Obituaries

Dee McKern Rice, Wash.

Memorial service for Dee L. McKern, 91, will be at 11 a.m. Friday at Fort Colville Grange Hall.

Mr. McKern, who died Feb. 13, was born in Rice.

He graduated from Colville High School, and in 1939 he married Ina Reeder.

Mr. McKern farmed for most of his life on the farm in Rice where he was born. He also served as a public utility district director, a federal crop adjuster and a Grange insurance agent and adjuster. He received the Washington State Grange Leadership Award in 1990.

Mr. McKern was a member of the Quillisascut Grange, Stevens County Historical Society, Kettle Falls Historical Society, the Washington State Grange, the National Grange, the Cattlemen’s Association and Stevens County Pomona Grange.

Survivors include his wife; three sons, Dan Reeder of Clarksville, Tenn., Dee McKern of Rice and Dennis McKern of Boyds, Wash.; a daughter, Diane Showalter of Cheney; 10 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Quillisascut Grange Memorial Fund.

Marion Crow Spokane

Graveside service for G. Marion Crow, 87, will be at 1 p.m. today at Greenwood Memorial Terrace. Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Born in Wilbur, Wash., Mrs. Crow died Saturday.

She lived in Spokane for 44 years and worked as a seamstress out of her home.

She was a member of the St. Maries Eagles Ladies Auxiliary and was a bowler.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Warren Crow.

She is survived by three daughters, Lorraine Snyder and Joyce Brandvold, both of Spokane, and Joan Drennon of Helena; two sisters, Bernice York and Virginia Ruben, both of Spokane; seven grandchildren, 11 great-grandchildren and four great-great-grandsons.

Adeline Reames Spokane

Memorial service for Adeline A. Reames, 70, is planned for 2:30 p.m. today at Whitworth Community Presbyterian Church. Riplinger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Born in Yakima, Mrs. Reames died Sunday.

She had lived in Spokane for 53 years. She graduated from Whitworth College and Eastern Washington University and taught for School District 81 for 26 years.

She is survived by her husband, Howard Reames; a son, James Reames of Spokane; two sisters, Alice Collins of Seattle and Isabella Tesdall of Arkansas; and a brother, Alen McNeely of Gleed, Wash.

George Cook Spokane

Graveside service for George Samuel Cook, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, is planned for 1 p.m. today at Riverside Memorial Park. Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Mr. Cook, who died Monday, was 82.

He was born in New Jersey.

He entered Army Air Corps pilot training in 1939 and spent 21 years in the military. He served as a B-29 pilot in the Asiatic/Pacific Theater during World War II and was awarded the Air Medal, the Air Force Commendation Medal and the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award. He retired from the military in 1960 while serving as vice base commander at Fairchild Air Force Base.

Following his military career he worked in the aerospace industry for 17 years and then returned to Spokane.

Mr. Cook was a member of the Retired Officers Association, the Air Force Aid Society, the National Association for Uniformed Services, the American Association of Retired Persons, and Eagles Lodge No. 2 and was a charter member of the Air Force Academy Athletic Association.

He is survived by his wife, Doris (Wilcox) Cook; two daughters, Gail Lafontaine of Edwall, Wash., and Sandra Ray of Hackleburg, Ala.; two stepdaughters, Betty Milam of Casper, Wyo., and Beverly McIntosh of Spokane; 14 grandchildren and 21 great-grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Spokane.

Margaret Holmes Spokane

Visitation for Margaret Holmes, 80, is scheduled from noon to 9 p.m. today at Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home. Service will be at 10 a.m. Friday at the funeral home with burial at Greenwood Memorial Terrace.

Mrs. Holmes, who was born in Green Bluff, died Monday.

She graduated from Mead High School and worked on the family homestead until she married Wayne Holmes.

They moved into Spokane in the mid-1960s, and Mrs. Holmes worked as a clerk at Kehoe Hardware in Hillyard for about 20 years.

She and her husband were also antique dealers, and Mrs. Holmes refinished pieces and specialized in Depression glass. They participated in many antique shows on the West Coast and in Alaska and Montana. She was also a member of Eagles Lodge No. 2.

Her husband of 60 years, Wayne Holmes, died last year.

She is survived by two sons, Floyd Holmes of Spokane and Howard Holmes of Lewiston; a daughter, Doris Miller of Spokane; three sisters, Katherine Ness, Irene Lund and Evelyn McGinnis, and a brother, Melvin Walker, all of Spokane; four grandchildren, two stepgrandsons and three great-grandsons.

