Obituaries
Emil Gerths Coeur d’Alene
Service for Emil Gerths, 93, will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at Yates Funeral Home, Coeur d’Alene. Burial will follow at Coeur d’Alene Memorial Gardens.
Mr. Gerths, who was born in West Point, Neb., died Sunday.
He grew up in Nebraska and worked for the railroad for three years. He married Hellena Marik in Iowa in 1929 and then moved to Montana, where he farmed for 20 years.
He moved to Coeur d’Alene in 1946 and worked for John Ruthven Plastering for many years. After his retirement he drove a school bus for Coeur d’Alene schools.
He was a member of a senior citizen group and a former member of the Eagles Lodge. He enjoyed fishing and handcrafting lawn ornaments.
His wife died in 1982.
Survivors include one son, Vern Gerths of Hayden, Idaho; two daughters, Ella Walters of Hayden and Nadine Barker of Post Falls; 10 grandchildren and 16 greatgrandchildren.
Harvey Woodard Sr. St. Maries
Graveside service for Harvey Woodard Sr., 86, will be Friday at 11 a.m. at Woodlawn Cemetery, St. Maries.
Mr. Woodard, who was born in Spokane, died Monday.
He grew up in Spokane and the city of Millwood was named after his family. In 1929 he married Leona Peasley and they made their home in Loon Lake, Wash., where he mined. In 1942 he moved to St. Maries, where he was a wood worker. Ten years later he moved to Montana, where he was a sawmill worker.
He returned to St. Maries in 1972 and worked at Regulus Stud Mill before retiring in 1978. He enjoyed fishing and being with his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
His wife died in 1983. Survivors include one daughter, Barbara Epler of St. Maries; one sister, Margaurite Bartelson of Spokane; seven grandchildren and 19 greatgrandchildren.
Lillian Kitt Spokane
Private service for Lillian F. Kitt, 69, will be held. Private inurnment will be at Mountain View Cemetery in Colville, Wash. Thornhill Valley Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Born in Oklahoma, Mrs. Kitt died Sunday.
She had worked as a cook in restaurants and retired in 1979. She came to Spokane in 1977.
She was a member of the Eagles Lodge.
Her husband, Mike Kitt, preceded her in death.
Mrs. Kitt is survived by two sons, David Froid of Lewiston and Bud Johndrow of Kettle Falls, Wash.; one brother, Joe Bufford of Portland; two grandsons and one great-grandson.
Gary Lemley Spokane
Service for Gary Keith Lemley, 37, will be at 2 p.m. today at Thornhill Valley Funeral Home with burial at Pines Cemetery.
Mr. Lemley, who was born in Spokane, died Saturday.
He graduated from University High School in 1975 and worked at Hoffman Music.
He is survived by his parents, Howard and Marie Lemley of Greenacres.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Spokane AIDS Network.
Maurice Wickham Spokane
Memorial gathering for Maurice G. Wickham, 74, will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. today at 628 E. 19th, Spokane. Sherman-Knapp Funeral Home in Newport, Wash., is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Wickham died on Friday in an automobile accident north of Ione, Wash.
Born in Spokane, he worked as a warehouseman for 21 years before retiring in 1988.
He served in the Marine Corps during World War II. He was a member of the Teamsters Union Local 582.
He is survived by wife, Thelma; five children; 15 grandchildren and 15 greatgrandchildren.
Halvard Nygren Spokane
Graveside service for Halvard Arthur Nygren, 80, is set for 4 p.m. today at Greenwood Memorial Terrace. Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
A lifetime Spokane resident, Mr. Nygren died Saturday.
He graduated from Rogers High School and served in the Army.
He had worked at the Veterans Administration Hospital for 15 years and retired in 1979.
Mr. Nygren was the former owner of the New Deal Tavern in Spokane and was a member of the Sons of Norway Lodge.
Survivors include two nephews, Gerald Schafer of Chattaroy and Raymond Schafer of Rockford; and one niece, Linda Rae Kaufman of Coeur d’Alene.
Maureen Byrnes Spokane
Memorial service for Maureen Byrnes, 74, was held Tuesday at Ridgeview Christian Center.
Mrs. Byrnes, who died Saturday at home, was born in Victoria, British Columbia.
