Angela Speltz's Story

After family tragedy, mental health advocate working to eliminate stigma

Angela’s husband Tim used to love spending time with their three sons.

Tim and Angela Speltz were a busy family as they raised their three sons in Prior Lake. Tim used to coach the boys in hockey and he loved watching their oldest son perform in theater productions.

“He loved being with his boys,” said Angela.

In January 2022, Angela noticed a change in Tim’s behavior. Then, on January 31, 2022, everything changed.

“He was a perfectionist,” said Angela. “He never wanted to fail at anything.”

In 2022, Angela noticed Tim became increasingly quiet and standoffish. Angela asked him about it, but Tim said he was fine, brushed it off and blamed it on having a bad day. The behavior continued for about three weeks, and then on January 31, 2022, everything changed. The day started out normal, until Angela’s son received a text from his dad saying, “I’m sorry. I love you.” Angela immediately called the police and asked them to look for Tim.

Tim took his life by suicide that day, shocking everyone around him.

“He was the last person I thought would ever do something like this,” Angela said.

“If I would have asked the right question, would things be different?”

This family tragedy has motivated Angela to be a staunch mental health advocate and speak out about suicide awareness. According to Angela, it starts by encouraging people to ask questions if they sense a problem. Overcoming fear is an important step. Angela doesn’t want people to be scared to ask questions when they notice different behavior from their loved ones for fear that they are overstepping a boundary.

“I’d rather overstep and have somebody be mad at me than not and have them take their life,” she said.

Angela is working to help eliminate the stigma.

“If people are having issues, it’s so important for people to talk about it,” Angela said, “but there is still that stigma that if you tell someone you are going to get therapy, something is wrong with you.”

Angela started seeing a therapist herself, and she’s not embarrassed to admit it, “I decided it was time I needed to talk to somebody.”

The more people give, the better the outcome will be.

Angela and her friends and family planned a memorial golf tournament to raise money supporting suicide awareness and youth sports in Winona and Prior Lake. The first tournament was a success, raising $20,000 and the second tournament raised $25,000.

Angela is encouraged that Ridgeview is committed to creating a robust mental health program that will provide enhanced access to comprehensive mental health and addiction care.

“There’s not a lot of mental health funding out there,” she said. “There’s a reason Ridgeview is doing this. The more people give, the better the outcome will be.”

Make an Online Donation Here

Learn more about Ridgeview’s mental health service line and donate today to make a difference to many in our community.