Obituaries
Victor Carlson Clarkston, Wash.
Graveside service for C. Victor ‘Vic’ Carlson, 80, will be at 1 p.m. today at Garfield (Wash.) City Cemetery. Merchant Funeral Home in Clarkston is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Carlson, who was born in Medicine Lake, Mont., died Sunday.
He moved with his family to Palouse, Wash., at age 16 and then graduated in 1936 from Palouse High School.
In 1936 he married Alta Kriebel in Garfield. He worked as a farmer for his father-in-law.
Later, the couple moved to town where Mr. Carlson worked for Trimble’s Hardware and Warehouse Co. In 1946 they moved to Ione, Wash., where he worked in the Pend Oreille mines. He worked for Seattle City Light at the Boundary Dam for the last 15 years of his career.
Mr. Carlson retired in 1983 and then moved to Clarkston.
He was a member of the International Order of Odd Fellows, the Rebekah Lodge, the Masonic Lodge, the Shrine and the Scottish Rite.
Survivors include his wife; two sons, Jerry Carlson of Dutch Harbor, Alaska, and Stanly Carlson of Bagdad, Ariz.; a daughter, Charri Doeleman of Spokane; and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to Clarkston Rescue One, 820 Fifth St., Clarkston, WA 99403 or the Shriners Hospital for Children.
George Huff Deer Park
Graveside service for George L. Huff, 82, will be at 11 a.m. Friday at Greenwood Memorial Terrace. Ball and Dodd Funeral Home-South is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Huff, who died Saturday, was born in Pima, Ariz.
He served in the Army Air Corps as an aviation engineer and was stationed in Iceland during World War II.
Mr. Huff worked on dams on the Columbia and Pend Oreille rivers. He also helped remove a dam in the Lewiston area.
He was a 14-year resident of Deer Park and a 60-year member of the Operating Engineers Union Local No. 370.
Survivors include his wife of 29 years, Betty; two stepsons, Peter Stillman of Elk and David Stillman of Loon Lake, Wash.; three sisters, Bernetta Liles, Louise Barnett and Evelyn LaRue, all of Arizona; a brother, Charles Huff of Arizona; and seven grandchildren.
Marija Gatarts Spokane
Memorial service for Marija A. Gatarts, 89, will be at 2 p.m. Friday at Ball and Dodd Funeral Home-South.
Mrs. Gatarts, who was born in Riga, Latvia, died Saturday.
She moved to Spokane in 1983 from Minot, N.D., and worked out of her home as a seamstress.
Mrs. Gatarts was a member of Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church.
Survivors include a daughter, Karina Pelc of Spokane; three grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Doma’s Cathedral Building Fund in Riga, Latvia, in care of 421 S. Division, Spokane, WA 99202.
George Ott Lewiston
Visitation for George Bryant Ott, 73, will be from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. today at English Funeral Chapel in Coeur d’Alene. Service will be at 11 a.m. Friday at the funeral chapel. Burial will be at Forest Cemetery in Coeur d’Alene.
Mr. Ott, who was born in Spokane, died Monday.
He served with the Marines in Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands and the occupation of China during World War II and received the Purple Heart.
Mr. Ott lived most of his life in the Coeur d’Alene and Post Falls area and worked for the Kaiser Aluminum Trentwood Plant for 36 years as an inspector, retiring in 1982.
He moved to the state veterans home in Lewiston in 1994 and was a member of the Coeur d’Alene Veterans of Foreign Wars.
Mr. Ott was preceded in death by two wives, Joyce and Carol Jean.
Survivors include a son, Joey Ott of Seattle; four stepdaughters, Rosemarie Breckenridge and Sharon Arrian, both of Coeur d’Alene, Connie Spencer of Ottumwa, Iowa, and Vickie Richards of Hayden Lake; a stepson, Bill Breckenridge of Nampa, Idaho; and numerous grandchildren.
Felix McKinney Spokane
Visitation for Felix M. McKinney, 77, will be from noon to 6 p.m. today and from 8 to 10:30 a.m. Friday at Heritage Funeral Home. Service is planned for 10:30 at the funeral home. Private burial will follow at Fairmount Memorial Park.
Mr. McKinney, who died Tuesday, was born in Spangle.
He graduated from high school in Weston, Ore., and served in the Army during World War II, attaining the rank of staff sergeant.
In 1947 he married Nona Ren at Rose Lake, Idaho, and they moved to Spokane.
Mr. McKinney went to work for Pacific Northwest Bell, where he held several positions and retired after 30 years, in 1977.
Survivors include his wife; a son, Steven McKinney of Spokane; a daughter, Rita Gunstrom of Spokane; and two brothers, Aaron Broesch of Spokane and Arnold Broesch of Newport, Wash.
Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Spokane.
Al O’Brien Spokane
Service for Al O’Brien, 78, will be at 1 p.m. today at Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home. Burial will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery.
