Spencer P. Annabel, M.D, passed away at his home in Canisteo, NY on March 22nd, 2025 following a long battle with lung cancer.
Born April 12th, 1946, in Hornell, NY to Albert and June (Spencer) Annabel, Spencer grew up working on the family farm. He graduated from Canisteo Central School in 1965 and earned his undergraduate degree from Alfred University in 1969. While attending Medical School at the University of Rochester, he met and married the love of his life, Carol (Stoddard) Annabel before earning his medical degree in 1973.
After completing his Internal Medicine residency at Rochester General Hospital, Spence realized his dream of returning to the Hornell, NY area to serve the community in which he was raised. He did so through his own private medical practice and treating patients at the local hospitals. He created the ultrasound and echocardiography department at Saint James Mercy Hospital and loved teaching and mentoring. Spence was a 21 year veteran of the Saint James Mercy Hospital Board and one of his proudest accomplishments was being a part of the New Vision Task Force in 2014 that was able to secure grant money and affiliation with the University to Rochester to save the hospital from closure and maintain its critical resources for the local communities. He retired from private practice in 2015 and from his work at the hospital at the end of 2020.
In addition to his professional life, Spence was a dedicated father to his three children, Matthew, Seth & Megan (Thomas) Angelo and adored his three grandchildren Maya & Caleb Annabel and Clara Angelo. It meant a great deal to him to raise his children on the family farm he himself grew up on and remain in his childhood home to the end of his life. He is also survived by his loving wife of 53 years, Carol, one sister, Shivani Small, daughter in-law Susan Baruch-Annabel & several nieces and nephews.
A driven and adventurous personality, Spence enjoyed many hobbies and pastimes. His physical hobbies included horse riding, skiing, cycling and mountaineering. Many Annabel horses were loved and well cared for into their senior years. His cross-country ski trails on his own property saw great use during the winter and he enjoyed the accomplishment of summiting high peaks in the Adirondacks and Colorado. As a cyclist, he was a recognizable figure riding through the community in his favorite red bike clothes in all kinds of weather and continued riding on Oxygen therapy during the final years of his life.
He had an immense interest in collecting, painting and building models and miniatures which remained a relaxing pastime for him until his passing. He was an Aviator for many years and a self-described car guy who loved to share his flying and driving adventure stories. His love of history eventually found an outlet through civil war reenacting. He was able to honor the accomplishments of his civil war counterparts by teaching and demonstrating civil war medicine during countless reenactments, and, in the later years, he formed his own civil war artillery battery.
A great blessing of his life were the many friends he accumulated over the years, through schooling, his community, his professional life and through the reenacting hobby. As the end approached, he was never lonely or wanting for visitors. He and his family are forever grateful for the blessings of these relationships.
The family will receive friends from 1-3 pm and 6-8 pm, Thursday, March 27th at the H.P. Smith & Son, Inc. Funeral Home in Canisteo, and a Mass of Christian Burial on Friday, March 28th at 10:00 am, at St. Ann’s Catholic Church, 27 Erie Avenue in Hornell. Burial will be in Hillside Cemetery in Canisteo.
Memorial Contributions in Dr. Annabel’s name may be made to either Care First, 3805 Meads Creek Rd, Painted Post, NY 14870, the Hornell Humane Society, 7649 Industrial Park Rd. Hornell, NY 14843 or to the St. James hospital Foundation, 7329 Seneca Road North, Hornell, NY 14843.
