Delphine Nila Spencer

Delphine Nila (Mines) Spencer, age 94, of Culbertson, NE, passed away Saturday, September 14, 2019 at Community Hospital, McCook, NE. She was surrounded by her loving family.

Delphine was born June 11, 1925 at a rural farmhouse in Decatur County, Kansas near Cedar Bluffs to parents Cecil Marion and Rowena Anne (Wilson) Mines. She was the third of 5 children, her brother Billie not surviving birth. Delphine, sister Pat, and her twin brothers grew up in Decatur County attending school on the Beaver Creek and in Oberlin.  She had many stories of how life was during the Great Depression and Dirty Thirties while living on the farm.  Those times were tough and she learned to be a hard worker.  These formative years made her the unique woman many knew and loved. The Mines family enjoyed sports, which made Delphine very competitive and created her love of sports especially the Huskers.  Delphine graduated from Decatur County Community High School in 1943.

After high school, Delphine worked as a teacher. Delphine and former husband Kenneth L. Spencer were wed August of 1944 in McCook, NE where they made their home. They were blessed with five children: Vicky, Kendra, Robert, Tami, and Roderick. They raised cattle, horses and hogs and thoroughly enjoyed living on the farm.  She and her family were always involved in 4-H, from showing livestock to baking and sewing.  Delphine lived a full life as a wonderful mother, homemaker and farmer. She was an unbelievable example of drive, dedication and encouragement.  She took great pride in her family and instilled those strong values in all of them. She loved to crochet and in the recent years she crotched hats for babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for Nebraska Medical Center. She was skilled at baking, especially her famous Angel Food Cake and glazed donuts. She taught her granddaughters to do these too. Delphine felt education was very important and encouraged all of her family to pursue higher education. She also enjoyed spending time in her garden and flowerbeds. There wasn’t anything she couldn’t make in the kitchen or do out on the farm. You could always find Delphine mending jeans, sewing crafts, baking bread, canning fruit and vegetables or perfecting her Potato Roll recipe for her family. She loved riding her motorcycle around the farm and being outdoors. When Delphine was in her mid-70’s, she went back to school, earning her Med Aid and CNA licenses and worked at Hillcrest Nursing home until she retired at age 79.

Delphine was the beloved Mom and Grandma to many-her doors always open and always plenty of food to go around, even if she had been out in the field or pasture all day. This incredible woman even obtained her pilots license in the early 60’s.

Delphine was preceded in death by her parents Cecil and Anne Mines; two brothers, Billie and Kyle Mines; brother-in-law Harold Carswell; sister-in-law, Marylyn Mines; and a great-great grandson, Dreyk Watson.

Those left to celebrate her life include her five children; Robert (Gloriann) Spencer, Roderick (Deborah) Spencer, Vicky (Arlie) Nelson, and Tami Thomas, all of Culbertson, and Kendra (Robb) Watson of Red Cloud, NE; brother Keith Mines of McPherson, KS; sister Patricia Carswell of Osborne, KS; 15 grandchildren, 38 great grandchildren; 1 great-great grandchild; and numerous nieces, nephews and extended family members.

Please join the family in a celebration of Delphine’s life that with be held on October 5, 2019 from 1 - 3PM at Marlene’s Kitchen, 71255 US Highway 83, McCook.

Memorial Contributions, in lieu of flowers, are suggested to the Red Willow County 4-H, 1400 West 5th Street, Suite 2, McCook, NE 69001.