Larry L. Spencer 1953-2026

Larry was born in 1953 in Ashtabula, Ohio. His father, a lumberman, moved the family around for work. Larry’s high school years were spent in Charlotte, Michigan. He attended General Motors Institute and earned an MBA in marketing from Michigan State University. He began working for AT&T in Detroit, Michigan, and stayed through the break-up of AT&T into various smaller companies. In 1981 Larry met his partner (and eventual husband) Robert Yanal, a professor of philosophy at Wayne State University, with whom he shared 44 wonderful years. Larry and Bob traveled extensively through the United States, Europe, South America, Asia, and North Africa. In 2013, Larry and Bob moved to Tucson to escape Michigan winters. After a long and painful struggle to get well, Larry succumbed to metastatic melanoma. He died at Peppi’s House Hospice in Tucson on January 31, 2026.  He is survived by his husband, Robert Yanal; sister Connie and brother-in-law Mike Grier (of Charlotte, Michigan); a niece, Joey Morales and her husband Robert (of Battle Creek, Michigan); a nephew, Jamie Grier; Ross R and Louise S; and friends from Bears of the Old Pueble, Tucson Prime Timers, and Tucson Front Runners. No donations, gifts, or flowers. Just be kind to one another. Larry always was.