Kaylene E. (Reimers) Hudspeth

Kaylene Elaine (Reimers) Hudspeth, 60, of Britt, passed away on Friday, April 10, 2009 in Britt.

Funeral services for Kaylene Hudspeth will be held at St. Benedict’s Catholic Church in St. Benedict on Tuesday, April 14, 2009 at 10:30 a.m. with Father Henry Huber officiating. Interment will be in St. Benedict’s Cemetery in St. Benedict.

Visitation will be held from 5:00 until 7:00 p.m. Monday, April 13, 2009 at Ewing Funeral Chapel, 178 Center Street West in Britt.

Kaylene Elaine Hudspeth, the daughter of Arthur and Darlene (King) Reimers, was born August 6, 1948 in Fort Dodge, Iowa. Her childhood years were spent in the Duncombe and Webster City areas where she received her elementary education. The family moved to Eagle Grove in 1962. Kaylene graduated from Eagle Grove High School with the class of 1966. At the age of forty she attended North Iowa Area Community College in Mason City where she took accounting and business classes.

Kaylene moved to Webster City in 1969 where she worked at Franklin Manufacturing until 1974.

Kaylene married Terry S. Hudspeth on February 14, 1974 in Webster City. Their marriage was blessed with the births of three children: Kerry Patrick, Katherine Joel, and Scott Terrance.

In 1974 the couple moved to St. Benedict, Iowa. Kaylene enjoyed being a homemaker, mother, and for a short time worked at Snap-On Tools in Algona.

In 1978 they built their home in Britt, Iowa and purchased Gibney Oil Company and changed the name to Hudspeth Oil Company. Terry ran the tank wagon and Kaylene did all the bookkeeping from an office they had in their home. She began managing Britt Standard Service in 1985 and continued doing bookkeeping for both businesses. They sold Hudspeth Oil Company to the Britt Coop in 1992 and Kaylene began working at General Foods (Kraft Foods) in Mason City where she worked until her retirement in 2005.

Kaylene and Terry moved to Mason City in 1998 and resided there until Terry’s retirement from his security guard position at the Social Security Administration. At that time they move to their lake home on Tuttle Lake that they had purchased in 1992.

Kaylene was a member of St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Britt where she had taught catechism classes for several years. She had also been a member of the Catholic Daughters where she served as treasurer. She was a charter member of the Britt Lioness Club. While living in Mason City she belonged to the Women of the Moose organization.

She was diagnosed with pancreatic head adenocarcinoma in April 2008 shortly after she and Terry had returned from spending several months in Mountain Home, Arkansas. Knowing she faced a very aggressive cancer, Kaylene chose quality over quantity and proceeded to live her life one day at a time.

Kaylene enjoyed reading and creative writing. She especially enjoyed entertaining family and friends at the lake home. She loved cooking family meals and always had treats baked for the grandchildren. She enjoyed attending her grandchildren’s school activities.  Kay Grandma especially enjoyed the joy and love her grandchildren brought into her life. She felt truly blessed.

Preceding her in death were her father, Arthur Reimers, Jr., her grandparents, a great-niece, Allyssa Marvin and nephew, Justin Lesher.

Left to cherish her memory are her mother, Darlene Reimers Lauer of Eagle Grove; her husband, Terry Hudspeth of rural Dolliver; her children and their spouses: Kerry Hudspeth, Katherine and Jason Douglas, and Scott and Kristina Hudspeth all of Britt. She is also survived by nine granddaughters and one grandson: Darielle, Kaylee, Sydney, and Ryleigh Hudspeth, Caden and Courtney Douglas, Mykella and Crystal Hudspeth and KayLee and Taylor Martin all of Britt.

She also leaves behind three sisters: Cynthia Huffaker of Peoria, Arizona, Robin (Terry) Marvin of St. Paul Park, Minnesota and Jennifer (Jeff) Lesher of Eagle Grove. Surviving in-laws include: Worth Hudspeth, Bloomington, Minnesota, Robert (Tina) Hudspeth, Garner, Iowa, Elizabeth (Robert) Scallon, Boscobel, Wisconsin, Mary Joyce Kunkel, New Berlin, Wisconsin, Patricia Elbert, Blue Earth, Minnesota, Brother William Hudspeth, Sarasota, Florida, Thomas (Marilyn) Hudspeth, New Prague, Minnesota and Dennis (Patty) Hudspeth of Algona, Iowa. She is also survived by a special aunt; Joyce Denker of London, Kentucky and a special uncle, Jack Reimers of Renwick, Iowa; other relatives, many nieces and nephews and numerous friends who shared in her life.

“Life is not waiting for the storm to pass. It’s learning to dance in the rain.”