attacked, he volunteered for military duty and entered the active military, joining the 3rd Calvary in 1942 at Fort Ethan Allen, underwent training in the Army Air Corps and left for overseas in 1943. Combat took him to North Africa, Sicily, Italy, Corsica, France, and Germany.
After returning to the United States, in 1946, the Vermont Air National Guard was born. Richard Spear became a charter member and held a variety of staff and command positions, including Airport Commissioner from 1953-1961. In 1955, then Col. Spear of the 134th Fighter Interceptor Group of the VTANG, risked his life to spare the city of Burlington. The Air Force's magazine, "Flying Safely", thought so much of the heroism and flying skill involved in the incident that they ran an illustrated article entitled, "Well Done". The Burlington Free Press headline read: "Flier Risks Life Over Burlington".
In 1960, Richard Spear was named Assistant Adjutant General for the Vermont Air National Guard. The following year, he was promoted to Brigadier General. During the same month, and just prior to the Cuban Missile Crisis in October of 1962, he was privileged to be the senior officer out of nine, sent to tour and assess the U.S. and NATO defense bases throughout Europe. The remainder of his military service was spent as the Commander of the Vermont Air National Guard, a position he was proud to hold until his retirement in 1967.
His 36 years of dedicated service saw him through 104 missions with 3,500 combat hours as a fighter pilot in the European Theatre of WWII, two crash landings, three belly landings, and one bailing out of a damaged fighter. He was the recipient of many military honors.
After full retirement in 1979, he spent most of his years in Colorado Springs, Colo., enjoying the proximity of the Air Force Academy, where he was very active in their golf amenities and their woodworking shop, where he spent many hours crafting Southwestern furniture. He was also an accomplished skeet shooter and fly fisherman.
General Spear is survived by his wife, Nancy Clarke Spear of Satellite Beach, Fla.; one daughter, Holly C. Spear-Nichols of South Burlington, Vt.; three step-children, Nancy W. Passavant and husband, Francis, of Upper Newton Falls, Mass., Pamela F. Lokker of Pheonix, Ariz., and George R. Fearing, of Morrisville, Vt.; two grandsons, Eric J. Nichols and wife, Erica Baetzle Nichols, temporarily residing in Thailand, and Lance A. Nichols of Orange, Calif.; two great-grandsons, Ryan E. Nichols and Grayson R. Nichols, temporarily residing in Thailand; several nieces and nephews, including a special niece, Virginia Sandor and husband, Fred of Satellite Beach, Fla., who were very supportive during these last years; Curtis R. Echo and wife, Carol, of South Burlington, Gail Echo Spencer and husband, Malcolm, of Essex Junction, Susan Echo Howard and husband, Thomas, of Cary, N.C., and their respective families.
A Memorial Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2015, at 10 a.m. in Winooski at St. Francis Xavier Church with interment at a later date in Connecticut.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Vermont National Guard Charitable Foundation, P.O. Box 683, Essex Junction, VT 05453; or the American Cancer Society