ROBIN SPEER

ROBIN SPEER Robin Jill (Yaple "Haley") Speer, 70, died Wednesday October 22, 2025 at Kearny County Hospital in Lakin, Kansas. October 22 is a spiritually significant date for Robin, as it was also the day of her baptism, many decades earlier. Robin loved music, dancing, arts and crafts, scrap-booking, turtles, gardening, the beach, playing games, baking, camping, rafting, snow skiing, fishing, practicing her faith, and spending time with her family and friends. Robin was born November 15, 1954 in San Diego, California; the daughter of Charles Yaple and Lois Mae (Jones Yaple Haley) Chappee. Robin's family moved to Ashland, Kansas when she was very young and attended St. Joseph Catholic School. She attended Ashland High School where was active in chorus, track and tennis, pep club, theatre, student counsel, Sweetheart Queen in 1972 as well as where she met her husband Dennis Speer. She graduated Summa Cum Laude in 1972. Soon after completing high school, Robin married her high school sweetheart, Dennis Speer, in Ashland, Kansas. Robin moved to Hayes, Kansas and joined the Radiologic Technology Program. Robin and Dennis were married on September 9, 1972 (53 years married) at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Ashland, Kansas. Dennis' career in the U.S. Air Force kept the family relocating every few years. Their first daughter, Julie, was born in Aurora, Colorado, in 1973. The family then moved to Nellis AFB in Las Vegas, Nevada, where their son, Jason, was born in 1975. They moved to Mountain Home AFB, Idaho, and then to RAF Lakenheath, England where their youngest daughter, Jacqueline Alice, was born in 1978. Robin was a caring, playful, and nurturing mother with a thrifty and creative streak. She enjoyed sewing their clothes from a pattern, organizing crafts, and making homemade cookies and cinnamon rolls. Robin was a natural caretaker and loved her young children wholeheartedly. The family shared many fond memories in England and met their lifelong friends Claudia and John Smith (and children Patrick and Danny), before returning to the United States and settling back in Idaho. The Smith's were also stationed in Mt. Home AFB, Idaho and Claudia and Robin practiced yoga in the backyard. A young mother of three, Robin continued her education and obtained her Associate of Science in 1986 and in 1987 a Bachelor's of Science Degree in Radiological Technology at Boise State University, commuting an hour each way for a year. Eventually, she told Dennis that she could no longer tolerate the commute, leading to their move to Boise, resulting in Dennis' need to make the trip. As fate would have it once more, plumbing issues in their two-bedroom apartment led them to forge lifelong friendships with Bob and Diane Plyley. Bob was also in the military, Diane in the same field as Robin, and the couples quickly bonded. Coincidentally, Bob and Dennis both took assignments in Las Vegas, Nevada so Robin and the children moved again. Life offered new challenges when Dennis' classified work had him gone for four days per week. Robin found herself primarily responsible for parenting teenagers and managing the household. Although she faced mental health challenges, Robin's devout faith and strong sense of family got her through. She often played music and encouraged the children to dance while cleaning the house. Robin effectively utilized her degree at St. Rose de Lima in Henderson, Nevada, where she played a crucial role in establishing a new x-ray department equipped with many technological advancements for that era. Despite her achievements and successes, Robin felt an absence of something greater in her life. She participated in several personal development seminars that resulted in considerable changes and self-growth. She was filled with enthusiasm and desired more! An upcoming course was scheduled to take place in California. She encouraged Dennis to join the seminar as well, and although it was not as thrilling for him, it also contributed significantly to his personal development. As fate would have it, the opportunity arose for both of them to attend the retreat in California; it was during this time that Robin encountered challenges, faced her setbacks, and not only experienced but also overcame obstacles. This journey also reaffirmed their marriage and soon after led them to the understanding that perhaps Las Vegas was not where they needed to be. Dennis retired from the Air Force and in 1994 they relocated to Colorado without a concrete plan and resided in a fifth wheel parked in their friend Bob Plyley's parents driveway in Divide, Colorado. They eventually found a house and rented it site unseen prior to their arrival and required extensive repairs. John and Jo Speer, Robin's in-laws, and Robin's parents Lois and Jack Chappee both brought their campers and together everyone undertook the necessary renovations on the house. Eventually they purchased a home in Fountain, Colorado where Robin's creativity flourished. She gardened, baked, and lovingly created a tropical beach themed massage room and covered her basement walls with magazine