Woodward County Obituary
Elmwood Cemetery

© Woodward News
December 30, 2010
Reprinted with permission
Submitted by: Jo Aguirre

EDEN ESTHER SPAETH

17 Feb 2009 - 26 Dec 2010

Woodward, Okla. — Eden Esther Spaeth, 1 year, 10 month, and 9 day old daughter of Justin and TeNeil Spaeth, went to be with her Daddy God on Sunday, December 26, 2010 at Children's Hospital in Oklahoma City. Funeral services will be held at 2:00 p.m. Thursday, December 30, 2010 at the Living Word Fellowship with the Reverends Eric and Shelley Cox officiating. Burial will follow in the Elmwood Cemetery . Arrangements are under the direction of the Billings Funeral Home.

Eden Esther Spaeth was born on February 17, 2009 at 10:27 in the evening at Newman Memorial Hospital in Shattuck, Oklahoma. She was welcomed into the world by her overjoyed family, which included her parents Justin and TeNeil, big sister Eve, and big brother Jude.

Eden Esther's name literally means "paradise star," and she lived up to her name flawlessly. While most would say that it was impossible, Eden somehow managed to be a laid back child, all the while possessing a spark that would light up the room in an instant. From the moment she was born, family, friends and strangers alike declared her one of the most abundantly gorgeous babies in all the land. She had a magnetism about her that few could resist, and everywhere she went people stopped to smile at her. To her mother's delight, she was the epitome of what it means to be an easy baby. Probably because she was too independent to be rocked or snuggled, she began to sleep all night at four-weeks-old, and she happily sat in her carrier as she was dragged to all of her older sister's and brother's activities. Almost every morning for the first year of her life, she went to the gym with her mother. The first seven months of her gym trips were spent quietly in her carrier, and then once she became mobile, she made her way from one of her mother's exercise buddies to the other-giving them a baby hug, hair pull, or pat on the head. Her mother always said that she would either grow up loving to exercise or hating it because the gym was almost her second home. Eden also adored her Mum's café where she flirted with the older men drinking coffee and ate Mum's famous heirloom cookies. She thought she pretty much owned the place, making herself at home among the pots, pans, and cooking utensils. Much like her sister and brother, music was in her bones, and she had a boogie like no other. Give her an upbeat tempo, and her shoulder wiggle became center stage. Over 22 months, people described Eden as beautiful, bubbly, stubborn, precious, independent, and much more. Like any true star, Eden loved being the center of attention at church, stores, restaurants, and family get together's. But no one captured her attention more than her three favorite cousins-Kade, Kole, and Kloey-whom she loved very much.

On August 16, 2010, Eden was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a childhood cancer of the sympathetic nervous system. Over four and a half months, she endured a biopsy, two central port placements, two central lines, a stem cell harvest, five high-dose chemotherapy rounds, numerous blood transfusions, a number of scans and tests, and several days in ICU. Eden remained a little light on the oncology floor of OU Children's Hospital during all of her hospital stays, and nurses fought to take care of her for their twelve hour shifts. Eden was a fighter and was beating her cancer, but on Sunday afternoon, December 26, 2010, she ran into the arms of her Daddy God after losing her battle due to complications from chemotherapy in the OU Children's PICU. Eden was preceded in death by her grandfather Leo Spaeth and her great-grandmother Dorothy Barney.

Those left to remember her little life and the impact she made include her parents Justin and TeNeil Spaeth, her siblings Eve and Jude of Woodward; her paternal grandmother Betty Spaeth (Mema) of Woodward; her maternal grandparents Neil and Rita Barney (Papa and Mum) of Woodward; her maternal great-grandparents Lester and Glenda Haskins of Mooreland ; several aunts and uncles, Calley (Khaki) and Kristi Spaeth of Thomas, Jon and Keisha Cox of Woodward, Senator Bryce and Tatum (Tatie) Marlatt of Woodward, and Trafton (T.T.) Barney of Oklahoma City; five first cousins, Kade, Kole and Kloey Marlatt and Corbin and Peyton Cox; several great aunts and uncles and other relatives; and a large community of friends and prayer warriors whose lives were touched and inspired by her.

The family has requested memorials may be given to the Jayla Alexis Tucker Cancer Foundation, with the funeral home serving as the conservator of these memorials.

Remembrances of Eden may be shared online at www.billingsfuneralhomewoodward.com.