Allen Speer might just be one of the most remarkable men you’ll ever meet—and that’s not just a figure of speech. He was recently named Venice City Lifestyle’s 2025 Remarkable Man of the Year, a well-earned honor for someone whose impact stretches from the heart of Venice to communities across the Caribbean and beyond.
Most in Venice know Speer as the CEO of Agape Flights, the local nonprofit Christian aviation ministry that delivers supplies, support, and spiritual encouragement to Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, and the Bahamas. But ask around, and you’ll hear other names, too. Coach Speer. Pastor Speer. Mentor. Friend.
A Coach, Mentor, and Guide—On and Off the Field
To the student-athletes at Venice High School, he’s Coach Speer, a “Character Coach” who teaches more than just sportsmanship. “I want these young men to be better citizens and better people,” he says. “We do community service projects together because it’s important to show them what it means to serve.”
Next month, more than 30 of those student-athletes will travel to the Dominican Republic with Venice High School’s Coach Falkner and Speer. In addition to playing in a baseball tournament, they’ll partner with Score International Ministries, visiting orphanages and rural communities. “It’s about more than baseball. It’s about compassion and seeing how people live beyond your own experience.”
Speer’s journey to this point started in Metropolis, Illinois—Superman’s actual hometown—where he grew up as the son of a local pastor (and occasional Superman impersonator, cape and all). “Metropolis was like Mayberry,” he says. “Small-town values, lots of church, and every sport imaginable.”
A Life Marked by Faith, Loss, and Resilience
Inspired by his father, Speer followed in his footsteps, earning a master’s degree in theology and serving churches throughout Illinois and Missouri. His life’s path has included moments of great joy and deep sorrow. In 2005, his wife passed away suddenly from a heart attack, followed nine months later by the loss of his mother. He found himself a single father of three, navigating grief while trying to stay strong for his children.
Eventually, healing came in the form of a second chance at love. He met and married another pastor’s spouse who had lost her husband, and together they blended five children into one family. “It was hard. The first five years were the hardest of my life. But we did it—and now they’re just brothers and sisters.”
In 2010, Speer was approached by Agape Flights. “I wasn’t a pilot or a technician,” he says. “But the board told me, ‘We don’t need an aviator. We need a leader.’” After much prayer, he took the role—and hasn’t looked back.
From Havana to Venice, a Mission of Love Takes Flight
That decision brought him back to the Caribbean, a region that captured his heart as a child on his first mission trip to Jamaica with his father. His longest and most meaningful connection, however, has been with Cuba. Since 1992, Speer has worked with Cuban churches and pastors, built relationships, and even co-founded the National Evangelical Seminary in Havana.
He’s also had multiple meetings with Fidel Castro. “Our first meeting was supposed to be 15 minutes so I could give him a Bible and share the Gospel,” he recalls. “We talked for almost two hours—about the Yankees, about life, about God.” Over time, a surprising friendship formed. “I’d visit, and he’d invite me to his home. When he got sick, I was asked to pray with him.”
Even while battling his own health crisis—he was diagnosed in 2023 with liver cancer and placed on the transplant list—Speer has kept his focus outward. Then, suddenly, the tumors were gone. “The doctors said they didn’t even leave a mark,” he says. “It was a miracle. And I believe it was the result of global prayer and God’s healing power.”
Speer and his wife fell in love with Venice when they moved here over a decade ago. Their youngest children graduated from Venice High, and their family quickly embraced the community. “This place is special. I tell people to put me on the poster for Venice. We love it here.”
Now a grandfather of six, Speer enjoys golfing a couple of times a week and taking his grandkids to Caspersen Beach to hunt for shark teeth. But his mission hasn’t changed.
“We need more AGAPE in this world,” he says, referring to God’s unconditional love. “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you love them. And love is shown more by action than words.”
In a world too often divided, Allen Speer reminds us—through every role he plays—what it means to lead with love.
We need more AGAPE in this world," says Allen Speer, referring to God’s unconditional love. “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you love them."