Mike "Sped" Spedaliere

[Bob Hunt]

It is my sad duty to report the passing of Mike "Sped" Spedaliere. There is a thread here on Stunt Hangar about Sped's Professor series of exquisite stunt models. I was mentioning that to my friend Tom Huff today as we were using one of Sped's building techniques on Tom's new Ryan's Eagle. Tom asked me if I had spoken to Sped recently and I told him that it had been about a month. I had been trying to get Sped back into modeling since he recently retired from his full time gig as the foreman of a large printing facility. I decided to call Sped with the idea of introducing him to Tom over the phone. His wife, Karen answered the phone and gave me the devastating news that Sped had a sudden and massive heart attack while at home. He was gone almost instantly.

I have never known a more gentle, kind, helpful, creative, and genuinely funny person than Sped. He was also among the three or four best model airplane builders I've ever known. I will miss him dearly. My prayers go out to Karen. Please join me in prayers for her as she is understandably devastated.

I have a ton of great stories about Sped, but right now I'm too numb to relate them. I will later on after I process this... 

Bob Hunt   

[john e. holliday]

She is on the list.  I have known of many of my past friends that left us too early in life and even in later years suddenly leave us.  But when our time comes we only hope that our LORD and savior will say well done and welcome home.  No more pain or sorrow for us but only to those we left behind.   

[Gerald Arana]

She is on the list.  I have known of many of my past friends that left us too early in life and even in later years suddenly leave us.  But when our time comes we only hope that our LORD and savior will say well done and welcome home.  No more pain or sorrow for us but only to those we left behind.   

Amen Doc.

Jerry