Faye (Ihrig) Speer, an alumna and longtime friend of Trevecca Nazarene University, died in the early morning hours of October 13. She was 86.

A native of Kentucky, Speer attended Trevecca from 1946 to 1948. While singing in a Trevecca ladies trio, she met her husband, Brock Speer, a member of the southern gospel group The Speer Family. The two married in 1948, and Faye left her studies to tour with The Speer Family, singing alto in the group. Faye later returned to Trevecca, completing her bachelor’s degree in social work as an adult in 1974. Brock and Faye were married for 51 years until Brock’s death in 1999.

Trevecca President Dan Boone was a student at the university when Faye returned to finish her degree.

“My wife, Denise, and I met Faye as a fellow student and fell in love with her,” Boone said. “She and her family have made a huge impact on gospel music, but more than that, on the church. She and her husband faithfully modeled what it looks like to passionately pursue Christ, and the world is a better place because of their lives.”

Throughout the 60s and 70s, Faye toured with The Speer Family, singing on chart-topping songs like “What Sins Are You Talking About?” and “What A Day That Will Be.” The Speer Family was the first group to receive the Gospel Music Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award and garnered 14 Dove Awards. The group was inducted into both the Gospel Music Association Hall of Fame and Southern Gospel Hall of Fame. When The Speer Family retired in 1998, Faye made occasional appearances at Gaither Homecomings and in videos.

Faye also received many honors of her own. She received the Grand Ole Gospel Reunion’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997. In 2014, Faye was inducted into the Southern Gospel Hall of Fame as an individual. In May 2015, Trevecca recognized Faye’s contributions to gospel music, the church, and the university by awarding her an Honorary Doctorate of Letters at Commencement.

Faye was an active member of Nashville First Church of the Nazarene. She is survived by her three children: Suzan (Class of 2004), Marc, and Brian (Class of 1986), as well as many family members and friends.

Visitation will be Wednesday, October 14, from 5 to 8 p.m. at Woodlawn-Roesh-Patton Funeral Home, 660 Thompson Lane, Nashville, Tennessee, 37204. The funeral is scheduled for 2 p.m. Thursday, October 15 at Nashville First Church of the Nazarene, 510 Woodland Street, Nashville, Tennessee, 37206. 

--Trevecca Nazarene University