Spokane

Once they've taken root, conspiracy theories prove difficult to eradicate, said Joe Uscinski, an associate professor of political science at the University of Miami who studies the phenomenon. Evidence and fact-checking can only go so far, especially when a person in a position of authority is peddling them.

Arthur Lee Reuben Sr. started playing basketball as a boy, and he kept playing his whole life – long after his body started sending him the signals to stop.

Richard Walter Murray loved working on cars – especially restoring old Fords.

Gary Heidal told the nurses taking care of him at Deaconess Hospital, “When I get out of here, I’m going to buy you all dinner.”

Marie Minda Rodkey was always singing.

For more than three decades, Ronald Paul Chimenti cut hair in Greenacres at Ron’s Barber Shop. After his retirement in 2017, he and his wife, Barbara Anne, loved to spend winters in the warmth of Yuma, Arizona.

Kenneth Charles Assmus became known as the “Hummingbird Whisperer” for his ability to draw the tiny, flitting creatures in for the perfect photo – a pursuit that combined his love of the outdoors and photography. 

Anne Sumiko Uyehara raised three children in Spokane before she returned to college in the 1970s, earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in secondary education at Eastern Washington University.

Robert Earl Brandvold met his future wife, Elva Joyce, when they were in the second grade in St. Maries.

Born in Geddes, South Dakota, Charlene May Odeen married her husband, Don, in 1954, and they moved to Spokane six years later. Don, who died in 1995, worked for Wonder Bread for 30 years. Charlene worked for 25 years as a cook, and eventually head cook, in the Mead School District.

Born in Newberg, Oregon, Eldon Lloyd Walton graduated from high school in Hood River, Oregon, and served in the Army during the Korean War – playing the French horn in the Army Band and working as a typist in Korea.

Born in Missoula, Swanda Jean Wimett moved to Spokane with her husband, Ken, and their three daughters in 1973. She worked as an aide at Valley General Hospital and then at Damon Orthodontics until 2001.

Vincent Edward Bozzi grew up in Spokane, graduating from Rogers High School and Eastern Washington University. Even as a child, he had an interest in hosting events, something that continued well into his career as a magazine publisher, business owner and host of parties and social events.

Emily Geuvarra Bozzi was born in the Philippines, and grew up in the town of Agdangan. She earned her bachelor’s degree in education from Luzonian University; she married Vince in 1987, and moved to Spokane shortly thereafter.

Like so many teenagers, Abbi Watson-Freestad struggled with the limitations of the pandemic. A student at Cheney High School, she had played volleyball on the freshman team – but the sport was put on hold last year, along with in-person classes and other activities.

Joseph Louis Hodl III met his future wife, Cheri, when they were 12 years old, growing up in Spokane. They eventually married and raised three children, settling into their “forever home,” Post Falls, in 1992.

Born in Great Falls, Vernon Louis Waldenberg had a lifelong love of the outdoors – camping, riding horses, floating rivers and spending time at the family cabins in Montana.