Donald F. Webb Sr.

DONALD F. “SPIKE” WEBB SR., age 90, of Pylesville, MD, died on March 16, 2007 at Calvert Manor Health Care Center, Rising Sun, MD. Born in Watertown, NY, on April 7, 1916, he was the son of the late Daniel Stuart and Louise Baker Webb and husband of the late Blanche Doolittle Webb. Spike died of natural causes.

At Watertown High School, Spike was on the basketball team and acted in several plays.
While growing up he spent every summer caddying in the Catskill Mountains. Spike attended Syracuse University where he met his wife-to-be, Blanche Doolittle. Prior to graduating, he drove his 1922 touring car to twenty-five states, meeting and gathering signatures from each Governor, camping along the way. He was a Scout Master in NY and in MD. Spike and Blanche were married in Baltimore 1939. They moved to Middle River, Maryland during the war where Spike was a Supervisor at the Glenn L. Martin Aircraft Company. In 1951 they moved to Magnolia, MD. Blanche was a librarian at Stemmers Run Junior High School for thirty years, establishing the first such library in Baltimore County. Spike was Supervisor to the building of Edgewood High School in 1953. Following that Spike worked for Ward & Bosley as a construction engineer, overseeing the construction of the first pre-fab houses on Flying Point, Maryland. He and Blanche bought the Stansbury Mansion in the mid sixties, where Spike refinished all aspects of the interior, built a garage, with Blanche adding remarkable touches to the inside with family antiques, and with antiques that Spike restored. The house was eventually listed on the Maryland Historical Society registry. Prior to the Dept. of Parks and Recreation taking over Eden Mill, and the establishment of The Eden Mill Nature Center, Spike took care of the mill property, proudly preserving all aspects of the mill. Spike enjoyed restoring antiques.

In addition to his parents and wife, he was predeceased by a daughter, Margaret “Peggy” L. Coons, a graduate of Susquehanna University. Mr. Webb is survived by a son, Donald F. Webb, Jr. of Port Deposit, MD, a graduate of Rutgers University, Antioch-Putney Graduate School of Education, The New York Gestalt Center for Psychotherapy and Training, and currently a graduate student at Antioch University, New England Graduate School; and a sister, Margaret Kaiser of Rochester, NY. He was the proud grandfather of five grandchildren, Seth Webb of New Zealand, Polly Webb of Fort Collins, CO, Russell Coons of Granada Hills, CA, Brian Coons of Fairfax, VA, and Matthew Coons of Arlington, VA; and four great-grandchildren, Edison Webb and Aven Webb, both of Naenae, New Zealand, Alexa Coons and Sydney Coons, both of Granada Hills, CA.

Spike was proud of his accomplishments, those of his wife, children, and grandchildren. His son, Donald (Don) is the founder and Director of Nature Camps, Inc. (1974 to the present) of Monkton, and of Whispering Oaks School, Inc., (closed) of White Hall, both serving Baltimore, and greater Baltimore families.

Contributions may be made to Nature Camps, Inc., 17433 Big Falls Road, P.O. Box 240, Monkton, MD 21111-0240.