Roger Spencer
VOORHEESVILLE — Roger Spencer had no blood relatives but he had a family of admirers, many of who knew him as the cowboy at the village laundry.
He died at the nursing home in Guilderland Center on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2015. He was 65.
Mr. Spencer was born on June 17, 1949, and raised in New Scotland by his aunt, Leona Willsey, after his parents died in his youth.
He was a familiar figure in downtown Voorheesville, a big, bearded man who wore cowboy boots and a cowboy hat. He worked sweeping up the laundry there and lived in an apartment nearby.
“Everybody knew him,” said his landlady, Debbie Fuglein. “He used to sit on the porch of the apartment and say hello to everyone.”
He treasured a sheriff’s badge he had and took it upon himself to patrol the laundry and look out for bullies as he sat on the bench in front of the laundry, surveying Main Street.
He loved animals and going to the Altamont Fair.
Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple said, “I’d see him every year at the Altamont Fair, wearing his sheriff’s badge...He was a good guy. I never saw him angry; nothing bad came out of his mouth. He always had his smile — and his cowboy hat.”
“He was larger than life,” said Becky Letko, a longtime friend, “and also like a child, so innocent.”
A funeral will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 25, at the Maginn & Keegan Funeral Home at 891 Madison Ave. Albany, NY 12208. Calling hours are from 10 to 11 a.m. with services at 11 a.m.
A celebration of Roger Spencer's life will be held on Saturday, Feb. 28, at the Reilly & Son Funeral Home at 9 Voorheesville Ave. in Voorheesville with calling hours from 3 to 6 p.m. There will be pictures, stories, and displays to share. Pastor Holly Cameron will give a blessing at the end, but all are welcome to come and anyone inspired to speak is welcome.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society, 3 Oakland Ave., Menands, NY 12204.
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An editorial on Roger Spencer's life was published on Feb. 26.
— Melissa Hale-Spencer