Obituaries
Ernest Lauritzen Spokane
Memorial service for Ernest Paul Lauritzen, 90, will be at 1 p.m. Friday at Spokane Valley Church of the Nazarene. Heritage Funeral Home is in charge of cremation.
Mr. Lauritzen, who died Sunday, was born in Tekoa, Wash.
He had worked in ticket sales at the Spokane Coliseum.
He is survived by his wife of 28 years, Hazel; one son, Jim Lauritzen of Happy Camp, Calif.; one daughter, Darlene Griffith of Washington; three stepsons, Tom Johnson and Larry Hood, both of Spokane, and Richard Johnson of Scottsdale, Ariz.; one brother, Elwood Lauritzen of Seattle; three granddaughters, several great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.
George Heimsjo Spokane
Memorial service for J. George Heimsjo, 81, is planned for 1 p.m. Friday at Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home.
Mr. Heimsjo, who died Saturday, was born in Duluth, Minn.
He moved to Spokane in 1967 and worked for Northern Pacific Railway. He retired in 1975 as division superintendent for Burlington Northern Railroad.
Mr. Heimsjo is survived by his wife, Faye; two daughters, Susan Stannard of Spokane and Nancy Gillespie of Renton, Wash.; four grandchildren and one great-grandson.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Inland Northwest Chapter of the American Red Cross.
Roy Emtman Spokane
Service for Roy G. Emtman, 94, will be at 1 p.m. Thursday at Emmanuel Lutheran Church. Burial will be at Spokane Memorial Gardens. Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Emtman, who died Saturday, was born in Sharon, Wash.
He was a wheat farmer in the Spokane area and was a member of Emmanuel Lutheran Church.
He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Katie Emtman; two daughters, Elizabeth Carlson of Ames, Iowa, and Shirley Keller of Rolling Hills Estates, Calif.; two sons, Robert Emtman of Spokane and Roy Emtman Jr. of Valleyford; one sister Elsie Brischle of Spokane; 10 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
Katherine Moore Spokane
Memorial graveside service for Katherine Elizabeth (Thomason) Moore, 76, is planned for 1 p.m. today at Greenwood Memorial Terrace. Heritage Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Moore, who died Friday, was born in Roanoke Rapids, N.C.
She had lived in Spokane since 1958 and taught in Spokane School District 81 for several years, until 1984.
Her husband, Willis Moore, died in 1986.
She is survived by one son, Robert Guthrie of Casper, Wyo.; one daughter, Lisa Flynn of Spokane; and five grandchildren.
Raymond Hill Spokane
Visitation for Raymond A. Hill, 83, is scheduled from 9 to 11 a.m. today at Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home. Service will follow at 1 p.m. at Holy Cross Lutheran Church. Burial will be at Greenwood Memorial Terrace.
Born in San Luis Obispo, Calif., Mr. Hill died Sunday.
He was a 42-year Spokane resident and worked as a house painter. He was a member of Holy Cross Lutheran Church.
Survivors include his wife, Martha Hill; one son, Dale Hill of Port Orchard, Wash.; two daughters, Shirley Flambouras and Marlene Wiedman, both of Spokane; one brother, Al Hill of Santa Rosa, Calif.; 12 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Cynthia Young Espanola, Wash.
Memorial service for Cynthia M. Young, 41, will be at 4 p.m. today at Ball and Dodd Funeral Home-South.
Mrs. Young, who died Saturday, was born in Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
She was a 16-year Spokane resident and was a homemaker.
She is survived by her husband, Joseph Young of Medical Lake; two daughters, Tonya Mitchell and Farren Young, both of Spokane; three sons, Joseph, George and Harlen Young, all of Spokane; and three brothers, Don Harmon of Airway Heights, Joel Harmon of Anchorage, Alaska, and Jay Harmon of Washington state.
John ‘Jack’ Baker Coeur d’Alene
Memorial service for John Frank “Jack” Baker, 80, will be Thursday at 1 p.m. at the First Christian Church in Coeur d’Alene. Coeur d’Alene Memorial Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Baker, who was born in Manitoba, Canada, died Thursday.
He served as a chief petty officer, radio telegraphist in the Royal Canadian Navy during World War II. He moved to Southern California after the war.
He moved to Louisiana in 1968 and in 1969 settled in Dalton Gardens, Idaho. He received his education at Daniel McIntyre Collegiate and specialized in engineering with the John Wood Co. in Winnepeg. He worked as personnel manager of the Clare Pendar Co. in Post Falls before retiring in 1979.
