Mable "Ilene" Speicher

On October 30, 2016, Ilene Guernsey Speicher (92) left this earth behind and joined the heavenly celebration. Mable Ilene Thatcher was born on June 24, 1924, in Promise City, Iowa to Pearl Ophelia (Trumper) and LeRoy Franklin Thatcher. A torrential rain storm was in progress and the bridge was washed out, so she was delivered by her aunt. Before she was a year old, her family traveled by train to a farm that was located three miles east and one mile north of Holyoke, Colorado, where she spent her childhood with her siblings Jay, Maxine(known as Mickey), Vay and Arlo. She attended Lone Star School, and in 1940 graduated from Phillips County High School.

On April 5, 1941 she married Clifford Laverne Guernsey. To this union three children were born, Ganita Nadine, Charles LeRoy and Lynn Bradley. In 1957, Ilene gave her heart to Jesus and was baptized at the Holyoke Christian Church. Cliff worked as a mechanic and took his family to Goodland, Kansas and Sterling, Colorado to further his career. When they heard that there was a church starting in Douglas, Wyoming, they moved there to help establish it and build the youth groups.

In 1964 they moved to Denver, Colorado. They were active in the Commerce City Christian Church and built a large junior high youth group. When there was a need for a church in the Westminster area, they moved and worked with a group of people to build the Westminster Christian Church. During this time period Cliff worked as a mechanic for the city of Denver and Ilene worked in an office for the Colorado Secretary of State.

After Cliff retired, they moved to Peterson, Iowa where they served as house parents at the Peterson Christian Children’s Home from 1978-1979. Due to Cliff’s poor health they decided they must move back to Holyoke. Ilene then began working in the front office at Melissa Memorial Hospital and worked there for many years. On August 15, 1982, Clifford died from complications of a heart bypass surgery and a failed pancreas.

On December 28, 1985, Ilene married Bernard Speicher. She loved being a part of the Speicher family and frequently mentioned one of the greatest gifts Bernard gave her was all the extra grandkids. She also loved Bernard’s two sons, Delton and Darlow as her own.

Bernard and Ilene started their married life together on the farm Bernard built in 1947 and lived there for sixteen years. They loved traveling around the country visiting all of their family. They joyfully continued to serve Jesus together at the Holyoke Assembly of God. In 2001, they decided to leave the farm and move into Holyoke. Bernard and Ilene were a great source of comfort to each other in their more than twenty-five years of marriage.

Ilene was preceded in death by her parents, Pearl and LeRoy Thatcher; her first husband, Clifford Guernsey; her second husband, Bernard Speicher; her brothers Jay Thatcher, Vay Thatcher and Arlo Thatcher; her sister Maxine (Mickey) Smith; her sons LeRoy Guernsey, Lynn Guernsey and Delton Speicher; her granddaughter Rebecca Speicher and her great- granddaughter Cassidy Hale.

She is survived by her daughter Ganita and her husband Al Budd of Ozark, Missouri; her son Darlow and his wife Debbie of Holyoke, Colorado; 24 grandchildren, 18 spouses of grandchildren, 66 great-grandchildren, 8 spouses of great-grandchildren and 20 great-great-grandchildren. This totals 149 descendants and their spouses who are either here on earth loving and missing her or in heaven dancing and singing with her.