Kathryne Irene Spealman

Kathryne Irene Spealman — better known as Renee to all whom she met — passed away just last week. Guided by a core (and oft quoted) faith that ‘you create your own reality’ she worked to reshape the world into a place of greater love, broader acceptance, and deeper weirdness. Renee lived life with an open door policy, kept an empathetic eye for those who’d been injured by the world at large, and never met a stray she wouldn’t take in. Everyone she met, from the clerk at the gas station to the patient in her care, was her friend from the start. She is survived by all those who she touched in her life, a countless number that include an extended family of wandering dreamers, lost souls, and wayward youths.

Against a life lived in chronic pain and multiple degenerative conditions she fought for joy and hope, a militant willful optimism that carved dignity from despair. She was aided in this defiance by strong and resilient women. First, her own mother and best friend; Glenna, known to the world as Momma Too, welcomed Renee back home when she became a single mom with two small children. Momma Too was a wonder and not only helped raise her grandchildren but the first wave of kids who Renee gave shelter too. In time, Renee graduated to caring for Momma Too, allowing her to age in place and, eventually, die at home. During this time she also began caring for her beloved, but troubled, brother Kim — as well as the second wave of errant youths. Renee, in turn, was cared and provided for in her waning years by the second most indomitable women in her life; her unstoppable daughter Teela, who juggled her own family, whom helped as much as they could, a business, and her mother with skill and heart. Finally, Renee was buoyed throughout her life by the twin forces of Janis Joplin and Mary Jane.

Renee was ever curious and found wonder in the world and joy in the pursuit of understanding it. She was a free-thinker and a scientist, she attained an associate’s degree at Cottey College in Nevada, Missouri, at the height of the Civil Rights Era, and later completed her bachelor’s at the University of Puget Sound in ’69, during which she worked on some of the earliest research on blood clotting factors and aspirin. It was here that she also met her future husband, Joel. When Joel was drafted they were stationed at a meteorological observatory in Reykjavik where she began work as a medical technologist at a hospital off the military base and the two were married. She continued to work as a med-tech for over 20 years, including the grave shift at Community Hospital for nearly a decade. When her medical condition advanced to the point that she was no longer able to work at the hospital she began performing remote health surveys across western Montana for insurance underwriters. A job she found great pleasure in, as she got to travel the state she loved and make even more friends.

Renee passed her wonder of the world and free thinking scientific nature to her beloved son Pieter, who she was so proud of for accomplishing his Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon. Even though Pieter resides in New York with his wife Kate, their bonds have always remained close. Renee was also fortunate enough to get to know Kate and loved her from the beginning.

In honor of her, her life, and her ascension to a higher frequency of consciousness and rebirth, we are holding a wake on Saturday, June 23 at 3 p.m., at the family home, 720 Blaine, Missoula, MT. Please feel free to visit, share stories, and celebrate her memory.