Francis Blase Joseph Sporer, age 86, of Virginia Beach, VA died June 16, 2026, at his home. Francis was born in Marceline, Missouri on January 13, 1940, to Lewis and Eugenia (Jenny) Sporer. 

Francis grew up in Marceline, MO, a small Midwestern community, to a Dad who worked on the Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe railroad, and Mom who raised 4 children, and who did everything without the benefit of today’s labor-saving devices, and cooked wonderful Holiday meals for all 6 of us. Francis and I grew to appreciate her ability to produce meals of many parts, and have them ready at one time for wonderful family gatherings on Holidays. Dad worked hard, being on call to be the Conductor on freight trains, arriving any time of the day and night, and had to go to work in all kinds of weather on, at most a two-hour notice from the “call boy”. They set an example of parents who wanted a better life for their children, and a higher education that they never had, and they succeeded in seeing all four sons graduate with at least one college degree.

Francis was always an excellent student, and attended St. Bonaventure Catholic School, grades 1-8. Then he attended Marceline High School, graduating in 1957, being a member of the National Honor Society his Junior and Senior years. Never one to be athletic, or care about sports, he played trombone in the Orchestra and Marching Band, and sang in the Glee Club. In our home basement, he set up a photo developing kit, and a science lab kit, with real chemicals, illegal to sell as toys today. He filled his time with his classmates, and the activities of a teenager of the 1950’s, and collected 33 1/3rd records of Musicals, classical recordings, and some jazz, and the popular music of the 50’s and 60’s, adding to the many 78 rpm records from his older brothers, Richard, and Gene. He and another high school friend spent hours in our basement, designing and fashioning large models of cars made from blocks of clay – back when cars had unique styles. He continued to read Car magazines and internet articles throughout his life. He loved the feel of clay, and perhaps that was a precursor to his decision to teach ceramics at the college level, and his later mastery of various massage techniques, which helped so many people. 

He was honored to be selected to be a member of the Blue Key Honor Society, recognizing college students for their academic accomplishments, and received a Bachelor of Science in Art Education (B.S.Ed.) from Kirksville State Teachers College (now Truman State University), Kirksville, MO, in 1961. He began his Master of Art program at the University of Missouri, Columbia that year. Then he was chosen to receive a Rotary Fellowship for International Understanding to study abroad from July 1962 – July 1963, choosing the Glasgow School of Art, in Glasgow, Scotland, which inspired his later desire to travel as often as he could. He loved that experience, the country, the school, and the friends he made, and loved to talk about it to anyone who would listen. He returned to MU and received his Master of Art from the University in 1964, and began his teaching career later that year at Stephen’s College (1964-67), Columbia, Missouri, which was an all-girls school at the time. He was Associate Professor of Art at William Woods and Westminster College in Fulton, MO, from 1968-1982. In 1973 he was selected as one of the Outstanding Educators of America and also received the Beaumont Distinguished Professor Award for excellence in teaching at William Woods College. In 1975, he was named Outstanding Young Men of America. He did post-graduate work at the John F. Kennedy University near San Francisco in their innovative Consciousness Studies M.A. program., and later became an Associate Professor in the Consciousness Studies Program at Atlantic University, helping students explore the intersection of spirituality, personal growth, and expanded Awareness. He also served as senior instructor at the Cayce/Reilly School of Massotherapy from 1988 to 2000.

In 1967, he and another teacher decided to live the life of artists in San Francisco, living on the Coit Tower hill, during the height of the Haight-Asbury hippie era. Financial reality hit, and he returned to Missouri, working for about a year in Marceline for Walsworth Publishing, which published yearbooks nationally and internationally. (More on that later.) A fellow friend and teacher recruited him back to teaching, this time at William Woods, Fulton, MO, which was also an all-girls school, at the time. Like at Stephens, he taught Life Drawing, Art History, and his favorite, Ceramics. 

His interest in Edgar Cayce soon developed, and in August 1968, he attended his first Conference, and found himself going to the Association for Research and Enlightenment (A.R.E.)  in Virginia Beach, and he knew he had found a calling and a home. His knowledge of computers and the advent of programs like Photoshop, and his artistic ability for layout and design, made him a perfect fit as the Art Director for the A.R.E’.s Venture Inward magazine, for 23 years, and he loved it. Francis read extensively about Edgar Cayce and consulted the readings to offer possible helpful suggests to others’ health issues, lectured about him, and his readings on health and nutrition, in the US and abroad, and even in casual conversations with friends and those that showed an interest. (And sometimes, even if they didn’t.) He loved to teach courses on Cayce, holistic health, spirituality, and his personal evolution into the meta-physical and spiritual dimension, which is evident in a YouTube video: Francis Sporer: Edgar Cayce’s Theory of Everything, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kN2q9Hd_mIw. He describes this as representing, in his own words, “All of the parts of ourself, the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual, are integrated into a complex “oneness”, but we tend to compartmentalize them and treat them as independent of each other.” For those who are interested, there are five YouTube videos of his lectures.