clippings: a four walled vision board! During this period, Robin worked in mobile x-rays, mammograms, and CT scans at various facilities. Eventually Robin's career progressed to include cardiac calcium score testing. She loved taking care of patients, people in her church and neighbors. In the early 2000s, Robin began to exhibit signs of health issues as her head started to tremble; after undergoing a series of tests for various conditions, she was diagnosed with cervical dystonia. She attempted various methods to relieve the symptoms, but the improvements were always temporary. She grew accustomed to the disease and continued with her life. Robin's confident, organized, leadership style was useful when she became an entrepreneur and established her own business which coordinated the testing for the Limited Scope Certificate to operate x-ray equipment for the state of Colorado. I.E.T.P. Inc. certified x-ray technicians, from the application process through proctoring examinations, and notifying candidates of their results. Over time, the state of Colorado took over managing the certifications and Robin returned to performing x-rays, mammograms, and CT scans. Her business of numerous years, I.E.T.P. Inc, remains a fun example of the type of person Robin was. The acronym playfully stands for .... Dennis has fun stories around this if you want to know more, "I'm Easy To Please!", which was her hope and desire, as she knew full well that she was a "perfectionist" and could work on the same task for days. The acronym was her way to enjoy life and be silly. A highly self aware person, she was always pushing herself to learn and grow. She could be outspoken and always shared her thoughts. Her bible is worn and studied, littered with sticky notes. Most of the marked passages share a common theme of recognizing the power of words. Dennis and Robin were actively engaged in their church community; however, Robin was in search of something more still, which led her to the Secular Franciscans. Together, she and Dennis discovered the true essence of serving others and ascended to a significantly higher spiritual level; Robin's Profession Date into the Franciscan Community was September 17, 2008. After losing both of her parents, Robin expressed her desire to be closer to family and proposed a move to Kansas. Although Dennis was reluctant, fate played a role when his mother Jo required help due to a back injury. What initially started as a rotation among the children to assist Jo, transformed into a permanent relocation for Robin and Dennis. Thanks to the exceptional care Jo received, she was able to regain some of her strength. By 2013, Robin and Dennis had both welcomed retirement and made the decision to move to Lakin permanently. Robin dedicated her time to helping Jo in the garden, once again fully embracing the caretaker role until Jo's passing on October 22, 2024. As Jo's life drew to a close, Robin's health began to deteriorate. She suffered from debilitating migraines. After numerous trials and setbacks, another MRI was done, revealing additional damage beyond the initial diagnosis of dystonia. The scans indicated extensive areas of seemingly irreparable harm, leading to a diagnosis of vascular dementia, which resulted in a gradual decline in Robin's cognitive abilities. Robin passed one year to the day after Jo's passing. Survivors include her husband Dennis of the home, children: Julie Mae (Speer Hunniford) Jackson and husband Patrick of Salida, Colorado; Jason Speer and Stacy Connor of Plymouth, Massachusetts; Jacqueline Alice (Speer Kuerschner) Brandon and husband Joe Brandon of Colorado Springs, Colorado; grandchildren: Ashleigh Mae Hunniford, Tristan Jackson, Sydney Jackson, Rachel Howe and her husband Jeremy, Alex Moran and his wife Jeanie, Jonathan "JJ" Kuerschner and his wife Shalee, Joseph Kuerschner, Ashley Brandon, and Isaac Brandon; great-grandchildren: Joey, Evie, Reed, Willow, Ben, and Charlie; sister: MariLynn German of Garden City, Kansas; sister-in-law: Jan Yaple of Hartwell, Georgia; brother-in-law: Clark Gates of Cedar City, Utah; nieces: Tera Velarde-Noble, Kathy Jorenson, Tiffany German and Kate "Becky" Watts; and nephews: John Osborn, Frank Osborn and Scott German, as well as countless in-laws, nieces and nephews on the Dennis Speer side which consider Robin as their own family. Robin is preceded in death by her parents Charles and Lois Mae, Step-fathers Frank Haley and Jack Chappee; brother Patrick Yaple, and sister Renee (Yaple Osborn) Gates. A Rosary Service will be held on Saturday November 15, 2025 at 10:30 am with a Funeral Mass to follow at 11:00 am both at St. Anthony Catholic Church with reception to follow in Lakin, Kansas. In lieu of flowers, the family would love donations in Robin's name be made payable to The Capuchins (this is the Franciscan Order that Robin and Dennis are members of), and mailed to The Capuchins, [{e2}{84}{85}] Catholic Center at the Citadel, 750 Citadel Dr E, Colorado Springs, CO 80909. The Garnand Funeral Home of Lakin can also accept these donations. Te Garnand Funeral Home, P.O. Box 91, Lakin, Kansas 67860.