Obituaries
Frank Roullier Spokane
Service for Frank W. Roullier, 74, is planned for 2 p.m. today at Sunset Mausoleum at Fairmount Memorial Park. Burial will be at Fairmount Memorial Park. Riplinger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Roullier, who died Monday, was born in St. Ignatius, Mont.
He lived in Spokane for 50 years and worked as a custodian for the YMCA and other businesses.
His wife, Joyce Roullier, died in 1986.
He is survived by one daughter, Avon Rowley of Colbert; three sisters, Vi Matt, and June and Pearl Ashley, all of Pablo, Mont.; two brothers, Albert and Henry Roullier both of Spokane; two granddaughters and four great-grandchildren.
John Ahrens Spokane
Service for John Ahrens, 87, is set for 1:30 p.m. today at Holy Cross Lutheran Church. Burial will be at Fairmount Memorial Park. Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Ahrens, who died Monday, was born in Germany and immigrated to Newport, R.I., when he was 17.
He lived in Denver and in California, where he met his wife, Lillian Steinmeyer. They were married in Spokane in 1938.
In Spokane he worked for Peters Greenhouse and then for Kaiser Aluminum for 27 years. He retired in 1971.
He was a charter member of Holy Cross Lutheran Church and was a member of the Teamster Steelworkers Local No. 329.
Mr. Ahrens is survived by his wife of 57 years; three sons, John and Bob Ahrens, both of Spokane, and Paul Ahrens of Seattle; 11 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to Holy Cross Lutheran Church Building Fund.
Todd Bockman Post Falls
Service for Todd Edward Bockman, 33, will be held Friday at 2 p.m. at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Post Falls. Burial will follow at Coeur d’Alene Memorial Gardens in Coeur d’Alene. English Funeral Chapel of Post Falls is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Bockman, who was born in Moscow, Idaho, died Monday.
He grew up and was educated in Post Falls, attending North Idaho College after graduation. He later served on a mission for his church and then moved to Utah.
He moved to Spokane in 1992 and recently returned to Post Falls. He was a mortgage accountant for Adept Escrow in Spokane.
Mr. Bockman loved to read and cook. He was a member of the Spokane AIDS Network.
Survivors include his father, Robert Bockman of Post Falls; one sister, Betti Swan of Post Falls; one nephew and two nieces.
Edna Green Spokane
Service for Edna R. Green, 78, will be at 1 p.m. Saturday at Gethsemane Lutheran Church. The Cremation Society of Washington is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Green, born in Endicott, Wash., died Monday.
She graduated from Endicott High School in 1936. She worked for the telephone company as a service representative in Colfax.
In 1949 she married Les Green. They lived in Colfax, Wash., until 1972 when they moved to Spokane.
She transferred to the telephone company in Spokane and retired in 1978 after 34 years.
Survivors include her husband; three sisters, Emma Baldwin of Steptoe, Wash., Clara Wietz of Colfax and Marie Schierman of Moscow, Idaho; two brothers, Larry Schierman of Moscow and Floyd Schierman of Walla Walla.
Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Spokane.
Rita Gram Spokane
No service will be held for Rita Gram, 85, at her request. Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Gram, who died Friday, was born in Wynona, Mo.
She worked as a manicurist in San Francisco and Palm Springs, Calif., for several years. She moved to Spokane in 1975.
Survivors include one niece, Darlene “Dee” Hausrath of Spokane.
Mercieta Betts Walla Walla
Memorial service for Mercieta (Liftchild) Betts, 107, will be at 2:30 p.m. Friday at Herring Funeral Home in Walla Walla. Local memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday at All Saints Chapel of St. John’s Cathedral. Private burial will be at Fairmount Memorial Park.
Mrs. Betts, who died Monday, moved to Walla Walla six years ago.
She was born in Oakland, Calif., and moved to Spokane with her family when she was very young.
She graduated from South Central High School.
In 1913 she married Raymond Betts in Spokane. He died in 1937, and she managed the family business, Betts Oil, in Spokane.
She was chosen as Pioneer Woman of the Year in 1985 by the Eastern Washington State Historical Society. She participated in Bloomsday twice when she was more than 100 years old.
She is survived by one daughter, Catherine Betts Williams of Walla Walla; one son, Raymond Betts of Spokane; six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to St. John’s Cathedral in Spokane.
Virginia Zellweger Spokane
Service for Virginia Zellweger, 66, will be at 10 a.m. Friday at Riverside Mausoleum Chapel at Riverside Memorial Park. Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Zellweger, who died Wednesday, was born in Newport, Wash.
She had lived in Spokane for 35 years and was a homemaker.
She is survived by one son, Rick Lystad; one daughter, Tammy Colborn; two sisters, Margaret Latham and Barbara Hart; one brother, Verne Lincoln; and four grandchildren.
Donald Phillabaum Spokane
Memorial service for Donald Earl Phillabaum, 83, will be at 9:30 a.m. Friday at Gonzaga University’s Jesuit Chapel. Ball and Dodd Funeral Home-North is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Phillabaum, who was born in Spokane, died Dec. 8 in Phoenix, where he and his wife spent winter months.
He lived in Spokane and Troy, Mont., as a child. In Troy, he delivered The Spokesman-Review and in 1925 received a new bicycle from the newspaper for increased subscriptions on his route.
Mr. Phillabaum graduated from North Central High School and from Cheney Normal School. He began teaching in Vancouver, Wash., and married Ralda Day there in 1938.
During World War II, he served in the Army. He returned to Spokane and taught at Willard grade school during the 1940s.
In 1949 he went to work for the state Division of Vocational Rehabilitation and moved to Longview, Wash. He and his family moved to Missouri, where he received a master’s degree. They returned to Longview and moved to Spokane in 1959. He continued to work for the state.
He was a co-founder of Supervised Occupational Enterprises, a private entity which employed mentally retarded workers. He retired from his state job in 1973.
He married Dorothy Congdon in 1972.
He was a member of the Spokane Rotary Club 21, Gentleman on Horseback and the Tuesday Speakers Club of Spokane.
Survivors include his wife; one son, Steve Phillabaum of Spokane; and four grandchildren.
Leonard ‘Buck’ Cates Spokane
Service for Leonard B. “Buck” Cates, 74, will be at 1:30 p.m. Friday at Ball and Dodd Funeral Home-North. Burial will be at Fairmount Memorial Park.
Mr. Cates, who died Sunday at home, was born in Fairfield, Ill.
During World War II he served in the Army.
He lived in Kettle Falls until 1951 and then moved to Spokane, where he lived for 20 years. He had lived in Clayton, Wash., for two years.
He had worked as a surgical technician at the Veteran’s Affairs Medical Center and retired in 1971.
He was a member of Veterans of Foreign Wars.
His wife, Thelma Cates, died in 1985.
Mr. Cates is survived by two sons, Eddie Cates of Mead and John Moore of Kettle Falls, Wash.; three grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Eugene Cox Deer Park
Memorial service for Eugene N. Cox, 79, will be at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at the Kingdom Hall in Deer Park. Burial will follow at Woodland Cemetery in Deer Park. Lauer Funeral Home in Deer Park is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Cox, who died Dec. 8, was born in Nez Perce, Idaho, and moved to the Clayton, Wash., area as a boy. He graduated from Clayton High School in 1934.
In 1939, he married Evelyn King.
Mr. Cox worked at Washington Brick and Lime Brickyard in Clayton for many years, and then worked for Kaiser Aluminum in Mead for 24 years. He retired in 1978.
He was a member of Jehovah’s Witnesses and attended the Sunset Congregation in Deer Park.
Survivors include his wife, Evelyn; one daughter, Verna Forney of Deer Park; one sister, Christine Brown of Spokane; four grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society or Hospice of Spokane.
Lucille Portis Spokane
No service will be held for Lucille W. Portis, at her request. Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home is in charge of cremation.
Mrs. Portis, 83, died Monday.
She was born in Webb City, Mo., and had lived in Spokane for 13 years.
She was a homemaker.
She was a former 20-year California resident and had worked as a secretary for an insurance company there.
Mrs. Portis was a member of the Elks Club and Moose Lodge.
Her husband, Lee Portis, preceded her in death.
She is survived by one son, Donald Johnson of Spokane; and one grandson.
Virginia Bagley Spokane
No service will be held for Virginia A. Bagley, at her request. HennesseySmith Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Bagley, 84, died Sunday.
She was a lifetime Spokane resident and graduated from Lewis and Clark High School.
She was a homemaker.
In 1933, she married Aaron Bagley in Spokane. He died in 1979.
Survivors include one daughter Carole Asher of Spokane; one son Curtis Bagley of Spokane; one brother, Richard Lattimore of Spokane; three grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Glenn Gossman Spokane
No service will be held for V. Glenn Gossman,76, at his request. Hazen and Jaeger Valley Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Gossman, who died Saturday at home, was born in Roundup, Mont.
He married Elaine Huntley in 1943 while he was stationed at Attaberry Army Air Base in Columbus, Ind.
He worked for Texaco Inc. until he retired in 1979 and they moved to Spokane.
He is survived by his wife; one daughter, Glenda Kozeliski of Spokane; three sisters, Ivy Eliasson of Sheperd, Mont., and Irma Griffith and Unice Dodd, both of Roundup; and one granddaughter.
Memorial contributions ay be made to Shriner’s Hospital for Crippled Children.
Wilma Splichal Spokane
Service for Wilma E. Splichal, 96, was Tuesday at Holy Rosary Catholic Church. Burial was at International Order of Odd Fellows Evergreen Cemetery in Rosalia, Wash.
Mrs. Splichal, who died Dec. 13, was born in Alma, Wis.
She was a homemaker, and was a member of the Catholic church and a charter member of Plaza Grange.
She is survived by two sons, Francis Splichal of Spokane and Ralph Splichal of Plaza, Wash.; one daughter, Anita Grenny of Spokane; six grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to Rosalia Ambulance Fund.
Mark Murphy Spokane
Service for Mark A. Murphy, 36, was Wednesday at Ball and Dodd Funeral Home-South. Burial will be today in Stevensville, Mont.
Mr. Murphy, who was born in Great Falls, Mont, died Dec. 7.
He worked for Century 21 in mobile home sales, and for Mobile Corral in Spokane. He had also worked for Lamplighter Homes In Moses Lake. He served in the Army and had lived in Spokane for 18 years. He was a scout master.
He is survived by his two stepchildren, Larry and Robert Redd, and their mother, Teresa Redd, all of Spokane; his mother, Betty Davis of Spokane; two sisters, Micheale Wigen of Great Falls and Colleen MurphyColbert of Helena; four stepbrothers, Jon Davis of Kansas City, Mo., Billy Connelly of Spokane, and Matt and Aaron Davis, both of Seattle; his grandparents, Lavina Farmer of Stevensville, Jack and Elsie Murphy, and Edythe Troeltzsch, all of Great Falls.
Bill Williams Coeur d’Alene
Memorial service for William “Bill” Williams, 59, will be at 1 p.m. Saturday at Ball and Dodd Funeral HomeSouth.
Born in Monroe, N.C., Mr. Williams died Dec. 7.
He retired from the Air Force in 1974 after serving 20 years. He had worked for Pinkerton Security in Spokane for 15 years.
He was a member of Moose Lodge No. 161.
Mr. Williams is survived by his wife of 34 years, Erma Williams; one daughter, Deborah Wachendorf, and one son, Randall Williams, both of Neah Bay, Wash.; his mother, Annie Wright of Charlotte, N.C.; three brothers, James and David Williams, both of Charlotte, and Bobby Williams of Indian Trail, N.C.; one sister, Margie Young of Cartersville, Ga.; two grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of North Idaho, 280 W. Prairie Ave., Coeur d’Alene, ID 83835.
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