Anita Spencer (1945-2022)

WILTON – Anita Louise Spencer, 77, of Wilton, died early Saturday afternoon, Nov. 19, at her home in Wilton. She was born in Indianapolis, IN, May 28, 1945, daughter of Paul and Martha Jean Terry Spencer and received her education at the University of California, Santa Cruz, University of Santa Clara, and the Western Graduate School of Psychology. She worked in the San Francisco Bay Area and Truckee, CA as a Clinical Psychologist before retiring and moving to Maine in 2017, making her home in Wilton.

As a clinician, public speaker, workshop coordinator, and consultant to various hospitals and agencies, Dr. Spencer was committed to improving the lives of individuals and promoting the well-being of communities. Areas of professional interest included psychological factors affecting women’s health, the dynamics of grief, and the development of wisdom. She was especially proud of her 1996 book entitled Crisis of Spirit: Our Desperate Search for Integrity, which provided an opportunity to comment on contemporary social issues in relation to her own experiences of loss and grief.

Although she lived in Maine just five years, she quickly found her place in the local community. She led a local grief support group and was actively involved in the Tyngtown Club in Wilton as well as the GoldLEAF senior college in Farmington. Among her many hobbies, she had a special love for birds and spent many hours in her backyard birdwatching and tending her garden.

Anita Spencer married the love of her life, Linden Crawforth, in 1983, and they remained married until his passing in 2016. She was the loving mother of Steve, Scott, and Chris, the three children of her first marriage to William Quackenbush. She also embraced as her own Laurie, Linden Jr., and Melissa, the three children of Linden’s first marriage.

Anita Spencer was predeceased by her sons Scott Quackenbush and Linden Crawforth Jr., sister Paula Galbraith and husband Linden Crawforth. She is survived by her children Steven Quackenbush of Wilton, Christopher (Emily) Quackenbush of Centennial, CO, Laurie (Christopher) Cooper and Melissa Crawforth of Phoenix, AZ; grandchildren Ethan and Cole Quackenbush of Centennial, CO., Jordan (Cyndi) Cooper of Tucson Arizona, and Jessica (Tyler) Jones of Nashville, TN.

A Celebration of Life will be held at 2 p.m., November 30 at the First Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, Main Street, Wilton, followed by a private family interment at Lakeview Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Tyngtown Club, PO Box 665, Wilton, ME 04294. These donations will be used for a local project to address the problem of child hunger, a cause close to Anita’s heart. Memories may be shared in her Book of Memories at www.wilesrc.com. Cremation care and memorial services are being cared for and provided by the Wiles Remembrance Center, 137 Farmington Falls Road, Farmington.