He is an ordained minister of The Fellowship of the Inner Light, an interdenominational spiritual organization dedicated to fostering unity, oneness and cooperation among the world’s religions and philosophies.

But simultaneously, he put his skilled hands into learning the Reilly method of massage at A.R.E., and developed great skills as a teacher and practitioner of massage, and graduated from the Cayce/Reilly Health Institute in Rockefeller Center. Francis went on to devise an advanced version of this technique, which he taught and practiced the rest of his life, averaging over 400 massages a year. His ability was recognized and appreciated by his many repeat clients. He counted the actor Norman Fell (Three’s Company) and the Russian Ballet star, Rudolf Nureyev, and tennis great John McEnroe as clients referred to him. He was asked to do some last-minute artwork for Shirley McLain who was presenting at A.R.E. As he massaged people, the talk always turned to Cayce, proper diet, and the life of his clients, always noting and reminding them that “the mind is the builder”. Unless he had another client waiting, Francis often continued his physical work and conversation, long past the original time set aside for that person. He was not doing massage for the money; he genuinely wanted to provide guidance beyond the physical benefit. 

It would be a mistake to not mention that Francis was a gifted artist, not just a masseur. He seemed proficient in any artistic medium required of a project – acrylic, pen and ink, pastel, watercolor, ceramic. His hands helped him manifest his spiritual and esoteric beliefs, and the psychological benefits of working with mandalas, with his wonderful friend, Carol Bush, who proceeded him in transition. Her passing had a profound effect on him, though he knew they would always be with each other in spirit. He left many examples of his artistic expression and insight, but highly prized his works: The New Man; The New Woman; and The Child Within, which have been widely distributed in the United States, and Europe, as prints and notecards. Other paintings have been used as book and album covers. An Article in NEW REALITIES magazine on the emergence of a Visionary Art movement featured both his work and his ideas. 

Francis loved to travel with friends, or alone, and did so every chance he had, to South America, China, Egypt, the British Isles, Scotland, the Netherlands, attended the Oberammergau Passion Play in Germany, visited Austria, and more countries. He was always the “photographer”, making pictures of HIM hard to find on his computer. He seemed oblivious to any possible danger that might exist in a country he wanted to visit. But when the chance to travel appeared, he rarely gave thought to the negative side of where he was going, such as political unrest or US Travel advisories, because he was about to meet new friends, or going to spend time with existing friends, and absorb the beautiful side of their countries – or to seek some new and exciting experience. He loved to indulge all of his senses, as much as possible, whether it was food, travel, conversation, music and musical productions.

He loved music, and found expression of that through singing with several groups in Virginia Beach: the Virginia Beach Chorale; Sounds of Joy; The Cat’s Meow; the Virginia International Tattoo; LV Muzik – a male quartet, and other musical endeavors which allowed him to showcase his funny and playful side in skits, as well as to perform seriously works, even with the noted conductor of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Craig Jessop, whom he greatly respected. He looked forward to participating with groups that sometimes sung at Carnegie Hall. Sadly, due to his almost total deafness even with hearing aids, and a throat issue that developed in the last few years, his participation and enjoyment were greatly reduced. He continued to volunteer countless hours to use his design and Photoshop skills to produce posters to showcase their events, and audience programs. Those had to be perfect and to fit his vision of the interplay of graphics that he layered into the final product. He was always looking for new and improved hearing aids, or headphones, that would allow him to finally hear, whatever he could not with the technology he had, and allow him to better interact with the world around him. And he sought out a voice specialist hoping to revive his singing and speech voice.

Despite the very significant visual and auditory limitations, Francis was a lifelong learner, constantly glued to a book or his computer, which allowed him to hear through the use of his hearing aids/telephone and headphones. Crossword books were always within reach. He remained intellectually engaged and spiritually curious until the very end.  He loved growing flowers on his deck, and anywhere else he could find a bit of space. Flowers were another manifestation of the inherent beauty of the Universe, and he felt their presence, not just viewed it. 

