Kenneth McRae Spicer, M.D., Ph.D.

Kenneth McRae Spicer, M.D., Ph.D., 80, of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, entered into eternal rest Saturday, October 28, 2023, surrounded by his loved ones after a hard-fought battle with glioblastoma. Relatives and friends are invited to attend his memorial service on Sunday, November 5, 2023, in the J. Henry Stuhr, Inc., Mt. Pleasant Chapel, 1494 Mathis Ferry Rd. at 2:00 pm. Interment will follow at Mt. Pleasant Memorial Gardens, 1308 Mathis Ferry Rd.

Those who knew Ken remember him for his sense of humor and kindness. He never met a stranger. Ken was passionate about aged single malt scotch, Newcastle football, handyman projects (some more successful than others), wearing his McRae tartan kilt ‘al fresco,’ boating, minimizing his carbon footprint, and closing most interactions with “...does Buddha cross his legs?”

He was born February 27, 1943, in Atlanta, Georgia, son of the late Samuel Sherman Spicer M.D., Ph.D., and the late Gertrude McRae Spicer. He is survived by his wife, Diane Ridgeway Spicer; son, Kevin Holmes Spicer, M.D. (Galin) of Sullivan's Island, SC; daughter, Leigh McRae Spicer, M.D. (Louis Bernard) of Mt. Pleasant, SC; four grandchildren, Chasen Phipps Spicer, Porter McRae Spicer, Lukas Parker Bernard, London McRae Bernard; brother, Samuel Spicer, M.D. (Jane) of Wilmington, NC, and brother-in-law, Adrian Reuben M.D. He was preceded in death by his wife of 52 years, Patricia "Pat" Holmes Spicer, M.S.; and his sister, Eleanor “Sug” Reuben, PhD.

Ken received his medical and doctorate degrees from the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) in 1977. He went on to become a beloved professor of radiology employed at MUSC for 44 years. He specialized in nuclear medicine and nuclear radiology and was experienced in radioimmunotherapy, lymphoma, and scintigraphy. His tremendous love for medicine, scientific discovery, and education were imparted to generations of residents and fellows and even inspired his own children to become physicians as well. Over the years, he published 117 original research papers and was principal investigator in numerous clinical trials focused on patients with cancer and chronic disease. He was most proud of his groundbreaking diabetes research into the characterization of hemoglobin A1c.

His family wishes to thank, Carter Moore, Wendy McClary, Dana Greene, Marilyn Vanderhorst. Kimone Spencer and Emma Moore for their extraordinary care of Ken.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, www.jdrf.org or Glioblastoma Foundation, PO Box 62066 Durham, NC 27715 Email:info@glioblastomafoundation.org