Marian "Marty" (Reed) Sperling, 1940 - 2009

REED, SPERLING

Posted By: Connie Swearingen (email)
Date: 7/23/2020 at 22:19:26

Sioux City Journal
17 March 2009

CORRECTIONVILLE, Iowa -- Marian "Marty" (Reed) Sperling, 68, formerly of Correctionville, died March 8, 2009, at St. Francis Hospital in Topeka, Kan.

Her family and friends plan to hold a memorial service for her at the Grand Canyon National Park in May.

Mrs. Sperling was born on Nov. 17, 1940, in Correctionville, Iowa, to Melvin and Esther Reed. She graduated from Central High School in Sioux City, and from Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas, with a B.A. in religion and sociology. At TCU, she met and married John Sperling, a minister in the Disciples of Christ denomination. They were married for 30 years when John died of cancer in 1991.

After spending several years as a social worker, she received her teaching certificate and taught in the Texas schools as a specialist in English as a Second Language. She won many teaching awards throughout her career. She retired from teaching in 2003, when she moved to Wakefield, Kan.

Although she experienced many health problems in the past decade, she never lost her ability to laugh. She was a published author with a passion for writing. Always generous, she wanted to donate her organs when she died. She was able to pass on her liver to a recipient who would not have survived much longer without it.

Survivors include her son, Christopher Sperling of Lansing, Kan.; her daughter, Carrie Sperling of Phoenix, Ariz.; two grandchildren, Meagan Gonzales and CJ Sperling; and three great-grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Humane Society or The Arizona Justice Project, in care of Carrie Sperling, 1808 N. Seventh Ave., Phoenix, AZ. 85007.