Paul Richard Spofford
February 28, 1941 — February 10, 2023
Paul Richard Spofford, 81, of Frederick, Maryland, passed from this life on Friday, February 10, 2023, at Autumn Lake Health Care at Glade Valley in Walkersville, MD, due to complications from Alzheimer’s Disease. He is survived by his beloved wife of 54 years, Dorothy Anne (Leitner) Spofford.
Born on February 28, 1941, in Salem, MA, he was the son of the late Norman Prescott and Lillian Iva (Standley) Spofford. He was the second of four boys. He spent his childhood in Beverly, MA. When Paul was twelve, the family started to move every three years, first to Ohio, then Idaho, then back to Ohio, where he graduated from high school and attended The Ohio State University. He initially followed the footsteps of his father and older brother, majoring in Engineering, but this career path was not for him. He changed his major to Geodetic Science. He joined a Co-Op program with the Federal Government and spent his summers on survey teams in the southern United States. Upon graduation, he joined the National Geodetic Survey as a Geodesist. His first assignment was in Greenland in the Satellite Triangulation Program. The program operated until 1970 and took him to the far corners of the earth. One detail stationed him on Thursday Island, a small dot off the coast of Queensland, Australia where he met a young Australian nurse working as a hospital Midwife. The pair hit it off and were married in July 1968. Dorothy traveled with Paul for the next two years from Italy to Senegal, Australia, and Cocos Island, having a daughter along the way. Those were the memories of Paul’s life that stuck with him the longest. Back in the United States, Paul moved his family to MD and had a second daughter. They raised their daughters in Ijamsville. He obtained his master’s degree in Geodetic Science in 1976 from The Ohio State University. Paul had a major role developing Global Positioning Satellite technology, or GPS, a highlight in his career. Along with his team, he was awarded a Gold Medal for Excellence by the Department of Commerce in 1997. He retired in 1998 after 34 years of service to the Federal Government.
Paul and Dorothy continued traveling in retirement. They spent a year in Australia, visited many areas in the United States and Europe meeting family as a result of his favorite hobby, genealogy. They relocated to Williamsburg, VA in 2005 and returned to Frederick, Maryland in 2020. In addition to travel and genealogy Paul enjoyed reading, Scottish Country Dancing, photography and of course, apple pie, and ice cream.
He is survived by his wife, Dorothy, daughters, Lisa Maree Spofford (Robert Saienni), and Kara Leigh Spofford (John Kirkpatrick), brothers Bruce (Jeanette), Robert (Melinda), and David (Janet) Spofford, four grandchildren, Kieran Evan and Aidan Dominic Saienni and James Paul and Lillian Elsa Kirkpatrick as well as five nieces, six nephews, and many grand-nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by one niece.
The family will receive friends from 10-11 AM on Sunday, February 19, 2023, at Stauffer Funeral Homes, P.A. (Fred), 1621 Opossumtown Pike in Frederick, MD where a celebration of Paul’s life journey will take place at 11:00 AM on Sunday, February 19, 2023. There will be a gathering at Clover Hill Civic Association clubhouse after the service, 8122 Glendale Dr, Frederick, MD.
Interment will be private.
Tribute donations in Paul’s name may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, 502 Washington Avenue, Suite 300, Towson, MD 21204. https://www.alz.org/maryland/donate.
