Retired City Official Dies

William Fearn Spokane

Memorial service for William Samuel Fearn, 67, is set for 2 p.m. Thursday at Unity Church of Truth. Hazen and Jaeger Valley Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Mr. Fearn, retired city of Spokane community service division manager, died Monday.

He was born in Forsyth, Mont. He was appointed as Spokane’s recreation superintendent in 1960, coming here from The Dalles, Ore. In 1965 he was named city parks and recreation director and became the city park board secretary in 1966. In 1980 he began managing the city’s community service division. He retired in July 1989.

He was instrumental in initiating concerts at Riverfront Park during the Fourth of July celebrations and led sing-a-longs at Cannon Hill Park during Christmastime.

Mr. Fearn had served in the Army.

He was past president of the Washington State Recreation and Park Association, past chairman of the Spokane Neighborhood Centers and was appointed by the governor to the Interagency Committee for Outdoor Recreation of Washington in 1969 and again in 1980. He was a volunteer with Valley Meals on Wheels, acted as a guardian ad litem, and was a member of the Sing For Your Lunch Bunch, in which he sang and played guitar. He was a member of a group of retired city government senior directors and most recently had been a volunteer director for Unity of Coeur d’Alene Church building program.

He is survived by his wife of 12 years, Ruth Barr Fearn; one daughter, Corri Collin of Spokane; two sons, Brian Fearn of Pullman and Joel Fearn of Friendship, Maine; two stepdaughters, Michele Himada of Kennewick and Challis True of Spokane; one stepson, Jeff Resta of Seattle; two brothers, Dale Fearn of Sandpoint and Ed Fearn of Seattle; one sister, Eleanor Halcrow of Champagne, Ill.; and six grandchildren.