Celia Spady
Celia Joyce Spady was born Jan. 6, 1940, in Lyman, Wyoming, to Kermit Bernard and Lottie Ida (Wolf) Karns. She died Aug. 11, 2019, at her home in Champion, Nebraska, at the age of 79.
As a young girl, her family lived in different locations in Wyoming and Nebraska, following her father’s job in the Federal Aviation Administration.
After graduating from North Kansas City High School in 1958, Celia married her high school sweetheart, Dennis, on Sept. 21, at the United Methodist Church in Imperial, Nebraska. The couple began their life together at a small house in Imperial and in 1963 bought the house across from Champion Lake, where they raised their children, Cynthia, Mark and Blaine.
Celia will be remembered for the exemplary way she valued her faith, her family and her friendships. Favorite family activities included attending as many of her grandchildren’s sports, music and theater events as possible. She was always ready to record them with a video camera in one hand and a camera in the other. Photography was Celia’s favorite hobby, and no family occasion was complete without at least one picture for her album.
Celia loved to travel. She and Dennis took their honeymoon in Yellowstone National Park and enjoyed skiing in Colorado. They went on mission trips to Mexico and also enjoyed touring the Holy Land with a church group. Later, they enjoyed visiting Arizona, Alaska, California and Texas. When grandchildren came along, they instituted “grandchild trips” in which they took a new grandchild on a special mini-vacation each summer with just Grandma and Grandpa.
Celia served the United Methodist Church in Imperial as secretary for over 30 years. An active church member, she was a member of the bell choir and the United Methodist Women. She was always busy helping to make her church and community happy, peaceful and productive in whatever way she could.
Celia was preceded in death by and welcomed into heaven by her parents, Kermit and Lottie; husband of 56 years, Dennis; grandson, Austin; sister-in-law, Doris; and brother-in-law, Darwin and wife Elva.
She is survived by her daughter, Cynthia and husband Dennis Dahlkoetter of Grant, Nebraska; son, Mark and wife Michelle of Imperial; son, Blaine and wife Robin of Lincoln, Nebraska; grandchildren, Leah and husband Shane Wissmann, Danielle Dahlkoetter, Alec and wife Nichole Spady, Paige and husband Trey Milner, and Nolan, Sophie, Lucy, Olivia, Quinn, Eleanor and Silas Spady; great-grandchildren, Creedence and Truett Spady and Halsey Wissmann (and one little Milner on the way!); brothers, Richard “Dick” and wife Loretta of Kearney, Missouri, and John Karns of Imperial; brother-in-law, Deloyce “Pete” and wife Becky Spady of Imperial; and brother-in-law, Ray Baldwin and wife Jennifer of Hudson.
Celia’s memory is a keepsake for all. While God has her in his arms, her family and friends will have her in their hearts forever.
Funeral services were held Aug. 16 at the First United Methodist Church of Imperial, with Rev. Bob Call, Pastor Kent Griffen and Pastor Melody Newman officiating. Interment followed at Mount Hope Cemetery in Imperial.
A memorial has been suggested to the Spady family to be designated in Celia’s memory.
Online condolences may be left at liewerfuneralhome.com.
Liewer Funeral Home of Imperial was entrusted with the arrangements.