Stephanie L. Spears

Stephanie L. Spears, of Geneseo, passed away on Monday, December 5, 2022.
Stephanie was born on April 10, 1965, in Richmond, Virginia to Dolores A. Giamette (Perfetto) and Francis E. Giamette.
In 1989, she married James W. Spears of Peoria. She is survived by four daughters, Katie Ratkiewicz of Moline, Alice (Michael) Ardis of Peoria, Grace Spears of Peoria, and Maeve (Danny) Ardis of Peoria; one granddaughter, Jayden; three grandsons, Keeton, James, and John; eight siblings: Lisa, Amy (Ken), Marisa, Nancy, Christopher, Janine (Eric), Timothy, and Samantha (Scott); and her partner Mike Maher.
She was preceded in death by her parents Delores and Francis.
Stephanie graduated from Bergan High School and the University of Illinois at Springfield. She served as a Peoria County Sheriff's Deputy for many years, retiring in 2017. She also worked at Jimmy's Bar in her spare time and is best known for her corned beef and cabbage on St. Patrick's Day.
She had an eye for landscaping and was an avid hiker. She was always up for adventures, and even hiked the Appalachian trail with her daughter, Alice. Stephanie was constantly trying new things; she got her motorcycle license, was an avid beekeeper, was a certified scuba diver, and took golfing lessons, though we never saw her golf or scuba. Stephanie had a great love for animals. Any stray animal found a home with her.
Stephanie was well known for her home cooked meals. She always made her magic chicken noodle soup for anyone in her family that was sick. She was also known for her sausage bread that her daughters would often fight over.
Even though Stephanie was involved with so many activities, her family was her world. She adored her grandchildren and loved spending time with them. Her family was lucky to have the time with her and will miss her forever.
Visitation will be from 4 -7 PM on Thursday, December 8, 2022 at Wright & Salmon Mortuary.
Funeral mass will be at 10:30 AM at St. Philomena Catholic Church on Friday, December 9, 2022, with an hour prior visitation. Fr. David Richardson will officiate. Cremation Rites will be accorded. Burial of ashes will take place at a later date at Resurrection Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention or the Alzheimer's Association.
Friends and family may sign the online guestbook by logging onto www.wrightandsalmon.com.