Obituary of Lillie Rebecca Speirs

Lillie Rebecca Jennings Speirs, born April 2, 1943, passed away in Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho on August 1, 2022, she was 79 years old. She is survived by her husband of 57 years, Leroy Dennis Speirs, her two daughters, Lynette Hagel and Loree Speirs, and her two sons Loren Speirs and Layne Speirs, a son in law Shane Hagel and a daughter in law, Darleen Speirs, as well as six grandsons (Blake, Aaron, Kaden, Garrett, Seth, Joseph) and one granddaughter (Olive). Lillie was born in Gaffney, SC and later grew up in Phoenix AZ and El Paso TX with six elder brothers and sisters. She lost her mother Mable at the age of 10 to tuberculosis and was nurtured and brought up in the care of her paternal grandmother Trella. Later, her father Wilson remarried. Lillie developed a good relationship with her stepmother Fern and always spoke kindly of her. After high school she attended Hotel Dieu Nursing school, where she was voted class President and received her Registered Nursing degree as Valedictorian. She soon met Leroy in El Paso TX and they married in Mesa AZ on September 5, 1964. Leroy had been drafted into the Army and soon Lillie was swept off into the life of a military wife. Being a military wife gave Lillie the opportunity to work in various capacities throughout her career. She worked in a small medical dispensary in Illesheim, Germany for a few years, was able to work at Hotel Dieu Hospital in El Paso TX twice, and then for the VA Hospital in Spokane WA for twenty plus years, where she received accolades for her service and professionalism. Lillie was the most kind-hearted, loving person to all she met. She was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and served diligently all through her life. She lived her life with a strong faith in Jesus Christ and never wavered. She loved to travel and did so with her husband often. She and Leroy traveled around Europe together with their children having been stationed in Germany on three different occasions. She had a desire for knowledge and would take time to read and study any topic that interested her. She also had quite the sense of humor as well and would often hit with a quip or joke that would make her giggle as well as anyone that was around. However, most importantly, she loved her family fiercely and they were her greatest labor of love.