Irvin Lloyd Spencer was born August 15, 1910 in Ordway, Brown, South Dakota to James Frederick Spencer and Elisabeth “Bessie” (Morris) Spencer. On March 25, 1935 he was married to Kathleen Daly in Columbia, Brown, South Dakota. They had three children: Larry, Janice (May 30, 1938), and Richard. Irvin died on November 19, 1979 in Aberdeen, South Dakota.
Irvin and Kathleen – 1936
As a teenager, Irvin did farm work as a hired hand. They had card parties at the school, and there was a dance floor across the road from the school. He met his future wife, Kathleen Daly, at Daly Corners. Irvin worked for a family by the name of Lillibridge at the time. He and Kathleen were married in 1935, and they lived 1 mile north & 1 1/2 miles east of Daly Corners until Larry was born. Shortly after, they moved 1 1/2 miles north and 1 mile west of Daly Corners. From there they moved to John Bachelon’s place, 1 mile west of Daly Corners, where Richie and Janice were born. In 1941 they moved to the farm where they put down roots. Irvin farmed there until his death in 1979. Kathleen lived there till her death in 1985.
Larry, Irvin, Richie, Janice at Dinner
His grandson, Ralph (Gordon) remembers: “Grandpa was always up very early, and by 7:00 a.m. he had the morning chores done before Alan and I were awake. He would get in his chair at night and read the paper and do the crossword puzzle, but usually by 7:30 or 8:00 he was snoring. A lot of times he was still there when Alan and I went to bed.
Spencer Farmhouse
When Grandpa would drive he went very slow. When Alan and I would ride home with them on Friday afternoon to stay for the weekend, it seemed like it was 100 miles to the farm. One neighbor always said he knew who was driving Irvin’s suburban by how fast it went by. Alan and I drove quite a bit faster than Grandpa.” His son Larry remembers “One of the Hanson brothers said that he drove so slow that the chickens would run out and pick the bugs off the front grill as he drove by.”
Irvin and Kathleen
