Birth date: Jun 7, 1947 Death date: Dec 2, 2015
Michael (Mike) Terry Speck, 68, passed away December 2, 2015 at Baptist Hospital Desoto. Mike was born June 7, 1947 in Memphis. He is survived by his wife Barbara Luzier Speck, daughter Hollie Joyner, sons Jeremy Speck (Carrie) an Read Obituary
Eulogy Part 3 I speak for the family in offering our thanks for all the kind gestures that have come our way this past week. So rest peacefully, dear brother. You will live on in our hearts and minds. We will think of you in odd moments when we least expect. Let those thoughts linger and a smile caress our face. We love you.
Eulogy Part 2 And he knew exactly where each one was including which drawer and where in the drawer. Whoa unto you who didn’t put things back where they belonged. Ten years ago, Mike and Barb moved to Hernando to be close to Dubbie and Charlotte. The house on Middle Buster was always bustling with kids and grandkids coming and going all the time. Barb just smiled and carried on throughout the chaos with her positive attitude. I think she is a saint. Mike built the garage that he always wanted with lots of room for his tools and equipment. It was his place to go for some quiet as he puttered on something mechanical. Mike’s last occupation was at FedEx as a Sort Systems Maintenance Technician. He and others made sure that the conveyor belts and motors that moved and sorted the millions of boxes that flowed in and out of Memphis did so efficiently and smoothly. A person had to work quickly and confidently to get the line moving again. Mike was a very valued member of that team. Mike had a thing for cars. Dubbie, Mike and I once listed all the vehicles we had owned. Dubbie and I quickly went through our list. Mike kept going until we all lost count of how many he had bought and sold over the years. I learned to drive a stick shift from one of his early cars, a blue English Ford. Mike gave me an education about what to look for when buying a car. He found time to enjoy drag racing at Lakeland Raceway in the 70’s, camping, fishing, golfing and any excuse for a fun family gathering! There are many memories of the times when the family was together. It didn’t have to be anything fancy or elaborate, because that wasn’t Mike. The simpler, the better, and especially if it was not expensive. You see, Mike inherited a frugal gene from our father as did each of us boys. We used to kid that our Pop could press two nickels together and get a dime out of it. We didn’t need top dollar clothes or other items in life to be happy. In these last few years Mike’s health started a slow decline. First he was diagnosed with emphysema from many years of smoking. His shortness of breath progressed until it was hard for him to walk any distance without having to stop and rest. Then he had to use supplemental oxygen to assist his breathing and nebulizer treatments. In the last year Mike had a pacemaker to assist his heart in being more regular. And then came the diagnosis of cancer. Mike was in the middle of chemo and radiation therapy when he died. Throughout these past few years when I would visit I never heard him complain about what needed to be done. He had a strong will to live and was working on doing what the doctors ordered for him. He told me he wanted to live more years. When he learned that he needed to have a tracheostomy tube inserted in his windpipe, he drove Barbara to the hospital for the procedure. I was grateful that I could be with Mike these past few days to help him and Barbara. And I am thankful that I was with him on that fateful day. Just the day before we had finished his radiation treatment and Barbara needed to stop at the Big Lots to buy batteries for all the Christmas figures that moved and sang. Mike enjoyed the Christmas season. Mike came in and used the shopping basket for support. While we were in there, he went down the candy aisle. I discovered him putting bag after bag of his favorite candy in the cart. In case you didn’t know it, Mike had a sweet tooth even though he had to limit his sugar. That is the Mike Speck I will remember. A loving son, a devoted father and grandfather, a caring brother, and most of all a life partner for Barbara. Through the ups and downs of 47 years of marriage, I knew it was a solid relationship that stood the test of time. I will remember the quick smile, the corny joke, the supportive friend who helped others. Your presence is a testament to that friendship and love.
