Irene Margaret Spratt

Irene Margaret Spratt, 94, of Aurora, Colo., died Nov. 6, 2012, at the Life Care Center of Aurora. She is survived by her three children: daughter Susan (Robert) Yoakam of Aurora, daughter Barbara (William) Raymor of Littleton, Colo., and son James (Geri) Spratt of Centennial. She is also survived by six grandchildren, Julie (Scott) Falconer of Greeley, Jenna (Zac) Watts of Denver, Evan Raymor of Littleton, Maggie Raymor of Arvada, Tom (Melissa) Yoakam, of Aurora, Chris Yoakam, of Aurora and Cory Spratt of Aurora, and seven great-grandchildren: Shannon and Jordan Yoakam of Aurora, Jonah and Benjamin Falconer of Greeley, Harper Watts of Denver, Justin Bradshaw of Northglenn and Jayce Spratt of Aurora. She is also survived by her brother, Walter Stevens, of Fort Dodge, Iowa; her close friend, Rita Diebel, and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband Thomas, who died in 1982; her infant daughter Marilyn; her parents, Henry and Margaret (Eickhoff) Stevens of Hartington, Neb.; five sisters, Frances, Agnes, Ruth, Esther and Berniece; and three brothers, Edward, Albert and Fredric. A viewing will be held on Monday, Nov. 12, from 3-7 p.m. at Horan & McConaty Mortuary, 11150 E Dartmouth Avenue, Aurora, Colo. A funeral mass will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 13, at 10 a.m. at St. Therese Catholic Church, 1243 Kingston Street, Aurora, Colo. Burial will be at the Fort Logan National Cemetery beside her husband. (Irene's parents were married at a small church in Fort Logan in 1903.) There will be a luncheon provided by the St. Therese Altar and Rosary Society in the church hall after the Mass. In lieu of flowers, you may send donations to: Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, 8055 E. Tufts Ave., Denver, CO 80237. The family would like to extend its heartfelt gratitude to the doctors, nurses and staff at the Life Care Center of Aurora for the loving care they provided Irene during her stay there. The family would also like to thank Denver Hospice for the care and support they provided to Irene and her family in her final days. Irene Margaret Stevens was born Feb. 7, 1918, in a two-story farm house in the small German community of Bow Valley in northeast Nebraska. When she was 8, the family moved into Hartington, Neb., eight miles to the south. Irene graduated from Cedar Catholic High School in Hartington in 1936 as valedictorian of her class. After high school, she worked for the Farm Security Administration and the Bank of Hartington. In 1939 she was named winner of the Honorary Colonel title by the local National Guard. Irene moved from Hartington to Denver in 1943 with a close friend, Olga Busskohl. Irene was working at the First National Bank in Denver as a teller and bookkeeper when she and Olga went on a Sunday drive to Lookout Mountain and picked up two Army soldiers hitchhiking to the top of the mountain. One of them would be her future husband, Tom Spratt, a Chicago native who was an Army medic assigned to Fitzsimmons Hospital in Denver. After Tom completed his Army service, which included overseas combat during the Anzio landing and the Battle of the Bulge, he returned to Denver and they were married Aug. 4, 1945, at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Denver. Tom worked for the Denver Water Company for 40 years. Irene moved from the First National Bank to work at St. Therese School in Aurora as manager of the school cafeteria for 30 years before retiring in 1985. Irene lived in the family home on Florence Street in Aurora for more than 60 years before her recent move to the Life Care Health Center. Irene was a member of St. Therese Catholic Church for more than 60 years, and was an active participant in the lives of her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. Her friend Olga Busskohl Adney died in 2011 in Kalispell, Mont. In lieu of flowers, donations suggested to Juvenile Diabetes Foundation. Please share condolences at HoranCares.com