Carol Spawn, 87, librarian, archivist

Carol M. Spawn, 87, formerly of Philadelphia, a librarian who loved mystery books, died Thursday, Oct. 13, from complications of congestive heart failure at her home in Towson, Md.

Mrs. Spawn grew up in New England and graduated from Brown University in 1950, then received a master's degree in librarianship from Columbia University. In 1957, she moved to Philadelphia to begin her career in the rare books department of the Free Library.

It was there that she met her future husband, Willman Spawn, a conservator of rare books and manuscripts. They lived in the Logan Square area until 2013, when she moved to Maryland to be near her son.

After raising three children, Mrs. Spawn went back to work in the mid-1970s as archivist and head librarian at the Academy of Natural Sciences. She was also president of the Philadelphia Area Consortium of Special Collections Libraries and an active member of the board of Friends Select School.

She retired from the academy in 1993 after overseeing construction of the new archives building. She and her husband were members of the Monthly Meeting of Friends of Philadelphia.

For her own reading, Mrs. Spawn loved mysteries, and had probably read more than 5,000 in her lifetime, said her son, David. P.D. James was among her favorite authors.

"It was kind of a guilty pleasure," he said.

After reading the books, she gave them away. Nonetheless, her family found around 200 mysteries in her apartment after she died.

Besides her son, she is survived by sons Andrew and Peter; two grandchildren, and nieces and nephews. Her husband died in 2010.

A memorial meeting for worship will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3, at Arch Street Friends Meeting House, 320 Arch St., Philadelphia 19106.

Donations may be made to Friends Select School, 1651 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia 19103, or Arch Street Meeting House Preservation Trust at the address above.

kboccella@phillynews.com

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@Kathy_Boccella