Obituaries

Mildred Willms Spokane

Service for Mildred Ruth (Cramer) Willms, 86, will be at 11 a.m. today at the Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home. Burial will be at the Riverside Memorial Park.

Mrs. Willms, who was born in Kettle Falls, Wash., died Tuesday.

She graduated from Cheney High School, Cheney Normal School and later from Eastern Washington State College.

Mrs. Willms taught school in several rural Washington communities until she married Dick Willms in 1940.

She helped her husband on their farms in Espanola, Wash., and Deer Park and also worked as a substitute teacher. She later taught fourth grade in Deer Park.

Mrs. Willms was a Grange member and a member of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Medical Lake.

She and her husband spent winters in Apache Junction, Ariz., until her husband died in 1987.

Survivors include a daughter, Arlene Allen of Medical Lake; a son, Raymond Willms of Seattle; a sister, Elsie Cogswell of Espanola; a brother, Bob Cramer of Nebraska; and two grandchildren.

Robert Stevick Sr. Spokane

Graveside service for Robert Daniel Stevick Sr., 82, will be at 11 a.m. today at the Fairmount Memorial Park. Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Valley Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Born in Colfax, Mr. Stevick died Wednesday.

He worked on his father’s wheat ranch until World War II and then worked as a civilian at Galena Repair Depot as a B-17 mechanic.

He later worked in the construction industry.

Mr. Stevick was a member of Pines Baptist Church.

In 1936 he married Hazel Sorrell. She died in 1984.

Mr. Stevick is survived by a son, Robert Stevick Jr. of Spokane; a daughter, Patsye Watts of Tumwater, Wash.; a brother, Richard Stevick, and a sister, Erma Stoddard, both of Spokane; two stepsisters, a stepbrother and four grandchildren.

Joseph Lawson Spokane

Service for Joseph R. “Joe” Larson, will be held at 10 a.m. Tuesday at the Sunset Chapel at Fairmount Memorial Park. Heritage Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Mr. Lawson, 41, died Tuesday.

He was a lifetime Spokane resident and attended North Central High School.

Mr. Lawson served in the Marine Corps from 1973 to 1975. He was a laborer in various warehouses.

He is survived by his wife, Sharon; a son, Jesse, at home; his father, Frank Lawson of Spokane; four brothers, Jim and Frank Lawson, both of Bremerton, Doug Lawson of Salem, Ore., and John Lawson of Spokane; and two sisters, Pam Comparin of Tinley Park, Ill., and Kathy Lawson of Spokane.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Vanessa Behan Crisis Nursery.

Alice Kivett Ford, Wash.

Funeral Mass for Alice Kivett, 89, will be at 10 a.m. today at the Spokane Tribal Longhouse in Wellpinit, Wash. Burial will be at Hubert Cemetery in Ford. Ball and Dodd Funeral HomeSouth is in charge of arrangements.

Mrs. Kivett, a lifetime resident of the Spokane Indian Reservation, died Wednesday.

She was a member of the Spokane Tribe of Indians and St. Philip Benizi Parish.

Mrs. Kivett is survived by a daughter, Mary Vivit, and two sons, Robert and James Kivett, all of Ford; a sister, Marian Moses of Ford; eight grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

John Burke Spokane

Memorial service for John A. Burke, 57, is set for 7 p.m. Monday at Dishman First Baptist Church. Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Mr. Burke, a 39-year Spokane resident, died Tuesday.

He was born in Rensford, W.Va.

He worked as a plumber.

Survivors include his wife, Lavonne Burke; a son, Edward Burke of Durango, Colo.; two daughters, Jodi Fitts and Donna Stitt, both of Spokane; a brother, James Burke of Charleston, W.Va.; and a sister, Golda Carter of Floral City, Fla.

Memorial contributions may be made to Dishman First Baptist Church.

Richard Brown Spokane

Memorial service for Richard A. “Rick” Brown, 32, will be at 1 p.m. Sunday at Hazen and Jaeger Valley Funeral Home. There will be private inurnment.

