Ramona Lee Capelle

Our mother, Ramona Lee Capelle (Spears), passed away on Wednesday, November 25, 2020, at the age of 68. She was born on December 16, 1951, in Madison, Wisconsin, the second child of five and only daughter of Darrell and Audrey Spears. She is survived by her loving husband, Jay; us, her children, Matthew (Anna), Gina (Jeffrey Lese), and Annie; her brothers Greg (Karen), Kevin (Kari), David (Debbie), and Michael (Kelly) Spears; and her grandchildren, Noah and Olivia Capelle, Gracie and Hattie Lese, Elizabeth Garcia and Avery Capelle. She is preceded in death by her parents, whom she has now joined in heaven.



Mom graduated from Goodrich High School in 1970 and briefly continued her studies at Moraine Park Technical College, where she met her future husband, our father, Jay. Although our dad claims it was love at first sight, the same could not be said for her. Actually, the word she used to describe her first impression of him was “weird.” Persistence does pay off, however, and our dad eventually won over mom’s heart, and her hand, and they were married on May 19, 1973.



In 1992, mom was diagnosed with Leukemia, which marked the beginning of the health battles that marred her for the rest of her life. Mom began her first round of chemotherapy shortly after her diagnosis and her cancer almost immediately went into remission. The Leukemia did eventually come back, however, and by 1999 her situation was grave. We were told that only a bone marrow transplant would save her. Fortunately, our uncle Kevin was deemed a donor and he selflessly donated his own bone marrow to give his sister and our family the possibility of a greater future together. From then on, mom began to suffer ailment after ailment that would eventually take an insurmountable toll on her body. Mom never conceded, though. She bravely took on each battle and had won them all, although she never did it alone. Dad never left her side nor wavered in his love and devotion to her. He has said many times throughout our lives that he had made vows to our mother on their wedding day and that he would never break those vows. He never did.



Mom leaves behind a loving husband, three grown children, a son and daughter-in-law, six grandchildren, four brothers, scores of extended family members, and countless friends. Anyone who had the honor to meet our mother saw firsthand the bright light she was, and although she has left us, her light will shine forever.



We will be having a safe and socially distanced funeral service Saturday December 5, 2020, at St. Paul’s Cathedral for anyone who would like to attend. Visitation will be from 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., and the service will begin at 1:00 p.m. We will also be holding a celebration of her life in the summer of 2021.



We love you mom. And we’ll be seeing you.





Guestbook and tribute wall may be found by visiting ueckerwitt.com.