Spellman lived in
Laurel, Maryland, with husband Reuben Spellman, with whom she had three children: Stephen, Richard, and Dana Spellman O’Neill. She was
Jewish.
Coma and aftermath On October 31, 1980, Spellman was judging a Halloween costume contest at the
Laurel Mall when she had an incapacitating heart attack. Her heart briefly
stopped beating. Five days later, on November 4, she was re-elected to Congress with 80% of the vote against a little-known Republican opponent, but it soon became clear that she would be comatose for the rest of her life. In the first weeks of the
97th Congress, the House passed a resolution providing for Spellman's pay as if she had been seated, and for her Congressional office to be supported as if a member of Congress had died or resigned. When it became clear she was permanently incapacitated and unlikely to recover, the House passed an act declaring the 5th District seat vacant. As a result, Spellman's pay and administrative support was scheduled to be terminated upon the election of someone to her seat. It is the only time that medical reasons have resulted in the House of Representatives declaring a seat vacant. Thirty-two candidates from both parties entered the race, including her husband, Reuben. He was defeated for the Democratic nomination by
Steny Hoyer, who won
the special election on May 19 against the Republican nominee,
Bowie mayor Audrey Scott. Hoyer has continued to be re-elected since then, and eventually became
House Majority Leader. Spellman never regained consciousness and died in a Maryland nursing home on June 19, 1988, after nearly eight years in a coma. ==See also==