Kay Ellen Spokas

Life Tribute to Kay Ellen Spokas

Original by Kay:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkkkOMVpb2A&ab_channel=nyghtowl3

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxOcB2t2j3E

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5M3TzAiNqzU

Kay-Kay El, our precious little one, you are the kindest, sweetest, most giving person. You never have a bad word about anybody. We never have a fight or disagreement. Born a happy, old soul, you are always so confident in who you are.

You are unwavering in your love for your family. Always spontaneously calling out “Love you, guys”, no matter where or what we are doing. Saying “’night, Poppy, love you” and then adding “Don’t let the snails bite”. Calling your sisters, “sistor” after watching a silly movie over 20 years ago.



You love EVERY creature. From your soulful horsemanship, rescuing dogs and cats from shelters, to taming magpies, saving every spider found in the house, saving earth worms after the rain, saving beta fish, naming all the snails and fish in your tanks, and everything in between, you have saved and treated creatures with a kindness and understanding that so few have. Our email boxes are full of the links of YouTube videos you share of cute animals.



Let’s talk about your aquariums. This a passion you share with Papa. The new aquarium we bought and the stand we built together are awesome, and the fish we picked out together are thriving. And the tank in guest room, well, it’s a bit of a surprise for anyone staying in there to awaken in the middle of the night to you peering into the tanks with a flashlight, quietly making sure everyone is okay.



The simple things in life give you joy. Rolling out pizza dough with Papa, waving goodbye in the window to anyone leaving the house, whether to the grocery store or on a long trip. Long walks on weekends with mama, putting your arms around each other and calling each other “bestie”. At the end of each workweek, coming in singing, “Friday’s the best day!” You often sit quietly when the family is gathered, such as at our backyard barbeques, just smiling and enjoying all of us. You so love the garden we put in this year, and you get so much pleasure from watching things grow.

Playing video games, you’re a different person, and dang, you’re good! From childhood, you have played with Lynnie into the wee hours with you saying “uno mas!” We see the wild side of you, Kay, when you and Leigh charge your horses madly up hills, flinging your arms wide and singing at the tops of your lungs.

We cannot forget to remind you of all the great terrible b rated movies you and Kaitlin convinced us to watch over the years. The two of you sit and laugh uproariously at the all the “well-delivered” lines and “unthinkable” plot twists. How many times can someone watch Sharknado?



Owls, you love them. If anyone sees an owl decoration, we get it for you, which explains why the house is full of them. You keep all the treasures of past family events. Movie stubs, Yellowstone, our favorite childhood toys are tucked away safely in a keepsake drawer.



We’re all so proud off all your accomplishments. You have a Bachelor’s, two Master’s, and are a CPA. You take such pride in your work, and are so responsible and conscientious.

We will point out, however, that you have absolutely no sense of direction. Getting lost on your way to DQ in Bozeman with Lynnie, even though you both have lived here for years, and never learning the names of the towns between Bozeman and Butte. You take after your grandmother, Peg.



It’s hard to encapsulate all your passions. You are such a gifted singer and songwriter, lyricist, and pianist. We all have your songs, and we listen to them, workout to them, and share with family and friends your YouTube channel so they enjoy your music. Your fantasy writing is Tolkienesque, drawing us into the worlds you create.



Holidays are your favorite, and the 4th and Halloween stand above the rest. The 4th because of our fireworks tradition, which also includes us visiting several booths in search of our favorites, and then setting them off with Papa and Leigh. Halloween is a month-long event of watching scary movies, selecting the best pumpkins and carving ever-more-elaborate scenes. Christmas starts early and involves a lot of collaboration on gift selections. We have a Christmas Eve tradition of going out for breakfast with the whole family and then heading to PetSmart for you to pick out gifts for all of the critters, which can take hours, all to fill the stockings of each critter.



You are always here with a kind word, calm voice or quick wit. Lynn says it feels like her circle of people is broken. It isn’t. Our circle is smaller without you, but you are our umbrella; you hold all of us together, and you’re watching out for us as you've always done.



You were an angel on earth and we know you are an angel in heaven and are with us now.



Luke 20:36 For they cannot die anymore, because they are equal to angels

23rd Psalm The Lord is my shepherd...and I will dwell in the House of the Lord forever