logo
Charles Billmyer Sperow Jr.

Charles Billmyer Sperow Jr.

Dominion Post19-07-2025
Charles Billmyer Sperow Jr., 98, of Martinsburg, passed away Saturday, July 5, 2025, in Hospice of the Panhandle.Born May 5, 1927, in Martinsburg, he was a son of the late Charles B. Sperow, Sr. and Alice Maddex Sperow.He is survived by five children, David (Debbi), Mark (Rhonda Reymond), Kathy (Steve) Ritchie, Marty, and Jean (Paul) Hilgers; seven grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren.In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by Sylvia, his wife of 72 years; sisters, Anne Sperow and Virginia Butler; son, Leslie; and grandson, Nathan Ritchie.Growing up on a farm in Berkeley County, Charles ('Charlie') developed an interest in farming methods and crop production that would eventually lead to his career as an agronomist at West Virginia University.At 21, Charlie's long and active participation in 4-H led to his being one of 31 young people selected from across the U.S. for the International Farm Youth Exchange (IFYE) program. Started after World War II, the program's goal was to foster 'peace through understanding.' While Charlie went to Sweden, others went to various countries, working and interacting with their communities. In exchange, young people from those countries came to the U.S.Charlie was professor of agronomy and soil science at West Virginia University for 39 years. During his career, he served as superintendent of WVU's Ohio Valley Experiment Station near Point Pleasant, and with his family, spent 4½ years in Uganda on a WVU-USAID contract, where Charlie was a lecturer at Bukalasa Agricultural College.On his return to WVU's Morgantown campus, Charlie served as Extension Specialist — Agronomy. He was instrumental in developing and implementing technologies to improve crop production and management, and coordinated the West Virginia Conservation Farmer program for many years. Following the November, 1985 flood that devastated parts of West Virginia, he worked with local agencies to provide emergency winter feed supplies and restore cropland productivity. He was also active in the Northeast Agronomy Society and served a term as its president.After retiring in Morgantown, Charlie continued to be involved with his church, St. Thomas a Becket Episcopal Church, Meals on Wheels, and Mended Hearts.An avid photographer, Charlie's camera accompanied him everywhere he went, and he maintained a substantial photo collection of family, farms, crops, flora, and memories from his overseas travel.Charlie was known for his quick wit and sense of humor. He was well read and could converse insightfully on almost any subject. One granddaughter summed up Charlie's life, saying he loved well and was well loved.Services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, July 26, in St. Thomas a Becket Episcopal Church in Morgantown. Interment will be private.
Those desiring to give memorial gifts are encouraged to give to Hospice of the Panhandle athttps://www.hospiceotp.org or to a charity of your choice.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

At 102, D-Day veteran looks forward to a long-delayed bar mitzvah

time16 hours ago

At 102, D-Day veteran looks forward to a long-delayed bar mitzvah

DELRAY BEACH, Fla. -- Harold Terens fought in World War II. He's lived almost 102 years, celebrating his birthday a couple weeks early with family and friends in Florida. But he has something more to look forward to. His bar mitzvah. Terens said at his birthday celebration Saturday that his brother got the traditional Jewish ceremony marking the beginning of adulthood when they were kids living in New York, but he did not. 'My mother came from Poland. My father came from Russia. And my mother was a religious Jew. And my father was anti-religious. So they had two sons. And one son, they compromised. One son got bar mitzvahed, the other son didn't," he said. Early next year, Terens said he will finally enjoy that ceremony. At the Pentagon outside Washington, no less. Terens said that came about when he was talking with CNN's Wolf Blitzer on a TV panel and a rabbi overheard the conversation. "I mentioned that I would like to be bar mitzvahed at 103 and he's the rabbi of the Pentagon so that's my next bucket list. I am going to be bar mitzvahed in the Pentagon,' Terens said. Terens turns 102 on Aug. 6. So Saturday's party was a little early. On D-Day — June 6, 1944 — Terens helped repair planes returning from France so they could rejoin the battle. He said half his company's pilots died that day. Terens went to France 12 days later, helping transport freshly captured Germans and just-freed American POWs back to England. Terens was honored in June 2024 by the French as part of the 80th anniversary celebration of their country's liberation from the Nazis. But that isn't all that happened on those Normandy beaches. He married Jeanne Swerlin, now 97. 'I thought my wedding in Normandy last year was the highlight of my life. Number one of all the moments of my life. You know, that's the saying, that life is not measured by how many breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away," Terens said. He survived World War ll, was involved in a secret mission in Iran, another time barely escaping a German rocket after leaving a London pub just before it was destroyed. "My life has been one huge fairy tale, especially with this new wife that I have. Who I love deeply and who I am going to spend the rest of my life till death do us part, as the mayor had us say in Normandy,' Terens said. After the German surrender in 1945, Terens helped transport freed Allied prisoners to England before he shipped back to the U.S. a month later. He married his wife Thelma in 1948 and they had two daughters and a son. He became a U.S. vice president for a British conglomerate. They moved from New York to Florida in 2006 after Thelma retired as a French teacher; she died in 2018 after 70 years of marriage. He has eight grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. Terens gets asked a lot about his secret to longevity. "I think if you can learn how to minimize stress, you'll go a long way. You'll add at least 10 years to your life. So that is number one. And 90% is luck,' he said.