She is survived by three daughters, Denise of Simi Valley, Calif., and Dayle and Donita, both of Spokane; one son, Dana of Spokane; one sister, Denny Barthalome of Cocoa Beach, Fla.; and two grandsons.
She had lived in Spokane since 1947 and retired from Sears in 1983.
She was a member of the Eagles Lodge and Ridgeview Christian Center.
Memorial contributions may be made to Ogden Hall or the American Cancer Society.
Rachel Walter Odessa, Wash.
Rosary for Rachel Macdonald Walter will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday at St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church in Odessa. Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Thursday at the church, followed by burial at Odessa Cemetery. Strate Funeral Home of Odessa is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Walter, a 77-year Odessa resident, died Saturday. She was 96.
She was born in St. Paul, Minn., and was 2 when she moved with her family to Seattle. They moved to Spokane in 1914. She graduated from Holy Names Academy in Spokane.
She went to Odessa in 1918 to teach at a rural school. She and her husband, Jacob Walter Jr., operated a wheat ranch as well as Lakeview Ranch, which became a world-renowned Shorthorn beef ranch.
Mr. Walter died in 1993, one month before the couple would have observed their 75th wedding anniversary.
Mrs. Walter was a member of Odessa Memorial Hospital Auxiliary and served on the Inland Empire Council of Girl Scouts for many years.
Survivors include one son, Donald Walter of Spokane; two daughters, Carol Evavold of Spokane and Joanne Keller of Mount Vernon, Wash.; one sister, Flora Picard of Jacksonville Beach, Fla.; 10 grandchildren, 22 greatgrandchildren and six great-great grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to Odessa Memorial Hospital or St. Joseph Church in Odessa.
Ray Streng Spokane
Private service will be held for Ray R. Streng, 86. Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Streng, who was born in Edison, Wash., died Sunday.
He had lived in Spokane since 1925 and worked on farms in the area for many years.
He is survived by his wife, June Streng; one brother, Berl Streng of San Mateo, Calif.; and one sister, Bertha Freudenstein of Tacoma.
Connie Beck Spokane
Graveside memorial service for Connie A. Beck, 82, was held Tuesday at Greenwood Memorial Park.
Mrs. Beck, a longtime Spokane resident, died Saturday.
A homemaker, she was born in Great Falls, Mont.
Her husband, Otto Beck, died in 1990.
She is survived by one daughter, Randi Berg of Olympia; one son, Darrell Cafaro of Spokane; three grandchildren and four greatgrandchildren.
Nancy Woodson Spokane
Memorial service for Nancy Woodson, 47, will be at 1 p.m. today at Westminster Congregational Church.
Mrs. Woodson, who was born in Cheney, died Saturday.
She graduated from Eastern Washington State College and was a librarian for 22 years in the Spokane Public Libraries.
Mrs. Woodson was a member of Westminster Congregational Church and sang in the choir.
She is survived by one daughter, Elisabeth Ellingson, and her father and stepmother, Merritt and Enola Johnson, all of Spokane; two sisters, Pam Wells of Olympia and Jennet Brownlee of Spokane; and her partner, Rietta Pew..
Memorial contributions may be made to Hands Off Washington.
Mildred Trautman Nine Mile Falls
Memorial service for Mildred Lee Trautman, 95, is planned for 1 p.m. Thursday at Riplinger Funeral Home.
Born in Moscow, Mich., Mrs. Trautman died Saturday.
She and her husband, Louis Trautman, came to Spokane in 1923. In 1940 they moved to Nine Mile Falls.
She had worked as a secretary.
Her husband died in 1980.
She is survived by one daughter, Marilyn Casey of Ocean Park, Wash.; one son, John Trautman of Nine Mile Falls; two grandchildren, two greatgrandchildren and one great-greatgrandchild.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Spokane Humane Society.
Frances Osterud Everett
Service for Frances Arvilla Osterud, 89, will be at 4 p.m. today at Purdy and Walters with Cassidy Funeral Chapel in Everett. Graveside service is set for 3:30 p.m. Thursday at Riverside Cemetery in Spokane.
Mrs. Arvilla, who died Sunday, was born in Columbus, N.D.
