Wayne Renwick Spear, age 90, of Gibsonia, Pennsylvania, passed into glory on Wednesday, April 22, 2026. Wayne died peacefully after a long struggle with Parkinson’s disease and a sudden fall following worship at his home church, Grace Reformed Presbyterian Church in Gibsonia.
He was born July 24, 1935 in Cooperstown, NY to Rev. Norman Flett Spear and Marian Rebecca Ormiston Spear, joining older brother Wendell. As a boy, he lived with his family in the various towns where his father pastored Reformed Presbyterian churches: Bovina Center in New York as well as New Castle, Cecil, and Mars, in Pennsylvania.
When he was 11 years old, he made a public profession of faith in his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ at the Union RP Church in Mars. Weeks later, his father suffered a heart attack while preaching and passed away, so young Wayne moved with his mother and brother back to the family farm in Bovina Center.
Wayne graduated in 1953 from Delaware Academy and Central School in Delhi, NY. He then attended Geneva College in Beaver Falls, PA, where he excelled in both the sciences and the humanities. In college, he ran cross country, sang in choirs, toured with the Covichords barbershop quartet, and was active in the Christian Service Union. He graduated in 1957 with a BA in Pre-Ministerial Studies. In 2025, he was chosen as a recipient of Geneva College’s highest alumni award, the Life G Award.
He entered the Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary (RPTS) in the fall of 1957 and graduated in 1960.
On July 4, 1958 he married Mary Grace McCracken at Broomall RP Church. Together they raised five children: Amy Lynne, David Norman, Barbara Ellen, Samuel Nathan, and Jenelle Elizabeth.
Wayne was ordained and installed as pastor of Lake Reno RP Church in the farming community of Glenwood, MN in September 1960. In 1964, the family moved to sunny San Diego, where Wayne pastored the RP church and experienced new activities, including cooking hot dogs on sandy beaches with youth group boys.
After being called by the denomination to serve as a seminary professor, Wayne began more graduate studies in 1966, with the aim of teaching theology at RPTS. He studied at Princeton, Westminster, and Pittsburgh Theological Seminaries before receiving his PhD in 1976.
He was the professor of systematic theology at RPTS from 1970 until his retirement in 2005. His seminary teaching exemplified these verses from 2 Timothy 2: “Charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers. Do your best to present yourselves to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the Word of Truth. … Have nothing to do with foolish or ignorant controversies. You know that they breed quarrels, and the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome, but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness.”
Wayne’s scholarly interests included the Westminster Assembly of 1643 and critique of the neo-orthodoxy of Swiss theologian Karl Barth. In 1993, he was chosen to present a paper at the 350th anniversary of the Westminster Assembly in London, England. He also taught in Northern Ireland, Canada, Romania, and Japan.
He authored the following books:
Talking to God: The Theology of Prayer;
Faith of Our Fathers: A Commentary on the Westminster Confession of Faith; and
Covenanted Uniformity in Religion: The Influence of the Scottish Commissioners Upon the Ecclesiology of the Westminster Assembly.
He was a faithful ruling elder at North Hills Reformed Presbyterian Church in Ross Township and participated in the founding of Grace Reformed Presbyterian Church in Gibsonia, PA. He was elected moderator of Synod in 2002.
Wayne was an avid runner for 30 years, traversing trails in Frick Park and around the hills of Richland Township. He loved horses and enjoyed later years as a gentleman farmer, raising Haflinger draft ponies at his home in Gibsonia. He brought joy to many, giving cart- and horseback- rides to children who visited the small farm. He was a great reader and loved to work on crossword puzzles.
He is survived by Mary, his wife of nearly 68 years, and their five children: Amy (Calvin) Troup of Beaver Falls, PA; David (Donna) Spear of Johnstown, PA; Barbara (Wade) Mann of Quinter, KS; Samuel (Meg) Spear of Pittsburgh, PA; and Jenelle (Dave) Schisler of Columbus, IN. In addition, he is survived by 28 grandchildren and 64 great-grandchildren.
Wayne will be fondly remembered by family, friends, and former students for his Godly wisdom, his keen intellect, his deep humility, his clear exposition of Scripture, his gentle demeanor, his hardworking servant nature, and his devotion to his family.
Friends will be received at Schellhaas Funeral Home in Wexford (1600 Stone Mansion Dr, Sewickley 15143) on Thursday, April 30 from 2-4pm and from 6-8pm. After a private burial at Rose Point RP Church, a memorial service will be held at 3:00pm on Friday, May 1 at First Presbyterian Church of Bakerstown (5825 Heckert Rd, Bakerstown, PA 15007). In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to RPTS (rpts.edu/give) in honor of Wayne Spear.
You can read Dr Barry York’s tribute to Dr Wayne Spear here.