Mr. O’Brien, a resident of Spokane since 1940, died Sunday.
He was born in Chinook, Mont., and served in the Navy.
Mr. O’Brien worked for Burlington Northern Railroad as a switch foreman for 44 years, and was also a bartender for Eddy Murphy’s Tavern for 15 years.
He was a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Hillyard Post.
Survivors include his wife of 35 years, Olivene; two sons, Terry McKenney of Nine Mile Falls and Nick McKenney of Spokane; two brothers, Thomas O’Brien of Spokane and Mickey O’Brien of Superior, Mont.; a sister, Maxine Kuehn of Fredricksburg, Va.; and two grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Vanessa Behan Crisis Nursery.
Kenneth Volland Spokane
Visitation for Kenneth M. Volland, 75, will be from noon to 6 p.m. today and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday at Heritage Funeral Home. Service will follow at 3 p.m. at the funeral home. Burial will be at Riverside Memorial Park.
Mr. Volland, who was born in LaMoure, N.D., died Monday.
In 1951 he married Ellen Johnson in LaMoure.
He farmed in North Dakota until 1955, when they moved to Spokane, where he worked for the city of Spokane until his retirement in 1985.
Survivors include his wife; a daughter, Linda Brant of Spokane; two brothers, Richard Volland of Kent, Wash., and Charles Volland of Pe Ell, Wash.; two sisters, Margaret Peterson of Spokane and Clara Tobis of Everett; three granddaughters; one stepgrandson and one great-grandson.
Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Spokane.
Isabella English Spokane
Service for Isabella E. English, 86, will be at 10 a.m. today at HennesseySmith Funeral Home. Burial will follow at Riverside Memorial Park.
Mrs. English, a 20-year Spokane resident, died Saturday.
She was born in Seattle and was a homemaker.
Mrs. English was a member of the Daughters of the Pioneers and the Women of Washington Water Power.
Her husband, John English, died in 1983.
Survivors include three sons, John English of Spokane, Michael English of Salem, Ore., and Thomas English of Graham, Wash.; a brother, Ray Hunter of Spokane; seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Spokane Good Samaritan Village.
Elizabeth Kaiser Spokane
Service for Elizabeth Rebecca “Betsy” Kaiser, 94, is set for 2 p.m. today at Riplinger Funeral Home. Private burial will follow at Spokane Memorial Gardens.
Mrs. Kaiser, who was born in Endicott, Wash., died Saturday.
A longtime Spokane resident, she was a member of the Lutheran church and was a homemaker.
Survivors include a daughter, Jerene Payne of Spokane; three sons, Raymond Kaiser of Burbank, Calif., Marvin Kaiser of Los Angeles and Darold Kaiser of Chino, Calif.; and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Lindsey Mericle Medical Lake
Visitation for Lindsey Elizabeth Mericle, 11, will be from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. today at Heritage Funeral Home. Service will follow at 1 p.m. at the funeral home. Burial will be at Riverside Memorial Park.
Lindsey, who was born in Oxford, England, died Monday from an asthma attack.
She was a student at Hallett Elementary School in Medical Lake, where she played the flute in the fifth grade band.
Lindsey was also involved in Girl Scouts.
Survivors include her parents, Greg and Candi Mericle of Medical Lake; and a brother, Eric Mericle, and a sister, Jennifer Mericle, both at home.
Cordelia ‘Peggy’ Ingalls Coeur d’Alene
Visitation for Cordelia “Peggy” Ingalls, 73, will be from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. today and Friday at English Funeral Chapel in Coeur d’Alene and from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday at Emmanuel Baptist Church in Spokane. Service will be Saturday at 1 p.m. at the church. Burial will be at Greenwood Memorial Park in Spokane.
Mrs. Ingalls, who was born in Spokane, died Tuesday.
She graduated from Coeur d’Alene High School and lived in Boise, Seattle, Hawaii and San Francisco before moving to Spokane.
Mrs. Ingalls lived in Spokane for 10 years and moved to Coeur d’Alene a year ago.
She was a homemaker and was a member of Emmanuel Baptist Church in Spokane.
Survivors include her husband, Donald; a son, James Ingalls of Billings, Mont.; a daughter, Judie Curry of Coeur d’Alene; three sisters, Zelva Rosa, Inex Pederson and Berry Garner, all of Spokane; eight grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to Emmanuel Baptist Church.
George ‘Charlie’ Baxter Battle Ground, Wash.
No local service will be held for George Irving “Charlie” Baxter. Layne’s Funeral Home in Battle Ground is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Baxter, 59, died Feb. 17.
He was born in Cleveland and served in the Navy during the Korean War.
Mr. Baxter later traveled the rails and lived wherever he found work.
In Spokane, he worked as a security guard at the old Spokane Woodworking Plant.