He was a member of the Kootenai Amateur Radio Society, the Royal Naval Amateur Radio Society, ARRL and the White Ensign Radio Club.
Mr. Baker was preceded in death by his wife of 54 years, Emma.
Survivors include one son, James Baker of Texas; one daughter, Peggy Heard of California; and five grandchildren.
Memorials may be made to the American Heart Association.
Ruby Fry Spokane
Service for Ruby L. Fry, 80, will be at 11 a.m today at Ball and Dodd Funeral Home-South with burial at Greenwood Memorial Terrace.
Mrs. Fry, who died Friday, was born in Mansfield, Wash.
She had lived in Spokane for 61 years and was a homemaker. She had previously worked as a practical nurse in Okanogan.
She was a member of the Moose Lodge and Redeemer Lutheran Church.
Her first husband, Omer Brown, died in 1968.
Survivors include her husband of 26 years, Iry Fry; two sons, David and Danny Brown, both of Spokane; 13 grandchildren and 24 great-grandchildren.
Helen Vetter Moyie Springs, Idaho
Service for Helen Carol Vetter, 75, will be Thursday at 11 a.m. at the Bonners Ferry (Idaho) Funeral Home. Private interment will follow at the Grandview Cemetery in Bonners Ferry.
Mrs. Vetter, who was born in North Dakota, died Friday.
She attended schools in North Dakota and later worked on the family farm. She moved to Tacoma during World War II, before living in Bonners Ferry, Sandpoint and Grangeville, Idaho.
Mrs. Vetter returned to Bonners Ferry in the 1950s and lived in the Curly Creek area. She moved to Moyie Springs in the early 1960s and operated the Moyie Cafe for several years.
She also worked as a janitor for the Moyie River Lumber Co. and later cooked for Bonners Ferry High School before retiring in the early 1970s.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Maynard.
Survivors include a daughter, Carol Mesenbrink of Moyie Springs; two sons, Eugene Vetter of California and Leslie Vetter of Moyie Springs; one sister, Clara Raulston of Texas; 11 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
Blanche Bowler Spokane
Memorial service for Blanche B. Bowler, 99, is planned for 1 p.m. today at Glad Tidings Assembly of God Church. Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.
Mrs. Bowler, who died Sunday, was born in Silverstone, N.C.
She married Maurice Bowler in 1919. He died in 1972.
She was a homemaker and a 55-year Spokane resident.
Survivors include two daughters, Bette Rentel of Spokane and Beverly Wagner of Eugene, Ore.; three grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to Shriner’s Hospital for Crippled Children.
Axel Taro Mullan, Idaho
Service for Axel Arne Taro, 83, will be held Friday at 11 a.m. at the Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Mullan. Burial will follow at Mountain View Cemetery in Mullan. Shoshone Funeral Service is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Taro, who was born in Michigan, died Sunday.
In 1963 he moved to the Silver Valley from Michigan and worked as a miner for Hecla’s Star Mine for 14 years, retiring in 1977.
He was a member of the Mullan Mixed Bowling League for 33 years.
Mr. Taro was preceded in death by his wife, Lempi, in 1993.
Survivors include a son, Dean Taro of Mullan; two daughters, Marlene Toivonen of Colorado and Sana Giachino of Mullan; two sisters, Anna Brumbill and Linda Kempainen, both of Michigan; 10 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Memorials may be made to the Mullan Volunteer Fire Department.
Florence Ellis Spokane
Visitation for Florence Marie Ellis, 96, is scheduled from 8 to 11 a.m. today at Riplinger Funeral Home. Graveside service will follow at noon at Fairmount Memorial Park. Memorial service is planned for 11 a.m. Friday at Fowler United Methodist Church.
Mrs. Ellis, who was born in Davenport, Wash., died Sunday.
She graduated from Cheney High School and Cheney Normal School and taught elementary school in Elk and Spokane. She lived in Spokane for 81 years.
She was a member of Fowler United Methodist Church and worked on the local election board for many years.
Her husband of 59 years, Roy Ellis, preceded her in death.
Mrs. Ellis is survived by two daughters, Suzanne Barton and Jeanne Canwell, both of Spokane; eight grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren and one great-great-granddaughter.
Memorial contributions may be made to Fowler United Methodist Church.
, DataTimes