Obituary of Richard Spicer

February 4, 2026

Richard Charles Spicer age 88 of New York City and West Camp, NY passed away February 4, 2026. He was born on December 5, 1937, in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin to John and Lorraine Barthen Spicer. Ric was a graduate of Linden McKinley High School in Columbus, Ohio and Otterbein University where he was a member of Pi Kappa Phi fraternity aka Country Club. He did graduate studies at the University of Nebraska and the Stella Adler School of Acting.

After service as a US Air Force officer in Lincoln, Nebraska, Ric located to Greenwich Village in New York City. He experimented with acting but being a starving artist was not his style. He began Coding and Market Research for J Walter Thompson Advertising, after which he pursued a career in media research sales at AMRB, SMRB, Roger Percy Associates, and concluded his career as Senior Vice President of Sales for Competitive Media Research. Richard was a 50-year Patron of the Metropolitan Opera. He loved worldwide travel, was an avid New York Road Runners Club member, and ran the New York Marathon in 1980. He served on numerous Greenwich Village Property boards. Following in his father John's footsteps, for the past 40 years, Richard and William Spitler were co-owners of Western Ebony LLC which races and breeds thoroughbred horses in Ohio, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Florida.
Richard is survived by his partner, William Spitler, sister Linda Spicer Beckner (Dick Beckner), and many family and friends. He was predeceased by his parents, John and Lorraine Spicer and his brother John Spicer, (Saundra). Services will be held at Greenwich Village Funeral Home, 199 Bleecker St., New York City on February 8, 11am to 1pm. Private Internment. Contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society in memory of Ric.

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