Obituaries
Mary (Watson) Crook
Spokane
Funeral for Mary Louise (Watson) Crook, 90, will be today at 1 p.m. at Opportunity Presbyterian Church. Burial will be at Pines Cemetery. Ball and Dodd Funeral Home-South is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Crook, who died Monday, was born in Cumberland, Ohio. She was a resident of Spokane for 60 years.
She graduated from Cumberland High School in 1935 and attended Good Samaritan Nursing School in Zanesville, Ohio. She later attended Ohio State University.
In 1943 she enlisted in the Navy as a nurse. She was stationed at Galena Army Air Depot at the close of World War II.
She then worked in Spokane at various nursing homes.
In 1946 she married Hugh Green, who died in 1953.
In 1955 she married George Crook. He died in 1975.
Mrs. Crook was a member of the Order of the Eastern Star, Opportunity Presbyterian Church and the Blinded Veterans Association.
She enjoyed cooking, knitting, quilting, sewing and dancing. She also volunteered 500 hours with the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, helping the disabled with macrame.
Survivors include three sisters, Eleanor Shaffer of Los Banos, Calif., Frances Reich of Santa Cruz, Calif., and Patricia Eldridge of Palo Alto, Calif.
Memorial contributions may be made to Guide Dogs for the Blind, P.O. Box 151200, San Rafael, CA 94915-1200 or the American Diabetes Association.
Pauline Bryson
Colfax
Funeral for Pauline Jane Bryson, 93, will be Saturday at 2 p.m. at Bruning Funeral Home in Colfax.
Mrs. Bryson died Tuesday.
She was born in St. James, Mo., and during her teenage years, moved to Callaway, Neb., where she met her future husband, James Bryson. They were married in 1930 and followed harvest crews and did farm labor during the early years of their marriage.
In 1936 the couple moved to Colfax, where Mrs. Bryson worked as an administrative assistant to Jude Jessup.
The couple moved to Spokane in 1952.
Mrs. Bryson was active in church choirs and sang at many funerals and weddings. She enjoyed playing the organ and piano.
She was a member of the Colfax Methodist Church and later Whitworth Community Church. She was a longtime member of the Altrusa Club. Her hobbies included gardening, home canning, cooking, sewing and knitting.
Her husband died in 1990, and she returned to Colfax.
Survivors include two daughters, Reita Stueckle of Colfax and Sharon Sumner of Kailua-Kona, Hawaii; four grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Whitman Hospital Foundation.
Robert Dobbins
Spangle
Service for Robert “Bob” Blake Dobbins, 51, will be today at 1 p.m. at South Hill Bible Church. Thornhill Valley Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Dobbins, who died Monday, was born in Missoula.
After graduating from Sentinel High School in 1971, he played bass guitar in numerous parts of the country for more than 10 years.
He returned to Montana and attended the University of Montana, where he studied journalism.
Mr. Dobbins was a corrections officer at the Montana State Department of Correction Pre-Release Center and recently at Geiger Corrections Facility in Airway Heights. He was a corrections supervisor at Geiger.
In 1990 he married Helen Carter.
Survivors include a son, Eric Dobbins; two stepdaughters, Tara and Vanessa; his parents, Jack and Elsie Dobbins of Missoula; a brother, Dick Dobbins of Portland; a sister, Jackie of Phoenix; and one grandson.
Howard Russell
Spokane
Memorial service for Howard George Russell, 74, will be today at 4 p.m. at Chattaroy Community Church.
Mr. Russell died last Friday.
He was born in Bismarck, N.D., and moved with his family to Spokane when he was 5 years old.
He worked as a cement finisher for more than 50 years.
Survivors include his wife of 45 years, Edie; four daughters, Linda Cable, Lorraine Scott, Louise Brunner and Karen Tracy; three sons, Jim, Howie and Lester Russell; 17 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Deer Park Hospital Auxiliary.
Frank Demaray
Redmond, Wash.
Visitation for Frank H. Demaray, 100, will be today from 2 to 8 p.m. at Ball and Dodd Funeral Home-South. Graveside service will be Saturday at 2 p.m. at Greenwood Memorial Terrace.
Mr. Demaray died Tuesday.
He was born on a farm near Rock Valley, Iowa. His family moved to Spokane in 1922, and he began working with Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Co.
Mr. Demaray retired from Pacific Northwest Bell in 1967 following 45 years of service.
In 1929 he married Lucile Burnham.
The couple lived on Spokane’s South Hill from 1936 until 1965, when they relocated to the Spokane Valley.
His wife died in 1994. He moved to Redmond in 2002.
He was a member of Manito Presbyterian Church, Spokane Rose Society, Masonic Lodge and the Lilac Chapter of Telephone Pioneers.
Survivors include a daughter, Lorraine Clacy of Kirkland, Wash.; a sister, Florence Tuninga of Poulsbo, Wash.; seven grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Telecom Quest Pioneers, Lilac City Club, 501 W. Second Ave., Spokane, WA 99201 or to the Spokane Rose Society, c/o Lynn Schafer, 42108 S. Bourne Road, Latah, WA 99018.
