Obituary: Doneen, Lucille
Age 96
DONEEN,
Lucille
Mass of Christian Burial for Lucille Doneen, longtime resident of the Oakesdale and Spokane region, will be Thursday, July 12 at 10am at Assumption Catholic Church, 3624 W. Indian Trail Road, Spokane.
The Rev.
Michael Savelesky will celebrate, and burial will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery.
Visitation will be Wednesday, July 11 from 4-8pm at Hennessey Smith Funeral Home.
Lucille, 96 years young, died July 7 at Clare Bridge of Spokane where she had lived since January 2012.
She was born October 13, 1915, at Clearfield, SD to Fred and Margaretha Allpress.
She graduated from Colome, SD High School in 1934.
That same year her family lost the farm to the ravages of wind, dust, drought and the Great Depression and moved from Clearfield to Tensed, Idaho where her dad secured a “stump” ranch with some tillable ground and house.
In order to supplement family income Lucille and her sisters found domestic jobs in the area.
In 1939 she married Dave Doneen, a Whitman County farmer, and together, they settled into a farm home located between Oakesdale and Farmington, (now known as the Doneen Road).
While in Oakesdale Lucille was a member of St. Catherine Catholic Church and Ladies Guild and was active in community activities, including the Ladies Junior Chamber of Commerce, Pine Creek Club, Ladies Bridge Club, and school PTA.
At home, she loved gardening, quilting, oil painting and needlework.
She also traveled frequently with her husband to support regional, state, and national Soil and Water Conservation activities and organizations.
On occasion, she was found with family and friends on Priest or Pend Oreille Lake fishing for silvers and Kamloops.
In 1971 Lucille moved with Dave from the farm into a newly constructed house in Oakesdale, where she stayed active with church, community, gardening, flowers, family and friends.
In 2000 she moved to Park Place Assisted Living Community in Spokane Valley, where she enjoyed family visits, sponsored activities, and a new love for bingo, art work, Lawrence Welk TV reruns, and Mariners baseball.
Finally, due to declining health, Lucille changed her home for the final time, moving to Clare Bridge of Spokane early this year.
Even in the last few months of her full and active life, she maintained her friendly smile, positive attitude, humility, and acceptance of God’s plan for her life.
To have passed love and compassion to as many as she did for almost 97 years is a legacy of her richness of life and the way she affected those around her.
Surviving are a daughter, Dianne Bongarts in Spokane; a son, Dennis Doneen in Anacortes WA; six grandchildren, David Doneen in Lodi CA, Terri Carstens in Reardan WA, Brian Bongarts in Kent, WA, Shelly Szymanski in Woodinville, WA, Daren Doneen in Spokane, WA, Randy Doneen in Roseville, MN, and eleven great-grandchildren.
She is preceded in death by her husband of nearly 50 years, Dave Doneen; a son, Dean Doneen; sisters Elva Klingbeil and Violet Pruett of Latah, Ruby Brede of Tekoa; a brother, Harold Allpress of Potlatch, ID.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to a favorite charity or St Catherine’s Catholic Church in Oakesdale in care of Renee Crider, parish treasurer, 2732 Trestle Creek Road, Thornton, WA 99176.
Please visit Lucille’s tribute and leave a condolence at www.hennesseyfuneralhomes.com. Arrangements have been entrusted to: