Sally J. Spilinek

Hastings, Nebraska resident Sally Spilinek, 89, passed away peacefully surrounded by her loving family on April 2, 2026, at Edgewood Assisted Living of Hastings.

A memorial service will be at 10 am Friday, April 10, at First United Methodist Church in Hastings, Nebraska, with Pastor Lance Clay officiating. Visitation will be from 1 – 7 pm Thursday, April 9, at Livingston Butler Volland Funeral Home in Hastings, with family present from 5 – 7 pm.

The service will be live-streamed on Livingston Butler Volland Funeral Home’s website. To view the service, go to Sallys’s obituary and click the play button shown towards the bottom of the page. Condolences may be sent to the family at www.lbvfh.com. Livingston Butler Volland Funeral Home & Cremation Center is serving the family.

Sally requested memorials be given to the First United Methodist Church of Hastings and Rosehill Cemetery in Palmer, Nebraska. She was a lifelong member of the Methodist church, attending in Palmer and Hastings.

Sarah Jane Forbes was born in Nance County, Nebraska on October 28, 1936, to Everett and Carrie (Hiett) Forbes. She grew up on the family farm along the Loup River near Palmer, Nebraska. She graduated from Palmer High School where she participated in volleyball, pep club, cheerleading, choir and band.

Sally was united in marriage to Dale Spilinek on January 9, 1954, in McCook, Nebraska. They were blessed with five children, Steve, Scott, Mike, Shelly and Chris. After living and growing their family in towns across Nebraska, they finally settled in Hastings in 1960.

As a homemaker, she was the epicenter of the family, providing constant, loving care, which enabled her children to grow and bloom.

Her career outside the home began with working part time at the Hastings Tribune. From 1974 to 1978, she was manager at Maurices clothing store. Then for 21 years, until her retirement in 1998, she was a medical technician for Geiger – Vondrak Ophthalmology.

Sally and Dale enjoyed traveling the world. They visited 48 states and many countries on several ocean and river cruises. They especially enjoyed attending Husker football games with their season tickets since 1965, rarely missing a game. They also attended many away and bowl games, often with their Husker van filled with friends.

Sally was the ultimate fan of her family, and she said her greatest enjoyment was cheering on her children at every sporting event and school program, no matter where it was. As her family grew, her support continued for her many grandchildren and great-grandchildren from border to border, and she said she loved every minute of it. Her favorite question was, “When is the next baby due?”

Sally celebrated every holiday and filled her home with many decorations, but an even bigger joy was filling it with her family, which eventually grew to nearly 50 loved ones. All these special gatherings overflowed with delicious food, card games, grandchildren and great-grandchildren playing, and lots and lots of laughter. The biggest bang came from her and Dale’s annual Fourth of July celebration in their backyard on Lake Hastings with family and friends.

She especially enjoyed their beautiful view of the lake and the magnificent Nebraska sunsets and storms, with occasional visits from Harry, the blue heron. This view included children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren swimming, boating, waterskiing, fishing and ice skating.

Her family would like to extend their deepest gratitude to the entire staff at Edgewood Assisted Living for their compassionate and loving care for Sally when she needed it most.

Sally was preceded in death by her mother and father, sister June Davis, brother Don Forbes, daughter Shelly, son Steve and grandson Tyson.

She is survived by her husband, Dale of Hastings; sons and their wives: Scott and Cindy of Weeping Water, Mike and Denise of Grand Island, and Chris and Elizabeth of Hastings; twelve grandchildren: Linsday (Jeff), Jeremy (Lisa), Megan (Ryan), Brad (Mel), Geoff (Amanda), Drew (Kathleen), Melanie (Matt), Justin (Jessica), Caitlin (Steven), Mason (Annmarie), Collin (Emma) and Sarah (Isaac); 28 and 1 on the way great-grandchildren; brother, Jim of Palmer; nieces, nephews, cousins and many friends.