Obituary of Frederick Paul Spingler

Frederick "Rick" Paul Spingler, Jr. 64 of Watchung died Tuesday, March 3, 2009, at home. Mr. Spingler was born on July 8, 1944 and grew up in Scotch Plains, NJ. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Rutgers University. He worked for 35 years in the health food industry as a salesman, business owner, and broker. At the time of his death, he was a representative for Nutritional Specialties, Inc., Orange, California. Mr. Spingler was a patron of The Discovery Orchestra, a member of the W.B. Yeats Society, and a member of the Watchung Borough Open Space Committee. He was a collector of rare first edition books by Irish authors and an enthusiastic traveler. He is survived by his wife of 41 years, Ellen, and only daughter, Lara N. (Spingler) Dittmann and her husband, Eric W. Dittmann and two granddaughters, Eva Grace and Madeline Audrey Dittmann all of Chatham, and his mother Fawn Spingler, of Westford, MA, and three brothers and two sisters. He is predeceased by his father Frederick Paul Spingler, Sr. A funeral mass will be celebrated Friday, March 6, 2009, at 10 AM at St. Mary's Stony Hill Church, 225 Mountain Boulevard, Watchung. Visitation will be on Thursday, March 5, 2009, from 2 to 4 and 7-9 pm at Higgins Funeral Home, 752 Mountain Boulevard, Watchung, NJ. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Discovery Orchestra P.O. Box 4064, Warren, NJ 07059.