Obituary: Vance, Arline
Age 82
Graveside funeral services will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, March 6 at the St. John Cemetery.
A light dessert reception will follow at the St. John Community Building.
Arline was born on December 22, 1932 in Colfax, the only child of Arlie and Nova (Eriksen) Nickerson.
She grew up on the family farm near St. John and attended the local schools, graduating from St. John High School in 1950.
After high school, Arline attended general education classes at Washington State College (now WSU) for a year before returning to work on the farm.
She was introduced to a young sailor named Don Vance through a mutual friend and they were married on December 28, 1952 in St. John.
The couple made their home in St. John proper where they raised their two kids and then “swapped places” with Arline’s mother - Nova moved into town and Don and Arline moved out to the farm.
Arline was a homemaker but she also worked as a cashier at the Cold Storage Market in St. John and for the grocery store in Colfax.
Additionally, she sold socks for the Fuller Brush Company, was a bus driver and also worked as a field worker for the US Census Bureau.
For thirty plus years, she and Don participated in an annual camping trip to Priest Lake and, in retirement, the couple frequently traveled to Arizona and California in their motorhome.
She was an avid golfer and was also a longstanding member of the Colfax Elk’s Lodge.
She is survived by her children Vickie (Roland Olsson) Vance of Sweden and Ramon (Mary Ann) Vance of Ventura, California as well as two grandsons, Kurt and Logan Vance.
She was preceded in death by her husband Don in 2006 as well as her parents.
Memorial contributions in Arline’s honor are suggested to the St. John Golf Club or the St. John Volunteer Fire Department.
Bruning Funeral Home of Colfax has been entrusted with funeral arrangements.
Online condolences may be left for the family at www.bruningfuneralhome.com BRUNING FUNERAL HOME, Colfax, WA