Cathryn Alice ("Andy") Spelts, 98, of Rapid City, SD, died peacefully and went to be with our Lord Jesus on January 23, 2024, after complications from a stroke.  She was born on October 15, 1925, in North Platte, Nebraska, to Clara (Wurtz) and August Swan Anderson.  Cathryn was married to Robert Richard Spelts on June 2, 1946.  As educators, the couple pursued several educational positions that took them to the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, the US Department of Education in Washington, D.C., and Rapid City, where Robert assumed the position of Superintendent of Schools for the Douglas School District.

Cathryn's illustrious life included many educational pursuits and accomplishments.  She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Nebraska at Kearny, where she was in the Sigma Theta Phi Sorority and President of the Young Republicans.  After graduation, she served as the editor for the Nebraska State Education Association (NSEA) and worked on many publications.  She was able to travel the state and work on key legislative and educational initiatives.  She wrote a weekly column that was distributed to all the teachers in Nebraska.

After coming to Rapid City, Cathryn raised their two children, Sid and Sarah, and taught classes at Ellsworth Airforce Base and wrote columns for the Rapid City Journal.  She earned her master's degree from Black Hills State University in 1971 and her doctorate degree from the University of South Dakota in 1982.  It is interesting that Cathryn's teaching began in a one-room, rural school outside of North Platte, Nebraska, and her career ended as professor at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology.  She was an expert at technical writing and helped many students hone their writing and communication skills.  She once wrote, "Education is the center of my life."

Cathryn was appointed to serve on a Presidential Commission for Lyndon B. Johnson in Washington D.C. in 1969, which included many national meetings and hearings. She served on the South Dakota Committee on the Humanities and was elected to serve as chair of the committee in 1991. She was very involved in civic groups and organizations, including American Association of University Women, League of Women Voters, Mayor's Committee, Executive Board of the YMCA, Rapid City Council of United Church Women, Chamber of Commerce Committee, PEO, Elderhostel (now Road Scholar), Chapel in the Hills, Meals on Wheels, theatrical and church groups, and other city and state committees. In her later years, she helped to form a library at her senior living community.

Cathryn loved the beauty of the Black Hills and enjoyed many outdoor activities, including golf, tennis, hiking, skating, and swimming.  She was a golf champion and won several tournaments and even hit a hole-in-one at Arrowhead Country Club.  Earlier in her life, she was an enthusiastic gardener and cultivated a wide array of flowers, plants, and vegetables.  Cathryn had an innate attraction to animals, particularly dogs.  Her devoted canine companions gave her much joy and amusement through the years.

She was blessed to have a wide circle of wonderful friends and a vibrant church community.

With her friends and family, she enjoyed many different games, including Bridge, Mahjong, Cribbage, Pinocle, and Dominoes.  Numerous excursions in the hills yielded great play productions, delicious meals, gifting opportunities, and newfound experiences.

A prolific reader, she relished the opportunity to read a wide range of literary works, including in-depth studies of the Bible.  She was often sharing newspaper articles and clippings of interesting facts for many listening ears.  Even at 98, she was fascinated by modern technology and used her iPhone to text and FaceTime.

From flying an airplane and riding a motorcycle in her younger years to traveling around the world, Cathryn was an adventurer with a tenacious spirit.  She was an avid fan of all sports and rooted for the University of Nebraska football team through thick and thin.

Most significant was Cathryn's kind spirit and welcoming heart.  She had a gift of making others feel important by taking an interest in their lives.  One of her favorite verses was: "For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." – John 3:16
She is survived by her son, Sidney Andrew Spelts (Bonner Springs, KS), and daughter Sarah Marie Anderberg and husband James (Rapid City, SD).  Other surviving family members include her brother Tom Chamberlain, grandson Arthur Spelts, and great-granddaughter Wren Spelts. She is preceded in death by her husband (1992), and several extended family members over the decades.

The family has requested that remembrances be made in Cathryn's honor in the form of contributions to the Good Samaritan Society – Echo Ridge of Rapid City.  Gifts can be made online at www.good-sam.com/donate or sent to Good Samaritan Foundation, PO Box 5039, Sioux Falls, SD 57117.

A Celebration of Life Service for Cathryn Spelts will be on June 21, 2024, at 10:30 a.m. at Osheim & Schmidt Funeral home.  Light refreshments and fellowship will follow the service.