Charles E. Spurgeon Obituary (Austin American Statesman – May 7, 2024)

Charles E. Spurgeon died in Georgetown, TX on May 3, 2024, of complications from Covid. Born in Silver Spring, MD in 1950, to Charles and Christine Spurgeon, his father’s teaching career caused him to spend his early years in Baltimore and the North Shore of Long Island. He graduated from Fairchance Georges High School in Fairchance, PA, and then attended Wesleyan University as part of the class of 1972, with a major in cultural anthropology, serving as photography editor for the college paper. Family concerns prevented him from graduating, but he remained part of the class for over 50 years.

In 1976, he moved to Austin TX, went to work for the University of Texas, and met Joann Zimmerman, whom he married in 1981. Shortly afterward, they moved to Palo Alto, CA, where Charles worked for Stanford University’s various computer networking organizations. In 1988, they returned to Austin; Charles began working for UT’s networking services, retiring from full time in 2018 as their chief technical architect, and then rejoining them part time on various special projects. After fourteen years living in Austin’s Mueller neighborhood, they moved to Wolf Ranch, in Georgetown, last year.

Much of his spare time over the years was devoted to writing about networking with Ethernet; there were four books, including two editions of “Ethernet: The Definitive Guide,” and an online presence that began in the 1980s as an anonymous file server and grew into a widely-referenced website.

He was an excellent baker of bread, croissants and cookies, enthusiastically embraced new technologies, and continued to be a photographer. He was also a generous supporter of his wife’s activities, whether musical, academic or literary, and a convivial companion at pre-pandemic local happy hours. In recent years, he provided web support for his college class, resurrecting old photographs. Although he read and reread sea stories and mid-century mysteries, he also read widely in history, anthropology, and philosophy. Over the years, he traveled widely, but his favorite places were the coasts of California and New England, and Venice.

Charles is survived by his wife, Joann Zimmerman.

There will be no services, but donations to Planned Parenthood, Meals On Wheels, People’s Community Clinic, Central Texas Food Bank, Shadow Cats, or Texas Early Music Project would be appreciated.