Jerald Hash
Onaway, Idaho
Memorial service for Jerald Lee “Jerry” Hash, 62, will be Saturday at 2 p.m. at Princeton Church of the Nazarene in Princeton, Idaho. Kramer Funeral Home in Palouse, Wash., is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Hash died Saturday.
Born in Potlatch, Idaho, he attended schools in Harvard, Idaho and Princeton, and finished his schooling in Potlatch.
He joined the Army in 1959 and was discharged in 1961. He returned to Potlatch.
He married Karren Cone in 1961, and the couple made their home in Latah County until moving to Onaway in 1984.
Mr. Hash worked for United Paving, now Poe Asphalt, from 1968 to 1995 when an injury forced him to retire. He worked as a raker behind the paving machine.
He was a member of Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. He enjoyed hunting, fishing and playing cards, including pinochle.
Survivors include his wife; a son, Mitch Hash of Post Falls; three daughters, Camy Lisher of Moscow, Idaho, Teri Skiles of Onaway and Leanne Groucher of Princeton; a brother, Jack Hash of Harvard; and seven grandchildren.
Gertrude Renner
Coeur d’Alene
Graveside service for Gertrude Renner, 96, was held Wednesday at Coeur d’Alene Memorial Garden.
Mrs. Renner, who was born in Corsica, S.D., died Saturday.
She moved to Carlin Bay on Lake Coeur d’Alene in 1938.
She was a homemaker and attended the Church of God in Coeur d’Alene and Spokane.
She enjoyed gardening.
Her husband, Floyd preceded her in death.
Survivors include three sons, Gerald, Clifford and Kenneth, all of Carlin Bay; three daughters, Phyllis Briggs of Fernwood, Idaho, Pauline Pankratz of Coeur d’Alene and Carol Buckner of Oklahoma; numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren.
Lewis ‘Bill’ Fifer
Spokane Valley
Memorial service for Lewis “Bill” Fifer, 88, will be today at 3 p.m. at Old Country Buffet, 5504 N. Division St. Neptune Society is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Fifer, who died Tuesday, was born in Nez Perce, Idaho.
He graduated from Inchelium High School in 1937 and married Carmen Mitchell in 1942.
During World War II, Mr. Fifer was a master sergeant in the Army Air Corps. He was a crew chief of B-17 bombers, and received the EAME Theater Medal, Bronze Star, United Citation and Good Conduct Medal.
He was a resident of Colville for 45 years and worked in highway maintenance for the Washington state Highway Department for 16 years. He retired in 1982 and moved to Spokane Valley in 1986.
He enjoyed hunting and fishing.
Survivors include his wife; a son, Gary Fifer of Spokane Valley; a daughter, Barbara Richards of Beaverton, Ore.; a brother, Robert Fifer of Inchelium, Wash.; a sister, Zella Anderson of Kettle Falls, Wash.; five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to Cancer Care Northwest.
Ambrose ‘Woody’ Wood
Spokane
Memorial service for Ambrose Joseph “Woody” Wood, 59, will be Saturday at 11 a.m. at St. Peter’s Parish. Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Wood, who was born in Utica, N.Y., died last Friday.
He was a retired die caster.
In his younger years, he was an avid horseman and member of the Future Farmers of America. He enjoyed traveling, Westerns, war movies, music and reading. He also enjoyed writing essays.
He participated in Marriage Encounter weekends for the Catholic Church for 11 years.
Survivors include his wife of 33 years, Arleene; a son, William Wood of Spokane; three daughters, Denise Wood of Spokane, Holly Wood of Vancouver, Wash., and Julie Wirta of Brush Prairie, Wash.; his mother, Mary Wood; three brothers, Joseph and John Wood, both of Spokane, and Timothy Wood of Mission Viejo, Calif.; a sister, Sharon Wilson of Springfield, Ore.; and seven grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Heart Association, American Diabetes Association or the Special Olympics.
Duane Myers
Medical Lake
Funeral Mass for Duane Dale Myers, 65, will be today at 10 a.m. at St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church, with burial to follow at 1 p.m. at St. Joseph Cemetery. Hennessey Valley Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Myers, who was born in Colfax, died Tuesday.
He graduated from Central Valley High School in 1957 and from Gonzaga University in 1962 with a bachelors degree in electrical engineering.
He married Margaret Culbertson in 1973.
Mr. Myers worked for Boeing in Seattle for 34 years. He retired in 1995 and moved to Medical Lake.
He was an avid golfer and a member of Wandermere Golf Club.
Survivors include his wife; two daughters, Jennifer Castro and Melissa Smith, both of Seattle; his mother, Laura Myers of Spokane Valley; four brothers, Gary Myers of Colbert, Ron Myers of Spokane Valley, Bill Myers of Post Falls and Bob Myers of Otis Orchards.