Miami Circuit Judge Robert A. Spahr, 66, died Monday at his residence after a brief battle with cancer.

Spahr became a judge Jan. 1, 2008, after being appointed by Gov. Mitch Daniels. He then was elected to the bench in the November 2008 election. Spahr worked in private practice in Peru from 1979 until he joined the court. He represented the Miami County Office of the Department of Child Services for 19 years, served as a Miami County deputy prosecutor and as a misdemeanor public defender for several years.

He passed the bar in 1974 after graduating from Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of law in 2 ½ years, according to his application to fill a vacancy on the Indiana Supreme Court in 2010. Before attending law school, Spahr enlisted in the United States Army and served on active duty from September 1968 to June 1971. He left active duty honorably as a first lieutenant.

Spahr’s interests included writing, and he served as a guest columnist for the Peru Tribune. He also wrote fantasy adventure and authored seven books. He was a member of the Peru Rotary Club; Miami County Historical Society, where he served as president; Miami County Substance Abuse Prevention Council; Miami County Bar Association and Indiana State Bar Association.

He is survived by his wife Nancy; children Tim (Marcet) Spahr, Kim (Dustin) Fisher, Tony (Krystal) Spahr, and Emily Spahr. He is also survived by five grandchildren and two sisters.

Visitation will be from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday at Main Street United Methodist Church, Peru. A memorial service will be held at the church at 10:30 a.m. Saturday. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Miami County Historical Society or Main Street United Methodist Church.

A judge pro tem has been appointed in Miami County to assume the judicial duties.