Projo 7 to 7 News Blog

Providence Journal file photo / Bill Murphy
Russell Spears Sr. is seen in June, 2008.

CHARLESTOWN -- Russell G. Spears Sr., the Narragansett Indian mason who built stone walls and fireplaces throughout New England, died Monday.

The tribal elder, who hunted deer, played guitar and sang country and western songs, was part of a stone-working tradition practiced by the tribe since the 1600s. He was 92.

Spears tried working at a nearby mill, but couldn't stand to be confined inside. As a stone mason, he built fireplaces, stone walls and patios in Rhode Island and Connecticut, and worked on the Charlestown Public Library. His work was featured in the documentary, Stories in Stone, which last year aired on Channel 36, the state's PBS station.

"He put his heart and soul into his art, and passed it on to his sons, grandsons and even great grandsons," said Loren M. Spears, a relative and the executive director of the Nuweetooun School in Exeter.

"He was an amazing father. He had the biggest smile and the warmest heart," said Paulla Dove Jennings, who lived with the Spears family once. "He was a phenomenal artist. I tell people that if they have a Spears fireplace, they can add another $20,000 to the value of their home. His work is just that special."

The Spears house on Kings Factory Road burned down last year, and Spears moved in with a son. The community was raising money to build a new house when the elder Spears became ill.

"He always said he would get better if he could just get home," Jennings said.

 Tags  Charlestown

Comments

Spencer Collier said:

A truly great man.

Link | March 13, 2009 10:47 AM
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