He was a 12-year resident of Spokane and moved to Battle Ground six weeks ago.
Survivors include a son, David Baxter of Fayetteville, Ark.; a daughter, Crystal Baxter; four brothers, Robert Baxter of Leesburg, Fla., Richard Baxter of Mount Morris, N.Y., and William and Walter Baxter, both of Hemlock, N.Y.; and two sisters, June Sanders and Elisabeth Voeltz, both of Canandaigua, N.Y.
Herb Collins Spokane
Memorial service for Herb G. Collins, 53, will be held at a later date. The Cremation Society of Washington is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Collins, who was born in Kalispell, Mont., died Saturday.
He graduated in 1963 from Flathead Valley High School and then served in the Air Force during the Vietnam War.
Mr. Collins worked for 29 years in line construction and was a member of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 77.
He was a member of the Salem (N.H.) Veterans of Foreign Wars and moved to Spokane in 1976.
Survivors include his wife of 28 years, Dawn; two sons, James Collins of Portland and Herb Collins of Seattle; a sister, Joy Wayne of Anchorage, Alaska, and two brothers, Dan Collins of Anchorage, Alaska, and Jim Collins of Spokane.
Marie Phillips Sandpoint
Graveside service for Marie E. Phillips, 89, will be at 2 p.m. Friday at the Waterville (Wash.) Cemetery. Waterville Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Phillips, who was born in Waterville, died Monday.
She grew up in Waterville and then operated a fruit orchard in Orondo, Wash., for many years until moving to Sandpoint in 1983.
Mrs. Phillips served as the secretary of the Kootenai County Grange and the Northern Idaho Nutrition Council at one time and had received numerous awards from the Retired Senior Volunteer Program.
Her husband, James, died in 1972.
Survivors include a son, C.H. Phillips of Orondo.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Waterville Ambulance Fund, Box 400, Waterville, WA 98858.
Henry Smith Pullman
No service will be held for Henry W. Smith, a retired professor of soils at Washington State University, at his request. Kimball Funeral Home in Pullman is in charge of arrangements.
Dr. Smith, 84, who was born in Englewood, Colo., died Tuesday.
He was valedictorian of the 1931 class at Alliance (Neb.) High School and then he farmed.
In 1936 he received his bachelor’s degree in chemistry and physics from Nebraska State Normal College in Chadron. He was also class valedictorian.
His master’s degree and doctorate were granted by the University of Nebraska at Lincoln in 1938 and 1941 for studies in soils, chemistry and botany.
After teaching at Lincoln for two years, he moved to Pullman in 1943. He was a member of the faculty of Washington State University until his retirement in 1978. As emeritus professor of soils, he continued with several teaching assignments.
A room in Johnson Hall was formally dedicated in 1983 as the Henry W. Smith Soil Monolith Collection. He also assisted several state and federal organizations in preparing similar but smaller collections.
Toward the end of his career, he and associates demonstrated the importance of air-borne volcanic materials as contributors to many soils in the Pacific Northwest.
Dr. Smith was a member of Sigma Xi, Alpha Zeta, Phi Lambda Upsilon, Gamma Sigma Delta and Blue Key. His professional associations include the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Society of Agronomy and the Soil Science Society of America.
He received the Agronomic Education Award in 1963 and the Soil Science Distinguished Service Award in 1985.
Dr. Smith is survived by his companion, Catherine Cross of Pullman.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Washington State University, 201 Johnson Hall, Box 6420, Pullman, WA 99163-6420.
Kyu Hyon Kim Airway Heights
Visitation for Kyu Hyon Kim, 80, will be from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday at Heritage Funeral Home. Service will be at 2 p.m. Saturday at the funeral home. Burial will follow at Greenwood Memorial Terrace.
Born in Korea, Mr. Kim died Monday.
He was a farmer in Korea before moving to Airway Heights in 1980.
Mr. Kim worked in food service at Fairchild Air Force Base until his retirement in 1987.
He was a member of the West Terrace Ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Survivors include his wife of 58 years, Kum Yop; a son, Bok Song Kim of Airway Heights; four daughters, Bok Hui Kim, Hae Tok Simmons, Hae Yang Sweeney and Hae Ran Shubert, all of Airway Heights; two brothers, Kyu Sang Kim and Kyu Chen Kim, both of Korea; nine grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
Agnes McClung Spokane
No service will be held for Agnes McClung, 98, at her request. Ball and Dodd Funeral Home-South is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. McClung, who was born in Oakesdale, Wash., died Tuesday.
She graduated from Oakesdale (Wash.) High School and then received her teaching certificate from Washington State University.
Mrs. McClung taught in Fernwood, Idaho, and Eltopia, Wash., until her retirement in the late 1950s.
She moved to Spokane in 1952.
