Charlotte Fleming Spedden, 90

CAMBRIDGE - Charlotte Fleming Spedden, died in the Atria Senior Living Facility in Salisbury, Md., Tuesday morning, Dec. 16, 2008. She was 90. Born on Dec. 20, 1917, near Vienna in Dorchester County, she was the daughter of the late George R. Fleming and Eva Gray Fleming. When she was five, the family moved to Poplar Farm in Bucktown where she lived until her marriage to Donald Spedden on Oct. 15, 1940, thereafter residing in the Neck District until her recent death. Mrs. Spedden worked for Dr. William Harvey Hanks from 1938 until his death in August of 1966. From July 1967, until she retired on April 30, 1981, she worked at the Eastern Shore State Hospital. In 1998, the Spedden farm, Mill Creek Farm on Todd Point Road was awarded a Maryland Century Farm for being in the family for more than 100 years. During her retirement she loved to take care of her flowers especially tulips. She loved all animals especially her dog, Laddie, who was her constant companion on the farm. Mrs. Spedden was famous for her homemade lemon meringue pie that was a favorite of everyone who ate there. She loved her nieces and nephews and always enjoyed their visits. After her husband's death on Jan. 3, 1999, Mrs. Spedden's sister, Jean Hurley, who lived nearby, lovingly assumed the daily responsibility of providing whatever assistance was needed to maintain a high quality of life for Mrs. Spedden. From November 2003 until her death on Tuesday, Dec. 16, Mrs. Spedden resided in Salisbury at Atria, an assisted senior living facility where her niece Romona and her husband Clinton Bradway Jr. and their son Jay continued to provide "Aunt Charlotte" with the love and care she needed and deserved. Mrs. Spedden was a member of the Beckwith United Methodist Church. Survivors include one sister, Jean Hurley; two sisters-in-law, Shirley Fleming and Louise Fleming; one brother-in-law, James Handley; six nieces and their husbands, Romona and Clinton Bradway Jr., Sharon and Bill James, Sharlotte and Skip Windsor, Elizabeth Jean and Aaron Erdmann, Shirley and Vincent Gannon, Jackie and Les Simering; a niece, Ann Hurley; three nephews and their wives, Carlton and Mary Nabb, Dolan and Pamela Hurley, Bill and Rhonda Fleming; and two more nephews, Clay Fleming and Dennis Marshall. Preceding Mrs. Spedden in death besides her parents and husband Donald Spedden, are three sisters, Elizabeth Nabb, Georgia Nabb and Betty Ann Handley; two brothers, Ridgeway Fleming and Edward (Bill) Fleming; three brothers-in-law, John Nabb, George Nabb Jr. and Melvin Hurley; two nephews, George Nabb III and Breck Fleming. Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. on Friday at Curran-Bromwell Funeral Home, P.A., where the family will receive friends one hour prior to the service. Officiating at the service will be The Rev. Pamela Bockart. Burial will follow at Spedden-Seward Cemetery, Hills Point, Cambridge. Pallbearers will be Bill Hanks, Dolan Hurley, Clay Fleming, Carlton Nabb, Greg Bradway and Justin Koshar. Memorial offerings may be made in Mrs. Spedden's memory to Beckwith U.M. Church, c/o Skip Miller, 5730 Morris Neck Rd., Cambridge, MD 21613 or to Coastal Hospice, P.O. Box 1733, Salisbury, MD 21802-1733. Online condolences can be made via www.curran-bromwell.com.