Suicide advocate dies at 56

PORTLAND – A terminally ill Bar Harbor man who spent his final months fighting for the right to choose physician-assisted suicide has died at the age of 56, a month after the legislation he sought was narrowly rejected in a statewide referendum.

John Speh, who was diagnosed with stomach cancer 10 months ago, fought death to the end. But he continued to believe that patients with terminal illness should have some control over the time and manner of their deaths.

“In the end he wanted to fight, but he wanted that choice,” said Speh’s wife, Patricia “Tish” Tanski. “He wanted it fervently.”

The former Peace Corps volunteer and civil rights worker died Saturday at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

“The morning John died, I asked him if he still wanted to fight, and he said yes,” Tanski said. “So his spirit was definitely there. … his body just couldn’t do it.”

Speh was known as a shy, reserved man who liked spending time alone, thinking and philosophizing. But as his cancer began sapping his strength, he surprised his family by turning into a vocal advocate for physician-assisted suicide.

Although it was at times a struggle physically, he appeared on TV and did newspaper interviews in support of the Maine Death With Dignity Act, which would have allowed doctors to help terminally ill patients die by writing them lethal prescriptions.

In a newspaper article two weeks before the referendum, Speh said that by telling his story, he hoped to inspire people to reflect on their lives and prepare for their own deaths.

“It’s a way of taking my own unwanted situation and turning it and making something positive out of it for other people, for them to think about the whole process of death,” he said.

Kate Roberts, a social worker who served as spokeswoman for the “Yes on One” campaign, said that whenever she would ask Speh to fly down to Portland to help with something, he always said yes.

“He was in so many ways the heart of the campaign,” Roberts said. “He was so committed to this issue, and to watch him do that at the same time he was going through this process of dying, I mean, it was remarkable.”

A stay-at-home dad to two of his three daughters, he was active in the community, serving on the local school board and volunteering for the music program at the elementary school. He loved to spend time outdoors, and often hiked, biked and skied in nearby Acadia National Park.

He is survived by his wife and three daughters, Renee, Kate and Caroline.

No service is planned, but there will be a gathering in Bar Harbor on New Year’s Day, the couple’s 28th wedding anniversary.