Michael Terry Speck Eulogy Part 1 Rev. Dr. Richard Speck December 7, 2015Mike Speck was my older brother and a constant presence in my life until I left Memphis. He was born June 7, 1947 in the midtown neighborhood of Memphis. William Leroy Speck and Jean Lucille Terry were our parents. Mike was the second son. William Leroy Speck, Jr was our older brother who was born in 1940 before World War II. Michael Terry Speck was given our mother’s family name. I am not sure where they came up with Michael. I have done a lot of genealogical research on our family and there isn’t a Michael in the bunch. When I came along sixteen months later, I was given the name Richard Gary I think to rhyme with Michael Terry. We could always know we were in trouble when our parents used our full names. Ours was a typical family growing up in Memphis in the 1950s. We moved into a three bedroom, one bathroom house about 1951 or 1952. William Leroy Jr, known to us as Dubbie, shared our bedroom. Mike had the lower bunkbed and I had the top. To this day, I can’t stand the smell of gardenia flowers which were just outside our bedroom window. In the era of no air conditioners, we relied on an attic fan to cool the house, pulling air from outside to provide a breeze. Mike still has that fan in his shop. Our father worked for Sears, Roebuck, and Company. We joked that everything in our house came from Sears but us, and we weren’t too sure about that. Daddy worked in the catalog plant in midtown Memphis as the buyer for paint and wallpaper. Momma had been a beauty shop owner before we were born and still did the hair of her friends. She had one of those old fashioned hair driers in their bedroom. We attended grade school and high school in the neighborhood. Mike was not the studious type. He went to Kingsbury and transferred to Treadwell where Dubbie had graduated several years before but Mike didn’t graduate. He went on to earn his GED within a year going to night school. He received advanced training in mechanics at William R. Moore Technical School in Memphis. Mike was working at a gas station when he met Barbara Luzier. She had come into the station for gas and an oil change. It was a few months later when he asked her out. Talk to Barb for the nitty gritty. They had a whirlwind romance and were married within a few months in 1970. Mike was working for Automatic Canteen as a delivery driver for a while servicing vending machines all over Memphis. Holly Jean was born in 1971 followed by Michael Jeremy in 1973 and Terry Clayton in 1986. They have each grown up to be loving men and women who care for one another and their parents. Hollie and Jeremy have children of their own who also have grown to love Mike and spend time with him especially in these last few years. Mike and Barb bought a house on Angel in Memphis and set about making a life together. Mike worked at a series of companies. He got a job at the Firestone plant making tires until they closed the plant. He then worked for Newell Home Hardware, Binswanger Glasscraft, Southern Fabricators, and Memphis Machinery doing a variety of tasks that added to his skills as a mechanic. Mike valued and treasured the many lasting friendships made during those years. Mike was the type of person who had the ability to take something apart, fix it, and put it back together without any leftover parts. If you have ever been in his garage, you know you were in the presence of a master mechanic. It is said that if you have three of anything you have a collection. Well Mike had a collection of tools that would rival any automotive repair shop you can name.
The Midsouth Homebuyers Family purchased the A New Sunrise Spray for the family of Michael (Mike) Terry Speck.
To Barbara and brother Bill, I want to convey my fond memories of Mike the proverbial little brother. Strll ethiced in my mind is fact that her borrowed my freshman beanie which he gladly returned when he learned its source. I reminder Mike as fund loving with still an underlying sensitivity and thoughtfulness. God bless.I know what is is like to lose a spouse or a brother. Fred Mortonjavascript:void(0);
Strength & Solace Spray was purchased for the family of Michael (Mike) Terry Speck.
Beautiful in Blue was purchased for the family of Michael (Mike) Terry Speck.
So sorry for your loss. All the Specks are in our prayers.
Mary Janice and Bill purchased the Beautiful Dreams for the family of Michael Speck.
To Michael’s family and friends, May God’s grace, strength, and peace be with you during this difficult time. My thoughts and prayers go out to you all. Bert Laxer
