John A. McCruden
Station owner, baritone
John A. McCruden, a retired service station owner and singer, died Sunday of respiratory failure at the Anne Arundel Medical Center in Annapolis. The Arnold resident was 74.
He retired about 10 years ago after owning Jack's Texaco on U.S. 50 in the St. Margarets area for 16 years.
The Baltimore native was reared in the Pimlico area and was a graduate of Loyola High School. He also studied voice at the Peabody Conservatory of Music and, as a young man, appeared as a baritone in productions of "HMS Pinafore," "Iolanthe" and other operas at the Lyric Theater.
He was interested in United States history, particularly that of the Civil War period. He had been a collector of antique rifles and was a member of the National Rifle Association.
A Mass of Christian burial was to be offered at 1 p.m. today at St. Andrew by the Bay Roman Catholic Church, 701 College Parkway, Cape St. Claire.
Mr. McCruden is survived by his wife, the former Wanda M. Wells; three sons, John M. McCruden of Baltimore, James A. McCruden of Pasadena and Stephen R. McCruden of Severna Park; two daughters, Anne C. Napier of Pasadena and Sally L. Kirchoff of Arnold; a brother, Ira McCruden of Wilmington, Del.; two sisters, Ruth Ruddy of Lewes, Del., and Sally Aguilar of Baltimore; and 16 grandchildren.
Willis Spencer
History teacher
Willis Spencer, a retired history teacher, died Wednesday of respiratory failure at Union Memorial Hospital. The Roland Park resident was 81.
He began his teaching career at the Gilman School in 1945 and after leaving in 1968, taught for the next 15 years at the Maryland House of Correction in Jessup until retiring in 1983.
A native of Brookline, Mass., he earned his bachelor's degree in 1934 and his master's degree in 1954 from Harvard University. During World War II, he served with the Army Air Forces on Saipan in the Pacific. He was discharged with the rank of first lieutenant in 1945.
He was a member of St. David's Episcopal Church.
A memorial service was set for 1:30 p.m. today in the chapel of Henry W. Jenkins & Sons, 4905 York Road, Baltimore.
Survivors include his wife of 45 years, the former Susanne Hooper; a son, Benjamin Upshur Spencer of Savannah, Ga.; a daughter, Mary Willis Spencer-Smith of Mount Washington; a sister, Muriel Spencer Earl of Duxbury, Mass.; and three grandchildren.
Memorial donations may be made to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, 3200 Falls Road, Baltimore 21211.