Theresa Spildie

1956 - 2025

Theresa Spildie
August 6, 1956 - January 5, 2025
Theresa Raye Lane Spildie, 68, of Alexander, ND passed away peacefully at home with her husband and sister by her side, on January 5, 2025. Theresa was a warrior that had been fighting cancer since her diagnosis in January of 2020. She taught us all to love and find joy even when faced with the unknown.
Theresa was born August 6, 1956 in St. Petersburg, FL. She was the eldest of five children born to Pastor John and Helen Lane. She spent much of her childhood in the South, but at the age of 16, her family moved to Bozeman, MT and what started out as teenage sadness at being uprooted and dropped in a square state in the middle of nowhere, ended up being the greatest gift she could have imagined.
Theresa was set up on a blind date with a boy named Duane Spildie. This blind date began a love story that has lasted a lifetime. Duane and Theresa were married January 7, 1978 at Boyd Avenue Baptist Church in Casper, WY. Theresa and Duane owned Foote Photography and worked side by side together for years. They had two daughters and lived in Casper until the girls graduated high school at which time they moved to Crownpoint, NM, where Duane was teaching elementary school.
In 2000, Theresa decided to pursue her dream of becoming a teacher and earned her bachelor's degree in Elementary Education. She taught in New Mexico on the Navajo Reservation, in Idaho City, ID, in Pryor and Lodge Grass, MT (both on the Crow Reservation) and in Alexander, ND. Theresa retired from teaching in May of 2023. She kept in touch with many of her students from over the years and was very proud of the people they became.
Theresa was a member of the Sweet Adelines Chorus in Casper. She enjoyed needlepoint, sewing, playing the piano and reading. She loved gardening and grew flowers everywhere she lived. She was the person that helped when someone had run out of gas on the side of the road and she quietly paid for people's groceries when she saw someone struggling. She did these things with one request, that they pay it forward one day.
Though she loved the mountains of Montana and Wyoming, she was a coastal girl at heart. Not much made her happier than the sound of crashing waves and the salty ocean air. It could be the warm Florida coast or the cold coast of Oregon or Maine. Those waves brought a smile to her face every time she was there.
Theresa is preceded in death by her father, John Raye Lane and her brother, John Hugh Lane.
Theresa is survived by her husband of 47 years, Duane Spildie, and her two daughters, Michelle (Phil) Music of Casper, WY and Melissa (Jovone) Roman of Billings, MT. She is also survived by her four grandchildren, Christian, Hannah and Grace Music and Ophelia Roman.
Per Theresa's request, there will be no service.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to your local Cancer Care or Hospice Care Center.