At 102, D-Day veteran looks forward to a long-delayed bar mitzvah
At 102, D-Day veteran looks forward to a long-delayed bar mitzvah

Washington Post

time19 hours ago

  • Washington Post

At 102, D-Day veteran looks forward to a long-delayed bar mitzvah

DELRAY BEACH, Fla. — Harold Terens fought in World War II. He's lived almost 102 years, celebrating his birthday a couple weeks early with family and friends in Florida. But he has something more to look forward to. His bar mitzvah. Terens said at his birthday celebration Saturday that his brother got the traditional Jewish ceremony marking the beginning of adulthood when they were kids living in New York, but he did not.

At 102, D-Day veteran looks forward to a long-delayed bar mitzvah
At 102, D-Day veteran looks forward to a long-delayed bar mitzvah

Hamilton Spectator

time21 hours ago

  • Hamilton Spectator

At 102, D-Day veteran looks forward to a long-delayed bar mitzvah

DELRAY BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Harold Terens fought in World War II. He's lived almost 102 years, celebrating his birthday a couple weeks early with family and friends in Florida. But he has something more to look forward to. His bar mitzvah. Terens said at his birthday celebration Saturday that his brother got the traditional Jewish ceremony marking the beginning of adulthood when they were kids living in New York, but he did not. 'My mother came from Poland. My father came from Russia. And my mother was a religious Jew. And my father was anti-religious. So they had two sons. And one son, they compromised. One son got bar mitzvahed, the other son didn't,' he said. Early next year, Terens said he will finally enjoy that ceremony. At the Pentagon outside Washington, no less. Terens said that came about when he was talking with CNN's Wolf Blitzer on a TV panel and a rabbi overheard the conversation. 'I mentioned that I would like to be bar mitzvahed at 103 and he's the rabbi of the Pentagon so that's my next bucket list. I am going to be bar mitzvahed in the Pentagon,' Terens said. Terens turns 102 on Aug. 6. So Saturday's party was a little early. On D-Day — June 6, 1944 — Terens helped repair planes returning from France so they could rejoin the battle. He said half his company's pilots died that day. Terens went to France 12 days later, helping transport freshly captured Germans and just-freed American POWs back to England. Terens was honored in June 2024 by the French as part of the 80th anniversary celebration of their country's liberation from the Nazis. But that isn't all that happened on those Normandy beaches. He married Jeanne Swerlin, now 97. 'I thought my wedding in Normandy last year was the highlight of my life. Number one of all the moments of my life. You know, that's the saying, that life is not measured by how many breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away,' Terens said. He survived World War ll, was involved in a secret mission in Iran, another time barely escaping a German rocket after leaving a London pub just before it was destroyed. 'My life has been one huge fairy tale, especially with this new wife that I have. Who I love deeply and who I am going to spend the rest of my life till death do us part, as the mayor had us say in Normandy,' Terens said. After the German surrender in 1945, Terens helped transport freed Allied prisoners to England before he shipped back to the U.S. a month later. He married his wife Thelma in 1948 and they had two daughters and a son. He became a U.S. vice president for a British conglomerate. They moved from New York to Florida in 2006 after Thelma retired as a French teacher; she died in 2018 after 70 years of marriage. He has eight grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. Terens gets asked a lot about his secret to longevity. 'I think if you can learn how to minimize stress, you'll go a long way. You'll add at least 10 years to your life. So that is number one. And 90% is luck,' he said. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store