Linda Larae Obermeier

Linda LaRae Spencer was born April 25, 1948 in Des Moines, Iowa to LeRoy and Maxine (Shutts) Spencer. She passed away peacefully in the presence of family, on December 19, 2011 at Avera McKennan hospital in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Services were held at noon Thursday, December 29th at the Mary House Chapel in Pierre, followed by lunch in the Maryhouse Conference room. Memorial services are also planned in Crocker, South Dakota this summer. Linda was born with one arm, but refused to consider herself handicapped and mastered many tasks that are usually performed with two hands. She worked in retail all her life, with the last 19 years being at JC Penney in Pierre, South Dakota. She and the family are grateful for the consideration and support shown by her supervisors and coworkers at Penney's in the two years she fought her primary illness. The family is also grateful for the outpouring of concern from the people who knew and loved her. Linda loved gardening, flowers, garage sales, antiques and collecting Maxfield Parrish prints. She also loved The Red Green Show and music, especially Neil Young and AC/DC. Linda had a quirky sense of humor. It was 12 degrees and a light snow was falling and Linda saw me putting on my bike helmet. "You're riding today? Why?" I'm a maniac. "I knew that but why are you riding?" As you get older you have to be careful about letting the weather buffalo you. Next thing you know you aren't doing anything and you turn into (I was going to say an old man'). "A buffalo?" We laugh, I tell her, "we're going to be happy. We'll cry once in awhile, but we'll be happy." Linda: "As long as we can laugh we won't turn into buffalos." Christmas was her holiday. It was all about giving to her loved ones and she started shopping in January. Her biggest joy in life was the presence of babies and small children, not just her own, but all of them. As we discussed some serious health issues she suddenly broke into her million candle power smile and I asked the granddaughter standing next to her, "is there a baby behind me?" As expected, the answer was "yes." In keeping with her love of children the family requests that memorials be directed to the Boy's and Girl's Club of Pierre where they can be used to enable all young people to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens. Grateful for having shared her life are her husband, Pete, daughter Tammy McCullough, granddaughter Amanda Burcks and grandson Axton Vandermark of Pierre, daughter Aimee Nicholson of Council Bluffs, Iowa, granddaughter Dakota Mattos, grandson Jason Mattos of Des Moines, brother Mike (Tammy) Spencer, nephew Ben and niece Shelby, of Altoona, Iowa, son-in-law Jeremy Vandermark, and aunt Gretchen Miller of Leon, Iowa. She was preceded in death by her parents and son, Todd McCullough. Our Pretty Girl with the broken wing has gone to where everyone has two arms and she can use them to hold babies all day long. www.furnessfuneralhome.com for further information