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Shawn Vestal: Obituaries tell story of community

Shawn Vestal

One obituary is a portrait of an individual life. Several of them create a portrait of a community.

Recent obituaries tell a story of a flower shop owner and a cemetery’s guardian angel, a public health nurse and a magazine editor, a man nicknamed “Bear” and a man nicknamed “Dude.” Here are some of them, summarized from recent obituaries.

Zeda Lenorah (Thornton) Leonard was born in northern Alabama, the daughter of a cotton farmer. She later became an editor for publications of the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, where she met Gary Leonard, a manager for the organization’s radio station. They moved to Spokane after their marriage in 1974, and Gary managed KMBI radio for 30 years. They were active in the Shiloh Hills Fellowship for the past 11 years. She died Sept. 2 at age 74.

An Idaho native, Donald Lyle “Bear” Rose traveled widely and worked for several companies over his long career as a land surveyor, including a job in Sierra Leone. His favorite experiences were doing backcountry surveys all over the West. In retirement, he helped his wife, Sandi, run her family business, Boileaus Resort and the Buttonhook Inn, in Bayview, Idaho. Later, they built their dream home on Lake Pend Oreille. He died Sept. 7 at age 71.

Among her many community activities, Cynthia R. Garrett taught a lot of kids how to swim in the backyard pool of her Endicott home. A 1973 graduate of Endicott High, she married local farmer Robert Allen Garrett in 1974, and they raised two daughters while farming on the Palouse. She ran flower shops in Colfax (Flowers and More) and Pullman (The Wild Ivy). She died Sept. 9 at age 59, after a long battle with multiple myeloma.

Philip R. George grew up working on the family farm in Ellensburg and went on to a long career in education all around Washington. He taught in Naches, became a principal in Monitor and Quincy, then served as assistant superintendent in Sumner. In 1968, he earned his doctorate from the University of Idaho, and he went on to a long career at Eastern Washington University, where he held many administrative posts. He was named professor emeritus of education in 1988. He died Aug. 31 at age 87.

Mary Evelyn (Sexsmith) Cabbage had a long and fruitful connection with the Saltese Cemetery in Greenacres. She and her husband, Bill, purchased land on 32nd Avenue across from the cemetery in 1978; she would later serve as sexton and board secretary for the cemetery, help implement many improvements there and form long-lasting ties with the area’s pioneer families. A devout member of the LDS Church, she was born in Spirit Lake, Idaho. She died Sept. 5 at age 83.

Ruth Virginia Duenwald outlived everyone in her immediate family; she was preceded in death by her parents and eight siblings. She was born in Edwall, and she and her husband, Clement, farmed there until 1981. Clem died in 1999; Ruth lived on her own at home until suffering a stroke early this year. She is survived by 13 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren, among others. She died Aug. 10 at age 94.

Arthur L. “Dude” Thiele served in the Navy and Army, worked as a logger, operated heavy equipment, drove a bus, worked for the post office and taught at the Job Corps Center in Curlew, Washington. Like many young men of his day, Dude finished eighth grade and went to work, enlisting in the military when he was old enough. He taught the heavy equipment classes for the Curlew Job Service for 27 years. He served on the Curlew School Board for the same number of years. He died Sept. 3 at age 87.

Born into a family of nine children, Joan O’Reilly Curran grew up in Butte and later raised six children of her own in Spokane and Seattle. She worked for almost 20 years as a teachers’ aide at Franklin, Hamblen and Ridgeview elementary schools. She was active in the Sacred Heart Catholic Church and enjoyed her years at the Rockwood Lane Retirement Community. She died Sept. 3 at age 86.

Paul James Bennett worked for 38 years for Washington State University, first as a lab technician and then in the environmental services office. Born in Salem, Oregon, he graduated from North Central High School in 1947 and Whitworth College in 1954. He married Mary Morgan in 1957 in Pullman, and they lived in Albion. He died at home Sept. 3 at age 85.

Kathleen Henrickson lived her whole life in Spokane, attending Ferris High and Spokane Community College before a 33-year career as a public health nurse at the Spokane Regional Health District. Following her retirement from the district, she worked for Planned Parenthood of Spokane for a few years, until she was diagnosed with ALS. She died Aug. 22 at age 63.

Shawn Vestal can be reached at (509) 459-5431 or shawnv@spokesman.com. Follow him on Twitter at @vestal13.

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