Mrs. McClung was a member of Hope Chapter of the Order of Eastern Star in Oakesdale and the El Karnak Daughters of the Nile.
Survivors include two daughters, Joyce Reilly of Edwall, Wash., and Winifred Steiner of Cheney; a son, Raymond McClung of Sumner, Wash.; 14 grandchildren and 23 great-grandchildren.
Darlene Koon Kennewick
No service will be held for Darlene Koon, a former Spokane resident, at her request. Columbia Memorial in Pasco is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Koon, who was born in Spokane, died Tuesday. She was 59.
She graduated in 1956 from Marycliff High School and then worked in medical claims at Deaconess Hospital, Holy Family Hospital and Medical Service Corp.
In 1982 she married Thomas Koon, and they moved to Kennewick.
Mrs. Koon was a member of the Spokane Humane Society.
Survivors include her husband; two daughters, Michelle Mills and Patricia Goodman, both of Spokane; her father, Nicholas Gross of Spokane; and one grandson.
Orval Olsen Spokane
Visitation for Orval M. Olsen, 83, will be from noon to 6 p.m. Friday at Heritage Funeral home. Service will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at the funeral home. Burial will follow at Greenwood Memorial Terrace.
Mr. Olsen, who was born in Stone, Idaho, died Friday.
In 1929 he moved with his family to St. Ignatius, Mont., where he worked as a farmhand, logger, truck driver and service station attendant. In 1937 he married Adeline Gasselle in Polson, Mont.
In 1943 he enlisted in the Navy and was a flight radio operator, having learned that trade while working earlier for Pan American Airways.
He earned the Aviation-Pacific Campaign medal, the American Area Campaign medal and the Good Conduct Medal before his discharge from the Navy in 1946.
Mr. Olsen then returned to Montana and bought the store he managed before the war. He established a clothing store in a building next door.
In 1957 he and a partner opened a Western Auto store in Weiser, Idaho. In 1962, he bought a small grocery store in Medical Lake, which he and a partner later enlarged. He operated the Lake City Thrift Store until his retirement in 1974.
Mr. Olsen moved to Spokane in 1978.
His first wife died in 1986.
Mr. Olsen was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Masonic Lodge, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion and several service clubs.
Survivors include his wife, Louise; a son, Richard Lee of Cheney; a daughter, Judith Cox of Puyallup, Wash.; three brothers, Archie Olsen of St. Ignatius, Arley Olsen of Salt Lake City and Rex Olsen of Chicago; three sisters, Audrey Tallent of Madisonville, Tenn., Ruby Eichert of Coeur d’Alene and Nona Smith of Midvale, Utah; and several grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Union Gospel Mission or the Sacred Heart Foundation.
Cynthia Jo Clark Sagle, Idaho
Service for Cynthia Jo Clark, 37, will be at 2 p.m. Friday at Coffelt’s Funeral Service in Sandpoint.
Mrs. Clark, who was born in Albuquerque, N.M., died Monday from natural causes.
She graduated from high school in Newport, Wash., and then moved to Spokane where she worked for K mart.
Mrs. Clark moved to Sagle in 1990 and worked as a personnel manager and checkout supervisor at Kmart in Ponderay, Idaho.
She was a member of Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church in Rathdrum and was a member of a bowling team in Sandpoint.
Survivors include her husband, Robert “R.C.” Clark; two daughters, Heather and Jessica Sayler, and a son, Roy Clark, all of Sagle; her parents, Bud and Charlotte Demlow of Newport; two brothers, Chris Demlow of Auburn, Wash., and Murray Demlow of Arizona; and her grandmother, Mildred Gibbs of Oldtown, Idaho.
Catharine Nilsen Dalton Gardens, Idaho
Memorial service for Catharine ‘Kay’ Nilsen, 70, will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints, Dalton Gardens Ward, in Hayden Lake, Idaho. Burial will take place at Coeur d’Alene Memorial Gardens. Yates Funeral Home in Coeur d’Alene is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Nislen, who died Feb. 26, was born in Arizona.
She grew up and graduated from high school in California and then attended nurses training in California and Illinois.
Mrs. Nilsen spent 12 years at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Los Angeles and joined the Air Force in 1961, serving as a nurse in Greenland.
She moved to New York after her military discharge in 1963 and lived in New Jersey before settling in Dalton Gardens in 1972.
Mrs. Nilsen was a homemaker and a student at North Idaho College.
She was a member of the Mormon Church and the Rambling Rovers and was active as a hospice volunteer.
Her husband, Willy, died in 1989.
She is survived by two sons, Robert Nilsen of Florida and Michael Nilsen of Kingston, Wash.; two daughters, Kristine Jacob of California and Sylvia Zimmerman of Florida; a sister, Mildred Sharpenburg of California; eight grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of North Idaho, 280 Prairie Ave., Coeur d’Alene, ID 83814.
, DataTimes