Memorial contributions may be made to Holy Family ICU/Holy Family Foundation.

Eugene McKenna Spokane

Vigil Service for Eugene McKenna, 60, will be at 7 p.m. today at at Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home. Funeral Mass will be at 10 a.m. Friday at St. Aloysius Catholic Church.

Mr. McKenna, who was born in Spokane, died Tuesday.

He graduated from Gonzaga Preparatory School and was a member of St. Aloysius Parish.

He worked for the city of Spokane Water Department for 38 years.

Mr. McKenna is survived by his wife, Natalie McKenna; two sons, Chris and Steve McKenna, both of Spokane; his mother, Mary McKenna of Spokane and two brothers, Jack and Bill McKenna, both of Spokane.

Memorial contributions may be made to Gonzaga Preparatory School or the Deaf Catholic Community in care of Kathleen Turcotte, 427 E. Baldwin, Spokane, WA 99207.

Norma ‘Grandma Gum’ Collingwood Spokane

Visitation for Norma A. “Grandma Gum” Collingwood, 68, is scheduled from noon to 9 p.m. today at Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home. Service is planned for 2 p.m. Friday at the funeral home. Burial will be at Riverside Memorial Park.

Born in Creston, Iowa, Mrs. Collingwood died Monday.

She was a 39-year Spokane resident and was a member of Crossroads Baptist Church.

She had been active with the general committee of the Christian Workers Conference for 20 years and was also active with Golden Heirs.

She is survived by her husband of 44 years, Bob Collingwood; a daughter, Esther Collingwood of Spokane; a son, Stephan Collingwood of Indiana; one sister and four brothers, five grandchildren and a great-granddaughter.

Memorial contributions may be made to Crossroads Baptist Church.

Ruth Fifield Spokane

Memorial service for Ruth M. Fifield, 74, is set for 11 a.m. Saturday at Sunset Chapel at Fairmount Memorial Park. Heritage Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Mrs. Fifield, who died Tuesday, was born in Wenatchee.

She was a homemaker and had lived in Spokane for 50 years.

Survivors include six daughters, Barbara Engee and Patricia Grigajtis, both of Spokane, Judy Holmberg of Milton, Wash., Linda Briscoe of Twin Falls, Idaho, Sandra Schmitz of Oregon City, Ore., and Mary Wells of Tacoma; 12 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Spokane.

Lyle Crocker Spokane

Service and burial for Lyle M. Crocker, 66, was Tuesday at Riverside Mausoleum Chapel.

Mr. Crocker, who died Saturday, was a lifetime Spokane resident and worked at Kaiser Aluminum’s Mead plant for 37 years. He retired in 1989.

Mr. Crocker served in the Army from 1947 to 1948.

He is survived by his wife of 43 years, Beverley (Lemmons) Crocker; two daughters, Barbara Smith and Debra Welsford, both of Spokane; and three grandchildren.

Ivah Lantis Gresham, Ore.

Service for Ivah Martha Lantis, 83, is set for 12:30 p.m. today at Ball and Dodd Funeral Home-South. Burial will be at Greenwood Memorial Terrace.

Born in Kettle Falls, Wash., Mrs. Lantis died Saturday in Gresham, where she had lived for about a year.

She came to Spokane from Kettle Falls in the early 1940s and worked at Newberry’s. She and her husband, Melvin, also managed apartments here in the 1960s and ‘70s.

Her husband, Melvin “Slats” Lantis, died in 1981.

Mrs. Lantis is survived by two daughters, Esther Peterson of Wheaton, Ill., and Susan Swanton of Gresham; a stepdaughter, Eva Keck of Vancouver, Wash.; six grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Spokane.

Clyde Rice Spokane

Vigil service for Clyde E. Rice, 69, will be at 7 p.m. Friday at HennesseySmith Funeral Home. Funeral Mass is planned for 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Mary Queen Catholic Church. Burial will follow at Greenwood Memorial Terrace.

Mr. Rice, who died Sunday, was born in Roundup, Mont., and had lived in Spokane for more than 40 years.

He was a retired sheet metal worker.

He served in the Air Force during the Korean War and was a member of the Eagles, Elks and Moose lodges.