He was the risktaker of the Sporer family, pursuing knowledge, on many subjects, wherever it had to be followed. He was an avowed liberal and progressive thinker and actor, not liking the constraints of traditional beliefs, and repetitious routines, like 8 to 5 jobs, and those which did not fit his nocturnal habit of staying up until well after midnight. This self-actualizing attitude caused some disbelief on the part of our parents when, one evening in 1967, it came time to break the news to them of his decision to leave the security of his teaching job to go to California, with no job waiting for him, to pursue what he thought would most benefit his personal, professional, and especially his spiritual fulfillment. This was something our parents could not understand, having been Depression Era adults, struggling to find work and food to survive, and feed two young boys. As noted earlier, this venture failed and he was forced to return to Missouri, living with our older brother, Gene, and working in Marceline for seven months. Someone loaned him a copy of There Is A River, and being particularly inspired by the “Philosophy” section, he spent the entire seven months reading more books about Cayce and the Readings. But he knew he was on HIS path, not anyone else’s, when he discovered Cayce and the A.R.E., and he was not persuaded by our parents’ concern for him.

And Francis loved to eat with his friends. But it had to be healthy food, and it had to have lots of flavor, though he would eat ordinary food when necessary to not insult a host. He and an older brother, Gene, roomed together while at Kirksville State Teacher College in Missouri. Both were excellent cooks. Over the years, his palate tasted the foods of many cultures, without hesitation. It is SO ironic that in his final days, he was so disinterested in food. Even HE questioned why his body seemed not to want to take in nourishment, wondering if it was, somehow, a delayed result of the traffic accident causing the seatbelt to affect his organ functioning, which occurred almost exactly one year ago.

When it came to helping someone in need, as the saying goes, he was generous to a fault, giving money to strangers and friends who were short of funds, donating to charities and political candidates who espoused democratic and progressive values. He was generous with his time, his knowledge, encouragement and resources. His was a gentle spirit, replete with intellectual curiosity, and an unwavering commitment to helping others grow in health, understanding, and spiritual understanding of the true nature of being one with the Universal Consciousness. Francis touched many lives, in what he would have considered common, ordinary interactions, not realizing his true impact. Isn’t that the way it should be? He often described himself as “a citizen of the Universe who was currently a resident of planet Earth.” 

As the last leaf on the Sporer Family bloodline tree, I will truly miss him and the many plans I hoped to share with him, the family history that his deafness prevented us from sharing more fully, and the simple act of conversation. As in Thornton Wilder’s magnificent play, Our Town, instructs us to remember, there is no such thing as an unimportant day. Even that “will be important enough”. Foolish humans that we are, we do take each day for granted, as if there will always be a tomorrow. 

Francis is survived by his brother, James (Jim) Sporer of Lee’s Summit, MO. Also surviving are his sister-in-law, Gwenna Sporer, of Marceline, MO, and nephew, Donald Sporer, of Marceline, MO, and niece, Margaret (Sporer) Seward, of Callao, MO; sister-in-law Alyce (Sporer) Mars and niece, Sara Tamer and husband Delly, Tiburon, California, and their children, Nicholas and Matthew; Aimée (Sporer) Caplis and husband Dan, Denver, Colorado, and their children, Joseph and Caroline; cousins Shelly (Littich) LeBrun and husband John, Interlochen, MI; Melanie (Littich) Clark, Lansing, MI; and Maraloy (Littich) Thomas of Lansing, MI. He was preceded in death by his parents, Lewis and Eugenia Sporer, and brothers Richard Sporer on Oct. 20, 1991, and Lewis Eugene (Gene) Sporer on May 8, 2011.

Memorial Services will be held at the A.R.E. July 18, at 1:00 p.m.. 

Burial of cremation remains will be done at a later date in St. Bonaventure Catholic Cemetery, Marceline, Mo.

James/Jim (people know me as James if they knew me growing up in Marceline, and as Jim by everyone else) wish to thank the wonderful friends in Virginia Beach who rushed to his side when in the hospital, or the Rehab facility, and especially while in Hospice at his home. You were present when he needed you most, and so many times, touching him, singing or talking to him even if he did not hear in the conventional sense, and lifting his spirits by countless small gestures, telling him of your love for him, and reminiscing about your special moments with him. I want to especially thank Albert Rohm who was so kind to Francis on many occasions, helping Francis in those final months, attending to his final needs in the Condo. Dale Berning did everything necessary to ensure that his legal documents were done while Francis was lucid, which was insightful and timely. Bruce Shelton deserves his own angel wings, as he was so generous with his time and practical experience, and an immense help in settling Francis’ final affairs. His presence, shoulder to cry on, and guidance, and the hours he gave so willingly to guide me through these difficult days, was an immeasurable blessing to me.