Obituary of Salvatore Joseph Spano

Salvatore Joseph Spano “Sal”

Sal Spano passed away peacefully on July 8 at the age of 91.  He was born on June 14, 1930, in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

Sal met his future wife, Mary, 74 years ago, in New Jersey on August 17, 1947.  They fell in love and married on September 17, 1950.  Sal proudly served in the U.S. Navy from November 1947 to November 1951, including deployment to the Korean War aboard the USS Joseph P.  Kennedy, Jr.  (DD850).  Sal, Mary, and their daughters moved to San Diego in 1960.  

Since Mary’s passing in 2007, Sal was a devoted volunteer at Grossmont Hospital and Sharp Hospice Care, logging 5,719 hours with Grossmont Hospital, and 244 hours with Sharp Hospice Care.  It was always meaningful to him to be of service to others, and he was very passionate about his service at Grossmont Hospital.

Sal’s greatest legacy is his kindness, exceptional love of family, and his sense of humor. 

Surviving Sal are his daughters, Terri Spano (partner Renee) and Pattie Grover (husband Jeff), grandchildren Christopher Dutton, Michael Dutton (wife Kristin), and Nikki Thorkelson, and great-grandchildren Alex and Jake and sister Lucy Targia.

Sal’s memorial will be at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery with military honors, Tuesday, August 24, at 10:30 AM.

Memorial donations may be made to Grossmont Hospital Volunteer Auxiliary, P.O. Box 158, La Mesa, CA 91944.