How do you sum up in a few paragraphs a life that was so richly lived for 93 years, 10 months and two days?
Katie, or Kate as she was known to many, was born to Vera and William Trankle on August 17, 1928. She was the third of seven kids – Carol (John) Andrew, Genevieve (Harry) Andrew, Phyllis (Neil) Addison, Lynn (Joe Ihm) Halverson, Mary (Delbert) Blasdel, and Roger (Jill). All those girls meant Katie’s life on the farm would be spent more often on the seat of a tractor over a seat in the kitchen. She’d take fields over folding clothes any day.
She graduated from Cobb High School in 1946, where she first met her favorite basketball player, Wilton (Pete) Spurley. They were married on October 14, 1950. In Katie, Pete found a partner with whom he would grow strong roots. Despite her lack of experience with domestic work, she managed to perfect a Cornish pasty which had the flakiest crust ever, even though she always left that part on her plate. The many farm helpers who she insisted on feeding sure appreciated her hearty meals. And despite never drinking a cup of coffee, she managed to raise eight pretty wonderful kids: Bill (Ruth Ann), Jean (Jim Dressler), Chris (Dan Seitz), Mike (De), Tom (Kayla), Jerry (Jennifer), Dennis (Pam), and Ron (Kris).
Pete and Katie’s little spot of heaven on County Road G was a gathering place for family and friends, especially at their epic pig roasts. The couple would often be found in the stands at football games next to forever friends, Dick and Joanne Hugill. And while she loved the comfort of home, Katie was thrilled to get away with her sisters, especially to the annual bluegrass festival in Illinois and a few epic road trips west.
Katie was a founding member of the Cobb Lioness Club where she held several leadership positions. She cared for her community just as much as her family. As Mifflin’s Town Clerk for many years, she had ballots for an upcoming election on her kitchen table. When her house caught on fire, she got her husband out first, then returned for those ballots.
After Pete’s death, Katie never stopped living. Her best days were those spent in the company of many, or a few, or simply with her favorite Westerns and a spicy novel. She loved a good local story, but never passed judgement. You simply couldn’t get a rise out of her. At best, you would hear, “Oh sakes, well, at least they’re happy.” Maybe that was the secret to her constant smile. Pull out a mega puzzle, board game, Dominos or multiple decks of cards, jokers included, and you were in for a full afternoon. Place a grand, great grand, or great-great-grandbaby on her lap and she was in heaven. And while “critters belong outside” she even cared for a few cats along the way, some which made their way inside. Her capacity for love was never ending. Oh, how she will be missed.
Katie was preceded in death by her parents, husband, sisters Carol, Genevieve, Phyllis, and Mary along with their spouses, her daughter, Jean, and son, Bill, and her infant great granddaughter, Kailey Stanke. A public celebration of life will be held on Friday, June 24, from 2pm until 3pm, with visitation following until 7pm, at Soman-Larson Funeral Home in Montfort. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Pete and Katie Memorial Scholarship, one which Katie herself established and is managed through the Iowa-Grant Education Foundation, would be greatly appreciated.