Mr. Rice is survived by his wife of 47 years, Joalys; a daughter, Becky Madden of Spokane; two brothers, Herbert Rice of Columbus, Ga., and Harold Rice of Stevensville, Mont.; six sisters, Lillian Wallace of Columbia Falls, Mont., Helen Chercsan of Vancouver, Wash., Juanita Langley of Lewiston, Myrtle Koepke and Freida Hamblin, both of Littleton, Colo., and Vivian Day of Clarkston, Wash.; and two granddaughters.

Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Spokane or the Mary Queen Parish Memorial Fund.

Murdith ‘Suzanne’ Cann Spirit Lake

Memorial service for Murdith “Suzanne” Cann, 70, will be Friday at 2 p.m. at the Spirit Lake Baptist Church. Yates Funeral Home in Coeur d’Alene is in charge of arrangements.

Mrs. Cann, who was born in Spokane, died Sunday.

She grew up in Spokane and later traveled with her husband, who was in the military.

She moved to Spirit Lake in 1970 and was a former member of the Sweet Adelines.

Survivors include her husband of 46 years, Jack; three sons, Ed Cann of Spokane, Allen Cann of Spirit Lake and Rendy Cann of Alabama; and seven grandchildren, Amie, Neil, Elizabeth, Dustin, Matt, Jessica and Grace.

Memorials may be made to Hospice of North Idaho, 280 Prairie Ave., Coeur d’Alene, ID 83814.

James Pearson Spokane

Memorial service for James H. Pearson, 64 is planned for 10 a.m. Friday at Heritage Funeral Home.

Mr. Pearson, a 29-year Spokane resident, died Monday.

He was born in Laurens, S.C.

He served in the Air Force for 22 years and then was a police officer in Spokane. After he retired, he served as a special deputy sheriff at Fairchild Air Force Base.

Mr. Pearson was a member of the Eagles Lodge.

He is survived by his wife of 43 years, Virginia Pearson; two sons, Gary Pearson of Seattle and Larry Pearson of Spokane; a daughter, Julie Parkhurst of Deer Park; his stepmother, Martha Pearson of Laurens; two brothers, Paul Pearson and Tom Cooper, both of Enoree, S.C.; two sisters, Marie Penland of Gray Court, S.C., and Martha Patterson of Enoree; and five grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Spokane.

Joan Gallagher Spokane

Memorial service for Joan Gallagher, 65, will be at 3 p.m. Friday at Hazen and Jaeger Valley Funeral Home. Private inurnment will be at Pines Cemetery.

Born in Waterloo, Iowa, Mrs. Gallagher died Sunday.

In 1951 she married Jim Gallagher Jr. in Waterloo, and they came to Spokane from Coeur d’Alene in 1973.

She was a homemaker and had been a ham radio operator (WA7BDD) for 32 years.

Her husband died Jan. 25.

She is survived by a daughter, Julie Roberto of Spokane; two brothers, Bruce Baker of Boise and James Baker of Waterloo; a sister, Edna Stacey of Waterloo; and a grandson.

Peggy Clark Sandpoint, Idaho

Memorial service for Peggy Clark, 71, will be held Friday at 2 p.m. at Coffelt’s Moon Chapel in Sandpoint. Coffelt Funeral Service is in charge of arrangements.

Mrs. Clark, who was born in Colorado, died Tuesday.

She grew up in Colorado, moving to Sandpoint in the early 1950s. She lived at her home in Sandpoint until moving to Meadowridge Senior Housing in 1996.

Mrs. Clark was involved with the Meadowridge women’s valentine projects and the Bonner County Senior Citizens and served as coordinator for five years.

She had also worked at the county assessor’s office for 10 years until retiring in 1987.

She was a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Ladies Auxiliary and had served as president for Idaho and was local chairperson for the Inland Empire Blood Bank.

Mrs. Clark was preceded in death by her husband, Wade, in 1992.

Survivors include nine children, Peggy Jo Allen, Sharon Bayless, Florence Van Den Berg, Maggie Williams and Sue Wright, all of Sandpoint, Bob Clark of Spokane, and Barbara Enderud-Largent, Glenda Bledsoe and Larry Enderud, all of Colorado; three sisters, Flo Hanson of Puyallup, Wash., and Ruth Allsbury and Grace McDaniel, both of California; 20 grandchildren and 27 grandchildren.

Jack Jeffery Spokane

No service will be held for Jack Y. Jeffery, 79. Private burial will be at Fairmount Memorial Park. Riplinger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Mr. Jeffery, who died Sunday, was born in Cataldo, Idaho.

