G.e. Giselle Elizabeth Spencer

Giselle came from a long line of Italian Artists and Oligarchs. From famous architect, Carlo Sada (1809-1873) to musical composers Errico Petrella (1813-1877) and Carlo Alberto Rossi (1921-2010), her family tree also included War Heros and Italian Knights. Her Paternal Grandfather was WWI War Hero Sir Giovanni Luci, Knight of The Order of The Vittorio Veneto (Cavaliere dell'Ordine di Vittorio Veneto) AND The Medaglia e Croce di Guerra Al Valor (War Cross of Military Valor World War One), Granted by The Republic of Italy for Military Merit. Her Maternal Great Grandfather Sir Luigi Rossi was granted two Knighthoods both for Civilian Merit: Knight of The Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus (Cavaliere Ordine dei Santi Maurizio e Lazzaro) AND Knight Commander of the Crown of Italy, (Commendatore Dell' Ordine della Corona d'Italia). Her Maternal Great- Great- Grandfather, Sir Eugenio Mainetti was awarded Knight of the Crown of Italy (Cavaliere dell Ordine della Corona d'Italia), for Civilian Merit. Luci-Spencer graduated from Georgetown University with a Masters Degree in English. She also earned a BA Degree from Santa Clara University and studied at Oxford University as a Post-Graduate student in English Studies. She was born and raised between San Francisco's Silicon Valley (Los Gatos / Willow Glen) and Florence, Tuscany, Italy. As an adult, she also lived in: Seattle, WA / London -England / Barcelona -Spain / Lisbon -Portugal / Chicago, Ill / Beverly Hills, CA / Georgetown, Washington DC / Portland, OR / Boulder, CO/ Scottsdale, AZ / Lecco, Italy and Copenhagen, Denmark. As a child, Spencer thought she would either become a concert pianist or a university professor, but changed her career direction when her father passed away while she was still in school. Instead, she began a real estate investment company after receiving an inheritance from her Italian Grandfather (Luci-Spencer Properties 1993-2017). She invested (bought and flipped) properties in the American West, Pacific Northwest and Southwest and co-owned additional properties in Tuscany, Italy, with her Italian relatives. She also worked as an Account Executive and Account Manager in the Tech, Finance, and IT sectors: (Google, Morgan Stanley Dean Witter, Trip Advisor, Sun Microsystems / Oracle, Storage Tek, Rogue Wave Software, HSBC Bank, Syntex Pharmaceutical, Shop.com). The family was everything to Spencer and she lovingly took care of her disabled and terminal mother, as her sole caregiver, for the last nine years of her mother's life: Oct 2002 - August 2011. Throughout her own life, Spencer also struggled with her own congenital and hereditary illnesses and even survived open-heart surgery in Spain, despite the country's terrible public health care system. Spencer also had a passion for travel, writing and the environment. Her last literary project, "The 7th Fire," written under the pen name Spencer McKinley, was published on December 1, 2021, and garnered "Thumbs Up," reviews in the United Kingdom. The novel was chosen as "The Must-Read of The Week," Book by MSN News, Readers Digest, Female First and an additional 152 UK publications including: The London Times / The Guardian / The Sun / The Scotsman / Edinburgh News / The Star Boston Standard / Eastbourne Herald, among others READER'S DIGEST UK: https://www.readersdigest.co.uk/culture/books/meet-the-author/the-7th-fire-by-spencer-mckinley MSN NEWS: https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/other/must-read-of-the-week-the-7th-fire-by-spencer-mckinley/ar-AAQbE8z?ocid=a2hs&pfr=1 FEMALE FIRST: https://www.femalefirst.co.uk/books/burning-issues-interview-with-author-spencer-mckinley-new-book-7th-fire-1324270.html AUTHORS GUILD: https://go.authorsguild.org/members/5899 For more information go to: SpencerMcKinley.com She also volunteered for over 38 environmental and social organizations throughout her life, including Amnesty International and CPT (Christian Peacemakers Team), Cultural Survival, Conservation International, WeForest, and Oceana. In 2014, before the Covid Crisis, Spencer served as a CPT Delegate monitoring biochemical contaminations discovered on First Nation Lands, in Ontario Canada. She was one of the rare outsiders to have witnessed first-hand the devastation at Treaty 3 - Grassy Narrows Reserve. The catastrophe caused a political firestorm, resulting in the longest-running blockade in Canadian history, and became known as the country’s worst environmental disaster. The event later became the inspiration for her script and novel "The 7th Fire," as mentioned above. In one of her last public interviews, (December 2021) she was asked by a reporter from Celebrity Magazine "Female First," what she hoped to be remembered for: Giselle said, "That we all have a story to tell and a unique journey in life. We should always step forward in faith, compassion, and strength. We should be eternally engaged in improving, saving, and helping our planet and the people within it. And we must do so with courage and determination." That comment sums up the woman: her strong inner strength, her decency and her personal endurance.