Stephen F Anspach

Stephen F. “Steve” Anspach, 78, of Carmel, IN, passed away on January 13, 2018.  He was born in Shelbyville, IN to Lawrence and Virginia on September 16, 1939.  He was a graduate of Euclid High School in Ohio.  He earned a B.A. in Psychology and a B.S. in English from Kent State University and an M.A. from West Virginia University.  Steve served in the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force Reserves. He was a member of St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church in Carmel. 

For the first part of his teaching career, he taught English at high schools in Ohio, South Carolina and Mississippi.  He then moved on to teaching Composition and Literature at the University of Connecticut, Central Connecticut State University and Michigan State University. After retirement, Steve concentrated on writing poetry and hosting writing groups for adults.  He enjoyed reading his poetry at the monthly “open mike” sessions held by a local poetry group.

Other interests included military history, classic movies, restoring cars, and taking long walks with the family dogs.  He also enjoyed hiking, skiing, biking and playing tennis, and coached tennis at the high school and college levels. During his late 50s Steve started competing in the Senior Olympics throwing the javelin.  He set two state records for his age group in New Mexico. He also competed in the National Senior Olympics placing 17th in 2011 and 22nd in 2015. He qualified for the 2017 National Senior Olympics by placing 2nd in the Illinois Senior Olympics but was unable to participate due to a conflict with his health.  He was an inspiration to other athletes as he continued to train and compete with multiple health problems including Parkinson’s disease which had been progressing since 2004.

Steve was preceded in death by his parents.

He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Judith Ford Anspach; son and daughter-in-law Erich Stephen and Barbara Ellen Anspach; grandson Erich Ford Anspach; sister Margot Anne (William) Essig; nieces Llyana Mitchell (Nathan) Smith and Elizabeth Medele (Gregory) Howes; sisters-in-law, Diane Crosier and Betty Ford; and nephews, Greg Crosier and Mark (Judy) Crosier.

A private service with burial in Akron, Ohio, is planned for a later date.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to support myeloma research at the IU Simon Cancer Center. Please make gifts payable to IU Foundation/Multiple Myeloma Research Fund. and indicate “In memory of Stephen Anspach” on your gift. Mail to: IU Simon Cancer Center, PO Box 7072, Indianapolis, IN 46207. Gifts can also be made online at http://www.cancer.iu.edu/giving/index.shtml. Click on the “Give Now” button and search for the “Multiple Myeloma Research Fund”. Please contact Meghan McFadden at the IU Simon Cancer Center at (317) 274-7409 with any questions.

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