He worked as a machine operator and had lived in Spokane for 30 years.

He was a World War II Army veteran and was a member of the Moose Lodge in Moses Lake.

He is survived by his wife of 39 years, Barbara (Rice) Jeffery.

Mabel Grounds Kellogg

At her request, no service will be held for Mabel A. Grounds, 82. English Funeral Home in Coeur d’Alene is in charge of arrangements.

Mrs. Grounds, who grew up in Cowiche, Wash., died Monday. She moved to the Silver Valley from Spokane in 1987 and was a homemaker.

She had previously worked as a clerk at the Safeway grocery store in Ellensburg and for the Two Swabbies store in Spokane.

Mrs. Grounds was preceded in death by her husband, Jed, in 1966.

Survivors include two sons, Sherrill and Michael Grounds, both of Spokane; a daughter, Marsha Wikum of Bothell, Wash.; a sister, Billie Herrin of Moses Lake; nine grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

Memorials may be made to N.I.C.E., 652 Mian St., Wardner, ID 83837.

Leona ‘Sue’ Conner Spokane

No service will be held for Leona M. “Sue” Conner, at her request. Riplinger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Mrs. Conner, who died Monday, was born in Calgary, Alberta, and had lived in Spokane for 50 years.

She was a homemaker.

Her husband, Phillip, died in 1992.

She is survived by two daughters, Patricia Bergin of Spokane and Eunice Garrett of Seattle; a sister, Babe Stranger of North Dakota; 12 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren.

Lillie Plato Sandpoint

Service for Lillie Plato, 99, was held Wednesday at the Bonners Ferry (Idaho) Funeral Home. Burial followed at Grandview Cemetery in Bonners Ferry.

Mrs. Plato, who was born in Oakesdale, Wash., died Monday.

She grew up and graduated from high school at Cottonwood, Idaho, and went on to work as a telephone operator before attending Lewiston Normal College.

Mrs. Plato received her teaching certificate and taught school in Bonners Ferry and Pasco.

She returned to the Bonners Ferry area in 1929 and taught school at Moyie Springs, Idaho, teaching all eight grades in one classroom.

Mrs. Plato retired after 15 years of teaching in Boundary County and settled on her farm, traveling to Arizona for the winters until 1985.

She was a member of the Untied Methodist Church, the Retired Teachers Association and the P.E.O.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Lester.

Survivors include three sister in-laws, Eva Mcloughlin and Alice Mcloughlin, both of Washington, and Alta Meserve of Sandpoint; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Charles Reitmeier St. Maries

Memorial service for Charles Reitmeier, 85, will be Saturday at 11 a.m. at Yates-Hodge Funeral Home in St. Maries. Mr. Reitmeier, who was born in Spokane, died Sunday.

He graduated from Mead High School in 1930 and worked in road construction before buying a wheat farm near Nine Mile Falls, where he farmed for 20 years.

He later worked for Spokane Woodworking for two years and the Spokane County Maintenance Department, retiring in 1975 after more than 17 years.

Mr. Reitmeier moved to St. Maries in 1970 and had participated in the Chief Joseph Trail Ride for 16 consecutive years.

He was a member of the Oddfellows, the Reardan (Wash.) Grain Growers Association and the Gentlemen on Horseback Association.

Survivors include his wife of 62 years, Louise; and a brother, William Reitmeier.

Memorials may be made to BetterCare, c/o Benewah Community Hospital, 229 Seventh St., St. Maries, ID 83861.

Myrtle MacDonald Spokane

Memorial service for Myrtle L. MacDonald, 88, will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at Riplinger Funeral Home.

Born in Miles City, Mont., Mrs. MacDonald died Monday.

She received a teaching certificate from the University of Idaho and taught in Boundary County, Idaho.

She and her husband, James, owned a hotel in Almira, Wash., before moving to Spokane 60 years ago.

In Spokane they owned a paint and wallpaper company downtown and then opened the Card and Candle in NorthTown.

She was a member of White Rose Chapter No. 230 of the Order of the Eastern Star, El Karnak Temple of the Daughters of the Nile, the Soroptimist Club and the Sons of Norway Lodge.

Her husband, James “Mac” MacDonald, died in 1988.

Survivors include three sisters-in-law, Vi Rohde of Bellevue, Wash., Dora MacDonald of Rockford and Virginia Shelman of Bonners Ferry, Idaho.

Memorial contributions may be made to Shriners Hospital for Children.

, DataTimes