She had lived in Spokane since 1925 and moved to Everett one year ago.
Her husband, Hartvig Osterud, died in 1958.
She is survived by two sons, Duane Osterud of Everett and Howard Osterud of Spokane; five grandchildren, seven greatgrandchildren and three great-greatgrandchildren.
Ruth Jack Spokane
Graveside service for Ruth E. Jack, 77, is set for 11 a.m. Thursday at Greenwood Memorial Terrace. Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Jack, who died Sunday, was born in Fort Collins, Colo.
Her husband, Oliver Jack, died in 1990.
She is survived by two daughters, Linda Jack and Susan Conley, both of Spokane; two sons, Jimmy and Ralph Jack, both of Spokane; three brothers, Emmett, Leslie and Wesley Waggoner; two sisters, Shirley Jean Waggoner and Elva Taylor; and four grandchildren.
Gladys Claflin Spokane
Service for Gladys Leona Claflin, 86, was held Tuesday at Thornhill Valley Funeral Home. Burial was at Pines Cemetery.
Mrs. Claflin, who was born in Warden, Wash., died Saturday. She was a homemaker.
Her husband, Walter, died in 1978.
She is survived by three daughters, Emma Tarbox of Sun City, Ariz., and Wilma Smith and Carol Spelevoy, both of Newman Lake; one son, George Claflin of Spokane; two brothers, Raymond Bennett of Spokane and Victor Bennett of Yakima; 17 grandchildren, 49 great-grandchildren and 23 great-great-grandchildren.
Germaine Petrie Potlatch, Idaho
Service for Germaine M. Petrie, 82, is planned for 10 a.m. today at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Potlatch. Burial will follow at Potlatch Cemetery. Kramer Funeral Home in Palouse, Wash., is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Petrie, who was born in Belgium, died of cancer Friday at St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center in Lewiston.
She and her husband made their home in Potlatch and she was a homemaker.
She was a member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church, the Princeton Grange, the Potlatch Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary Post 10300 and the Potlatch Senior Citizens.
Survivors include her husband of 48 years, William Petrie; and one daughter, Rosa Dums of Belgium.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society or Potlatch Senior Citizens.
Elmer Eklund Spokane
Service for Elmer Eklund, 72, is planned for 1 p.m. Thursday at Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home. Burial will be at Fairmount Memorial Park.
Mr. Eklund, a 50-year Spokane resident, died Saturday.
He was born in Anaconda, Mont.
He worked as a driver for a wholesale grocery company.
Mr. Eklund was a member of the Teamsters Union, the Eagles Lodge and the Veterans of Foreign Wars Hillyard Post.
Survivors include his wife, Martha Eklund; three sons, Darrel Eklund of Greenacres, and Jim and Michael Repp, both of Newman Lake; two daughters, Donna Ashley of Spokane and Karen Peak of Mead; two brothers, Robert Eklund of Anaconda and Earl Eklund of Rochester, Wash.; and six grandchildren.
Meda Wiyrick Chewelah, Wash.
Service for Meda A. Wiyrick, 91, will be at 2 p.m. Thursday at Thornhill Valley Funeral Home with burial at Pines Cemetery.
Mrs. Wiyrick, who died Monday, was born in La Plata, Mo.
She and her husband, Millard Wiyrick, moved to Spokane in 1965. She had lived in Chewelah for the past three years.
Her husband died in 1970.
She is survived by one son, Fred Wiyrick of Springdale, Wash.; one daughter, Mildred Haller of Chewelah; 16 grandchildren, 27 greatgrandchildren, numerous great-greatgrandchildren and one great-greatgreat-granddaughter.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society.
Eva Stark Spokane
Private family services will be held at a later date for Eva Pratt Stark, 85. Ball and Dodd Funeral Home-South is in charge of cremation.
Born in Custer City, S.D., Mrs. Stark died Thursday.
She had lived in Spokane from 1920 until 1970 and owned a beauty shop during the 1950s.
She moved to Apache Junction, Ariz., and returned to Spokane in 1991.
Her first husband, Bud Pratt, and her second husband, V. Stark, preceded her in death.
She is survived by one brother, Charles Pyne of Spokane; and one stepsister, Marian Jensen of Apache Junction.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association.
, DataTimes