Marjo Speakman
Marjo Speakman passed away January 22, 2018 at her home in Milton-Freewater, Oregon at the age of 78. A Celebration of A Life Well Lived will be held at the Sturgis United Methodist Church in Sturgis, SD., 1755 Ballpark RD at 10:30 a.m. Monday, May 28, 2018. Interment will be in Bear Butte Cemetery Sturgis, SD. A lunch will be served at the church following the burial.
Marjo was born to LeRoy and Grace Alverda Palmer of Red Owl, SD March 27, 1939. She was the youngest of twelve children. She attended school at Marcus, Faith, and Sturgis, SD. She met Gordon Speakman at a little country dance in Union Center, SD and three years later they married in the same town, August 18, 1957. To their joy, five children were born.
Marjo enjoyed sewing and owned a sewing and fabric store in Redfield, SD. She served her community as a 4-H Leader, teaching sewing lessons and home living skills and a Cub Scout Den Mother. She worked as a nurse’s aide at the James Valley Nursing Home, Redfield, SD and attended College at Huron University, Huron, SD. The Speakmans moved to St. Maries, ID, where she played piano for the Fraternal Order of Eagles and worked at St. Maries School in the cafeteria. They moved to Walla Walla, WA and then settled in Milton-Freewater, OR.
She had a passion for raising roses and produced marigolds for the floats in the Pasadena, CA Rose Parade. She and her husband were also members of the Blue Mountain Deutsches Tanzers Dancers, a local German Dance Group. Marjo worked as the Activities Coordinator at Regency At the Park Nursing Home in Walla Walla, WA until her retirement in 2004. She was loved by all and will be missed forever.
She is survived by her husband Gordon; children, Valorie Speakman Milton-Freewater, OR, Brenda Speakman San Jose, CA, Ron Speakman, (Lisa Simmons-McDonald) Milton-Freewater, OR, Darla (Lyle) McKernan, Rapid City, SD, and Darin Speakman Milton-Freewater, OR.; sisters June Tennis of Sturgis, SD, Jean (Jack) Vansickle, Sturgis, SD, Darliene Keffeler, Alkali, SD.; sister-in-laws Joan Hobernicht, Lake Havasu, AZ, Darlene Palmer, Aberdeen, SD, Mary Ann Palmer Faith, SD and brother-in-Law LeRoy Clem, Isanti, MN., 10 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren.