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City mourns loss of Councilman Spencer Street

Wed, 08/03/2016 - 6:00 am
newsdesk@grahamleader.com

Spencer Boyd Street III is being remembered in Graham as a leader, friend and man with a great sense of civic duty.

Street, 49, passed away Friday, July 29, in Fort Worth. He was serving on the Graham City Council as mayor pro tem, was a member of the Graham Rotary Club and North Texas Oil and Gas board, and once was an assistant Boy Scout Master and Eagle Scout from Troop 92 in Graham.

Funeral services for Street are today, Wednesday, Aug. 3, at 2 p.m. in the First United Methodist Church. Burial will follow in Pioneer Cemetery.

Spencer was born Nov. 8, 1966 in Fort Worth to Carole Ann Grisham and the late Spencer Boyd Street Jr. He graduated from Graham High School and received degrees from Trinity University and the University of Southern Louisiana. He married Joni Lynn Watson on June 24, 2006.

Street served on the Graham City Council for five years. Graham Mayor Jack Graham, who grew up with Spencer and has served on the council with him for the last five years, said his loss is substantial for all those who came to know him.

“From a city of Graham standpoint, what is so sad about this situation is you don’t truly appreciate the contributions he had made, not only in his capacity as a city councilman, but just as a citizen and a person, until you lose him,” Graham said.

“I have just been amazed at the calls from people out of town that I don’t even know, that have called wanting to know what is going on. I knew Spencer from this point in my life and he had such an impact on me … It’s the personal loss that we are going to miss. Whether he was sitting as a city councilman or he was your boss or he was just a guy you met in the grocery store, he was a wonderful person that everyone loved and everyone knew they could go to.”

Along with serving on the council, Street also donated his time to Boy Scout Troop 92 in Graham, which is where he met Chance Condron, who worked with him on and off since 2005, when Condron was only 16. Condron worked at Street’s oil well drilling company, SB Street Operating Inc., and came to know him as everyone does today.

“He was a very loving man, energetic, and he just had a big personality,” Condron said. “He really cared about people; I mean, everybody that knows him knows that. If he talked to you, you knew that he cared about you and he cared about whatever was going on that you were talking about, and that’s why people liked him so much, is because he actually cared about them. He would give you the shirt off his back and he did for a lot of people. He had a lot of integrity.”

Condron said Street made each individual worker at S.B. Street Operating Co. feel like they ran the company. Condron said Street set an example that everyone should follow and deeply cared about his family and friends.

“If everybody would try to live just like Spencer did and treat people the way Spencer treated people, then we would all be in a better place,” Condron said. “He loved his kids and brought them to work all the time, whether it was out on a pulling machine or a drilling rig. He loved having his kids with him and he loved his wife.”

Graham Rotary Club President Alex Heartfield knew Spencer through Troop 92 (where Heartfield is an assistant Scoutmaster), and through Spencer’s service as a Graham Rotary Club member. Heartfield said Spencer did not stick to one type of civic organization but spread himself out wherever he saw a need.

“He was involved not only in Rotary but in a number of other civic activities including Boy Scouts and was a major supporter of the Boy Scouts organization,” Heartfield said. “He was an active Rotarian involved in several long-acting groups; of course he served on the city council for a number of years. He is going to be missed. He was liked by everybody and it’s hard for all of us who consider him a friend to lose someone like him. He was a very community-oriented person and anytime he could help somebody out, if he had the ability to do it, he did.”

Margaret Ranger, who works at Ranger Operating Company, another drilling company located in Graham, said Street was someone irreplaceable to those who knew him and a role model for the community.

“Spencer Street and his family received all the love, support and prayers because of the man he is, because of the man he was raised to be,” she said in a written statement. “Names and accomplishments had nothing to do with who he was, or how he treated everyone. He was an inspiration and a role model to everyone, no matter your age, or your ‘position’ in life. His family, (all his family) past and present, friends, business associates, church members and so on and on are a constant reminder how special he was and how much he will be missed by all.”

Mayor Jack Graham said he hopes the community would come together for his family.

“I just hope everyone keeps his family in their prayers because that was what was most important to Spencer, was his family, and they are going to be going through some rough times not just now but for a long time,” Graham said. “I hope this isn’t something people forget soon (but instead) remain with that family, supporting them because as much as we hate losing Spencer, it’s nothing compared to the loss they are feeling now.”

Each member of the Graham City Council and the Graham Chamber CEO shared their thoughts about his character and contributions to the city.

Darby Brockway - City Council Member Place 1

“Spencer had a god-given gift in the way he dealt with people. He had a genuine interest and care with this community and was always so positive about the future of Graham. I sat beside Spencer during each council meeting for the last few years and I was always very impressed with his attention to details. He set the example for all of us on how to serve in a positive way. Graham lost a truly great man that will be greatly missed by all who had the pleasure to know him.”

Brint Albritton - City Council Member Place 2

“Spencer was a very kind -hearted man and I saw him quietly help several people with small causes, but nevertheless, causes that were important to them, and he never sought recognition. He was just that kind of guy.”

Lee Boyd - City Council Member Place 4

“Spencer was a man of integrity, a man of his word, a devoted husband and father, and a leader, both in our community and in the oil and gas industry. He had a generous heart, always willing to help those in need as well as give back to this community that he dearly loved. He was a wonderful example of service and his loss is deeply felt.”

Krisa Delacruz - CEO Graham Chamber of Commerce & Convention and Visitors Bureau

“The community of Graham is grieving the loss of Spencer Street III. His involvement in so many nonprofit organizations and charitable events as well as his service to the City of Graham as Councilman and mayor pro tem are just a few of the ways Spencer touched so many lives.”