Mr. Brown died Tuesday.

He was born in Spokane and graduated from University High School.

Mr. Brown had worked in the food industry and most recently was employed as a concrete worker in the construction industry.

He is survived by a son, Steven, and a daughter, Amanda, both of Spokane; his companion, Stephanie Stein of Spokane; his parents, Jeffrey and Dorothy Brown of Spokane; two sisters, Rae Lynn Westby and Debra Noble, both of Spokane; the mother of his children, Sandy Brown of Spokane; and his grandfather, Edward Abrams, and his grandmother, Sue Brown, both of Spokane.

David Brown Spokane

Memorial service for David R. Brown, a lifetime Spokane resident, will be at 1 p.m. Tuesday at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church. The Cremation Society of Washington is in charge of arrangements.

Mr. Brown, 49, died Tuesday.

He was a Lewis and Clark High School graduate and served in the Army during the Vietnam War.

He had worked for the Postal Service since 1970.

Survivors include his wife of 14 years, Darlene; three daughters, Shannon Brown, Patricia Brown and Holly Green, all of Spokane; three sons, Shawn Brown of Moses Lake, and Joseph and Daniel Green, both of Spokane; his father, Leonard Brown of Spokane; two sisters, Shelley Runolfson and Marci Haynes, both of Spokane; and two grandchildren.

Ruth Stahly Spokane

Visitation for Ruth P. Stahly, 82, is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. today and Sunday at Thornhill Valley Funeral Home. Graveside service will be at 1 p.m. Monday at Spokane Memorial Gardens.

Mrs. Stahly, who was born in Anthony, Kan., died Wednesday.

She was a homemaker and a member of the Spokane Valley United Methodist Church and had lived in Spokane for 53 years.

Her husband, Roland Stahly, died in 1991.

Mrs. Stahly is survived by a daughter, Alice Faulkes of Spokane; a brother, Ralph Askins of Redwood City, Calif.; and two grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Spokane Valley United Methodist Church.

Lucille Hill Spokane

Visitation for Lucille Viola (Payne) Hill, 62, is scheduled from 2 to 6 p.m. Sunday at Ball and Dodd Funeral Home-North. Service will be at 11 a.m. Monday at the funeral home. Burial will be at the Fairmount Memorial Park.

Mrs. Hill, who was born in Missoula, died Tuesday.

She and her husband, Warren Hill, came to Spokane in 1951.

She was a homemaker and a member of the River Ridge Art Association and the Realistic Art Club.

Mrs. Hill is survived by her husband of 45 years, Warren; two daughters, Linda Peterson of Spokane and Teresa Grimm of Poulsbo, Wash.; a son, Richard Hill of Vancouver, Wash.; a brother, Virgil Payne of Cheyenne, Wyo.; a sister, Darlene Baker of Loveland, Colo.; and seven grandchildren.

Norris Barber Spokane

Memorial service for Norris C. Barber, 61, was Wednesday at Gretna Green Chapel. The Cremation Society of Washington was in charge of cremation.

Mr. Barber, who died Saturday, was born in Billings, Mont.

He graduated from Washington State University and received a master’s degree in special education from New York University.

He and his wife, Betty, returned to Spokane 32 years ago from New York.

Mr. Barber taught elementary special education for School District 81. He also served as director of special services for the Mead School District and later taught at Mead until he retired in 1989.

He was named Senior Volunteer in 1996 for the Spokane area. He was a volunteer for the Mead School District, Sacred Heart Medical Center, Shrine’s Hospital for Children and the Ronald McDonald House.

Mr. Barber is survived by his wife of 32 years, Betty; a daughter, Kirsten Lenz of Naches, Wash.; a son, Eric Barber of Coeur d’Alene; and a brother, Robert Barber of Sterling, Ill.

Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Spokane or the Vanessa Behan Crisis Nursery.

, DataTimes