Tim "Pedro" Spronz (tgsponge1)

[jeff]

I was just notified by @KateHarrow that Tim Spronz (tgsponge1) passed away on May 16, 2024.

Link to Tim's Obituary

Tim was a great supporter of IAP and a friend to many here.

R.I.P. Tim

 

[egnald]

This is such sad news. My condolences to his family and friends, especially those IAP members that were close to him. Tim and I had a wonderful PITH in 2021 and I am fortunate to have received two of his pens, one with a green glitter blank and the other a watch parts blank with a dark red/black foil kind of background. He also gifted me a bunch of blanks that were completely new to me at the time, some Bog Oak, some Corian, and some Fordite from a Jeep plant in Toledo, Ohio.

We exchanged a little history including some of his stories about working for the government and in 2022 I made some custom spacer blocks to fit a pen press he was putting together to help one of his needy young neighbor kids. Tim was doing his best to help keep the young man on the straight and narrow including teaching him how to turn pens. He planned on gifting the young man a used lathe and other tools as a graduation gift. He also told me that the boy was planning to sign up for the US Marines after high school. I never did find out how things progressed after that, but I assume all went well.

Tim was certainly a patriot and an all around special guy. I'm sure he will be greatly missed by many.

With great respect and admiration,
Dave

 

[Woodchipper]

I did not know the Tim but after reading Dave's post, I feel he was held in high esteem by many on the forum. Working with the young man is a sign of unselfishness and reaching out to others.

 

[KateHarrow]

Here's what I wrote on facebook:

Please take a moment to hug a loved one this week and celebrate the life of our dear friend Pedro Spronz

Tim "Pedro" Spronz was an incredible man. He started out as a customer and quickly became a great friend. I got to meet him in person at the Southwest Association of Turners Symposium and we joked that I wouldn't recognize him if he wasn't wearing a gorilla costume, since his Facebook profile picture has been a gorilla as long as I've known him. He honored me last year by sending me a care package of goodies from his Secret Service conference he helped organize, including a challenge coin that I keep on my desk. He was also beyond kind and gracious to Savannah Harrow, treating her like family from the second they met. He bought a resin candy dish that Sav made for his wife that he would always remind us how much they loved.

I'm devastated by his loss. He will be missed and remembered. Hope there's lathes in heaven, my friend.