Dr. Eugene (Gene) M. Spiess

It is with profound sadness that the family of Dr. Eugene (Gene) M. Spiess announces his passing on October 25, 2024. 

Born on September 3, 1942, in Fulton County, Ohio to Denver and Marjorie Spiess, Gene was a transplant to South Carolina by virtue of his love for education. After serving 3 years in the Army in Germany right out of high school, he decided to enter college. After graduating from Tiffin University, he then earned his master’s degree at East Tennessee State. Upon graduation, he was offered a job at Rutledge College in Spartanburg, and through the encouragement of his employer, he enrolled in the Ed.D. Program at NOVA University; he graduated with his Ed.D. in 1981. Gene also proudly served his country in the U.S. Army Reserves. 

Dr. Spiess was blessed to have been able to touch the lives of many students in Spartanburg at Rutledge College and later USC Upstate and in the IVY Tech system in Indianapolis, IN. IVY Tech honored Gene with an endowed Spiess scholarship when he left Indiana to return to South Carolina. He has also established with several friends an endowed scholarship at Archbold High School from which he graduated in 1960. Not only was he a blessing to thousands of students, he was also the greatest blessing to his family and friends.

Gene was a very active member of Lions Clubs International – at every level! He loved his home club, the Spartanburg Lions Club, but he was also active at the District, State and International levels. He proudly served as an International Director (as an Executive Officer) from 2010-2012, and this is when he and his wife, Rita, had the opportunity to travel around the world and make life-long friends. Gene loved traveling and learning. A member of the Spartanburg Lions Club since 1979, he held many offices within the club and was club president in 2005 and then served as District Governor of 32A in 2008. He also served as a board member of the South Carolina Lions Charitable Services, group coordinator for Campaign SightFirst II and has presented at the USA/Canada forum. In recognition of his service to the association, he has received numerous awards including two International President’s Certificates of Appreciation, two International President’s Leadership Medals and the highest honor in Lions, the Ambassador of Goodwill. He is also a Progressive Melvin Jones Fellow.

Being the ultimate ‘achiever’, Gene received the Sagamore of the Wabash from Indiana Governor Frank O’Bannon and the Order of the Crescent from SC Governor Nikki Haley for his immeasurable work in the communities of Indianapolis and Spartanburg. In October 2024 he was honored by his fraternity brothers at Phi Theta Pi as Tiffin University’s Alumni of the year. Gene was also one of the founding partners of the group that renovated the old Spartanburg Cultural Center in Hampton Heights which evolved into the Spartanburg Preparatory School – one of his crowning achievements. Another of his favorite hobbies was being a beekeeper – that was a hobby he truly loved. He loved being able to share his bees’ honey with friends – The Spiess Family Honey. Gene also became a very active member of St. Paul’s Catholic Church in his later years.

 Gene met his life partner, Rita Hammond Spiess, in the Singles Again class at First Baptist Church where they married in 1981. Eugene is survived by his wife, Rita; son, Scott Harling (Tracy) of Columbia, SC; daughter, Christine Wilson (Eric) of Raleigh, NC; son, Ryan Spiess of Spartanburg, SC; and daughter, Kristin Harling of Belize, Central America. Gene also leaves to cherish his memory his beautiful grandchildren – Althea Knapp of Indianapolis, IN; Amanda Herring of Johnson City, TN; Elizabeth Kimball of Columbia, SC; Reuben Miller (Adrian) of Pittsburgh, PA; Grace Harling of Falls Church, VA; Phoebe Harling of Asheville, NC; Rain Harling of Belize, Central America; Solomon Harling of Belize, Central America; and Lulu Ruggles of Belize, Central America.

The family would like to thank the loving medical staff at Spartanburg Regional Hospital (respiratory and ICU) and Restorative Care Hospital for providing the very best care that he could have received anywhere! We are so grateful.

The family will receive friends from 5:30 pm -7:30 pm on Friday, November 1, 2024, at Floyd’s Greenlawn Chapel, 2075 E. Main St., Spartanburg, SC 29307. 

Funeral service will be held at 2:30 pm on Saturday, November 2, 2024, at Floyd’s Greenlawn Chapel, the Rev. David Dority will officiate the service. Burial will be held at a later date in Archbold, Ohio.

The family requests that memorials be made to Lions Clubs International Foundation, 300 W 22nd St, Oak Brook, IL 60523; Spartanburg Lions Club, POB 647, Spartanburg 29304; or any charity of your choice.