Wendie Jo Sperber

Wendie Jo Sperber, an actress and an advocate for cancer patients, died on Nov. 29 of breast cancer. She was 46.
The Los Angeles native was bitten by the acting bug when she was still in high school. Her big break came in the late 1970s when she earned her Screen Actor’s Guild card for performing in “Grease.”
Sperber followed that role with appearances in more than a dozen television shows, but was best known for acting opposite Tom Hanks and Peter Scolari on the 1980s sitcom, “Bosom Buddies.” She also performed in several movies, including all three “Back to the Future” films.
In 1997, Sperber was diagnosed with breast cancer. Although she was devastated by the news, Sperber was even more surprised to learn there was no support system in place for cancer sufferers in her area. So, she decided to create one.
Sperber founded the weSPARK Cancer Support Center in Sherman Oaks, Calif., in 2001. The weSPARK center offers free information, emotional support and social activities for people and families affected by cancer. Sperber also sponsored the Celebrity Golf Classic, an annual star-studded event that raised funds for the center, and helped unveil a breast cancer stamp for the U.S. Postal Service.
For her efforts, Sperber received numerous honors, including the Woman of the Year award from the Los Angeles County Commission, The Namaste Spirit Award from the Namaste Interfaith Center and the Mordecai Kaplan Award for Distinguished Service by the University of Judaism. A single mother, she is survived by her 19-year-old son, Preston, and her 16-year-old daughter, Pearl.