INFORMATION FROM BURNS FUNERAL HOME WEBSITE:
Phillip Aaron Speer, 90, of Hobart, Indiana passed away peacefully on February 4, 2025. Phil was born on July 5, 1934, in Paoli, Indiana to Ferrell and Lucille (Farley) Speer. He spent his early years in southern Indiana. The family moved to Hobart when Phil was a freshman in high school. He attended Hobart High School (’52), and it was there that he met his beloved bride of almost 69 years, Marcia (Peck) Speer.
Phil attended Purdue University and received a BS in Metallurgical Engineering (’56). While at Purdue, he participated in the ROTC program and graduated with a commission to second lieutenant in the U.S. Army stationed in Aberdeen, Maryland. He served on active duty for a brief time until the completion of the Korean War. He completed his service with the rank of Captain and continued to serve as an officer in the reserve unit for 15 years. After returning from military duty, he accepted employment at Inland Steel where he worked in a variety of leadership positions.
Most of his time at Inland was spent at the main office in downtown Chicago. In 1975, he received a MA Degree from the University of Chicago, Booth School of Business – Executive Program. In 1977, he was appointed to the US delegation for ISO where he wrote international trade specifications for steel sheets and plates. He retired in 1995 and continued working full-time for over 30 years as an international consultant specializing in ASTM and ISO steel standards organizations. Phil served on the board of directors of the Hobart Industrial Economic Development Corporation which led to the development of the Hobart Lakefront. His family proudly referred to the lake front as “Papa’s park”. He was a 32nd degree Mason and served in good standing for over 50 years and was an active member of the Hobart Kiwanis. He was also the former scout master of Hobart Boy Scouts of America Troop 42.
Phil and Marcia’s love story began in high school and continued for over 70 years. They married in 1954 while students at Purdue and returned to Hobart where they raised their family. They shared a passion for travel that took them to all corners of the world. In 1976, Phil famously tried to drive his young family into East Germany to show them the other side of the Iron Curtain. Although together they had favorites, no place was more special to Phil than the annual trips to Walt Disney World with the grandchildren. He and Marcia placed special emphasis on family and loved spending as much time as possible being together. Phil was an avid Purdue fan. He would tell you he bled black and gold. For years, he and Marcia held season tickets for both football and basketball and until recently, he attended almost every home game as well as traveled to bowl games and tournaments. Despite his declining condition, we are confident he particularly enjoyed the most recent Purdue-IU basketball game.
Phil was devoted to his faith. He was a member of the Hobart First Christian Church and was a church elder for over 40 years. He faithfully served as Chairman of the Church Board and Board of Elders. He taught by example and was a strong testament to what it means to teach by example.
Phil will be dearly missed by so many. Family left to cherish his memory include his daughter Kathryn Speer and son Kevin (Kim) Speer; his grandchildren Stephanie Smith, Eric (Jennifer) Speer and Cole Speer; nephew Curtis (Sharon) Metz; niece Shelley (Tim) Brockway; and their children Alexis, Cameron, Sydney and Claire.
Phil was preceded in death by his parents, Ferrell and Lucille (Farley) Speer; his wife Marcia (Peck) Speer; his sister Jennie (Speer) Metz and brother-in-law, Dr. Clyde Metz.
Visitation for Phil will be Friday, February 7, 2025, from 3:00pm – 7:00pm at Burns Funeral Home, 701 East 7th Street, Hobart, IN 46342. Funeral services will be held Saturday, February 8, 2025, at Burns Funeral Home (Hobart). Pastor Steve Campbell officiating. Interment at Hobart Cemetery, 621 E Cleveland Ave, Hobart, IN 46342. www.BurnsFuneral.com
This information and the picture below were obtained from: https://www.burnsfuneral.com/obituaries/phillip-speer/#!/Obituary. The picture above was obtained from the 1952 HHS Memories yearbook, made available by the Lake County Public Library, at: https://archive.org/details/HOHS1952Images/.
