Mary Jo Speegle

SPEEGLE
After enjoying a productive and creative life centered around her family and friends, Mary Jo (Jenné) Speegle, 82, died Saturday, May 8, 2010, at Wilford Hall Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas. Born on February 15, 1928, in Highland Park, Michigan, she went on to travel the world with her former husband, the late Air Force SMSgt. (Retd.) James Rayburn Speegle of San Antonio. Mrs. Speegle made her home in South Bexar County for over 20 years next to and finally with "the neighbors" - daughter Vivian Box, her husband Robert Box, and their children Bethany, Gabriel, and Jessi Rose. Diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in her mid-40s, Mrs. Speegle lived with dignity and humor given the loving support of her family, plus friends and caregivers Diana Rothenbach and her daughter Naomi Ramsey. While Mrs. Speegle could not leave her bed in later years, her world stretched far beyond its confines. She enjoyed observing the Texas wildflowers and wildlife in what she called "Mary Jo's Meadow," laughed at British TV comedies, and worked the New York Times Puzzle and Jumble every day. She followed the San Antonio Spurs and politics, voted in every election by absentee ballot after she could not visit the polls, and welcomed all of her children's friends into her home for parties. She was a gifted seamstress, knitter, and embroiderer but abandoned needle and thread after she taught herself to weave. She spent as many hours as she could at her floor loom. After MS left her physically unable to continue weaving, she took up beadwork and crocheting. Mrs. Speegle maintained correspondence with many close friends, including the late Molly Johnson of Dubberly, Louisiana, and her husband Chuck. Mrs. Speegle had feared that MS would keep her from being engaged in her grandchildren's lives. Quite the opposite was true, as all of the Box children and granddaughter Jenné Garant Speegle of San Antonio spent many hours visiting, playing, and reading with "Grandma Jo" well into their adulthood. Mrs. Speegle treasured the daily presence of her great-granddaughter Lola Soleil Turack. Mrs. Speegle enjoyed memories of raising her children to be their own best friends in Bordeaux, France; Tripoli, Libya; Iraklion, Crete; and six states, including Alaska. She once wryly commented, "I never lost anyone in an airport." Her parents were Rex and Juliet (Westbrook) Jenné, and she also is predeceased by her sister Jeanne (Jenné) Lewis of San Francisco, California. In addition to her daughter Vivian, Mrs. Speegle is survived by son Charlie Speegle of the family home on Grand Lake, Oklahoma, where she nurtured daylilies; and son John Speegle and daughter Catherine Speegle, both of San Antonio. Her grandchildren and great-grandchildren are Jenné Garant Speegle, daughter of John Speegle and Christie Garant of San Antonio; Jessi Rose Box and daughter Lola Soleil of South Bexar County; Gabriel James Box, wife Natasha (Kamin), and son Shane of Collinsville, Illinois; and Bethany Rae (Box) Penn, husband John, and son Logan of Troy, Illinois. Mrs. Speegle also is survived by sisters-in-law Pauline (Speegle) Murray of Cullman, Alabama, and Imogene (Speegle) Lit of Murphysboro, Illinois; cousin Pauline Cosgriff of Detroit; cherished friends Claudia and Jake Schuster of San Antonio and Kay Crook of Beckley, West Virginia; and nephews and nieces, including her sister's daughters, Jeanne (Lewis) Kenney and Robin (Lewis) Jefferson, both of Vermont. Mrs. Speegle's place of rest will be at McLaughlin Cemetery in Cleora, Oklahoma. A memorial gathering will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, May 13, 2010. at Community Baptist Church, Elmendorf, Texas. The family welcomes recollections of Mrs. Speegle. If a more formal remembrance is desired, please consider the National MS Society, Lone Star Chapter, 9830 Colonnade Blvd, Room 130, San Antonio, TX 78230.