Obituaries
Donald Sperry Spokane
Memorial service for Donald R. Sperry, 86, will be at 3 p.m. Friday at Westminster Congregational Church. Ball and Dodd Funeral Home - South is in charge of arrangements. Mr. Sperry, who died Saturday, was born in Spokane. He graduated from Lewis and Clark High School in 1928 and attended the University of Idaho.
He was a partner in the AndreRomberg Insurance Agency and retired in 1975.
He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Lillian Sperry; one daughter, Judith Ellison of Springfield, Ore.; one son, David Sperry of Spokane; and five grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to Westminster Congregational Church.
John Seleen Spokane
Service for John A. Seleen, 85, will
be held at 1 p.m. today at Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home, followed by burial at Greenwood Memorial Terrace.
Mr. Seleen, who died Saturday, was born in Wilson Creek, Wash., and graduated from Wilson Creek High School as valedictorian. He was a 58-year resident of Spokane.
A World War II Army veteran, he worked for Spokane County as a bridge builder.
He was a member and deacon of Grace Baptist Church and was a member of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 51.
He is survived by his wife of 44 years, Florence Seleen; and several nieces and nephews.
Memorial contributions may be made to Grace Baptist Church.
Edward Thom Ritzville, Wash.
Service for Edward C. Thom, 89, will be at 11 a.m. Thursday at Emanuel Lutheran Church in Ritzville, followed by vault interment at Emanuel Lutheran Cemetery. Danekas Funeral Home in Ritzville is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Thom, who died Sunday, was a lifetime resident of Colville, Wash.
He owned and operated a dairy with his brother, Walter, for 10 years from 1930 to 1939. For over 40 years he lived on the Thom farm, where he raised wheat and cattle. He also drove a school bus for the Ritzville School District for about 17 years.
He was a member of Emanuel Lutheran Church and the Marcellus Grange.
He is survived by his wife, Lucille Thom; one daughter, Edlu Thom of Friendship, Md.; one son, Verlyn Geriene of Deming, N.M.; 10 grandchildren, 16 great-grandchildren, two great-great-grandchildren, and one brother, Peter Thom of Sandpoint.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Emanuel Lutheran Church.
Elsie Materne Spokane
Service for Elsie C. Materne, 94, will be at 11 a.m. Thursday at Riplinger Funeral Home, followed by burial at Greenwood Memorial Terrace Cemetery.
Mrs. Materne, who died Sunday, was born in Canby, Minn., and moved to Spokane as a small child.
A volunteer for the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, her memberships included St. David’s Episcopal Church and The 8 and 40 Club of the American Legion. She was also a Red Cross volunteer during World War II.
Her husband, Henry Materne, died in 1958.
She is survived by one son, Bob Materne of Spokane; one daughter, Wilma Brickner of Spokane; four grandchildren, ten great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren.
G. Keith Whiteman Coeur d’Alene
Service for G. Keith Whiteman, 69, will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday at Yates Funeral Home, Coeur d’Alene. Burial will follow at Coeur d’Alene Memorial Gardens.
Mr. Whiteman, who died Sunday at Kootenai Medical Center, was born in 1925 in Dudley, near Cataldo, Idaho. He graduated from Kingston High School.
He served in the Navy during World War II and after his discharge attended the University of Idaho.
He married Jacquelin Neustel in 1950 and they moved to Hayden Lake in 1963.
He worked at the family sawmill, Whiteman’s Lumber, near Cataldo, until its sale in 1988, when he retired.
He was a member of the Rose Lake Masonic Lodge, the Hayden Lake Little League, a former School District 271 board member and past president of Hayden Elementary Parent-Teacher Association.
He played college football, enjoyed camping, fishing, hunting, photography and woodworking.
Survivors include his wife at home; two sons, Greg Whiteman and Jim Whiteman of Hayden Lake; one daughter, Coleen Rich of Rathdrum; five sisters, Dorothy Kennedy of Grangeville, Idaho, Ethel Miller of Livingston, Mont., and Beryl Miller, Doris Groth and Sallie Hagman, all of Cataldo; and eight grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to North Idaho Cancer Center, in care of Kootenai Medical Center, or the Shriner’s Hospital, Spokane.
Helen Dubois Colville, Wash.
Service for Helen V. Dubois, 88, will be at 11 a.m. Thursday at the Colville First Congregational Church, followed by vault interment at Mountain View Park Cemetery Colville. Danekas Funeral Chapel in Colville is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Dubois, who died Sunday, was born in Orin, Wash., and graduated from Colville High School in 1925. A lifetime resident of Colville, she worked as bookkeeper at Barman’s Store for 28 years before retirement.
She was a member of the Stevens County Cowbells, the Narcisse Grange, the Lady Elks Club 12 and Stevens County Historical Society.
Her husband, Paul Dubois, died in 1983.
She is survived by numerous cousins.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Stevens County Historical Society.
Rox Alee Kerr Spokane
Private memorial service for Rox
Alee “Rocky” Kerr, 56, will be at a later date. Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home is in charge of cremation.
Mrs. Kerr, who died Friday, was born in Walla Walla and graduated from Walla Walla High School and Washington State University. A longtime resident of Spokane, she worked as a copy writer for radio and television stations in Seattle and Spokane, and Great Falls, Billings, and Missoula, Mont.
She was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta sorority.
She is survived by her husband of 28 years, James Kerr Sr.; three daughters, Patti Kerr and Linda Picard, both of Spokane, and Callie Palmer of Seattle; four sons, James Kerr Jr., Robert Palmer and Michael Kerr, all of Spokane, and Martin Palmer of Seattle; two brothers, Wayne “Mike” Martin of Kirkland, Wash., and Patrick Martin of Camano Island, Wash.; her aunt, Kate Brown of Spokane; and eight grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society.
Robert Leonard Post Falls
Memorial service for Robert H. Leonard, a former school superintendent, is set for 11 a.m. Friday at Calvary Lutheran Church in Post Falls. Yates Funeral Home, Coeur d’Alene, is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Leonard, 68, died Sunday at Kootenai Medical Center.
He was born in 1927 in Coeur d’Alene and graduated from Coeur d’Alene High School. He served in the Navy during World War II. After his discharge he attended North Idaho College and the University of Idaho. He received his Bachelor of Arts from Eastern State University and also received his master’s degree in School Administration.
He taught and was a principal in Post Falls and Hayden Lake. He was superintendent in Post Falls, Bonner County and Avery school districts.
He also worked for the Forest Service and the Lafferty Tugboat Co. on Lake Coeur d’Alene during many summers.
He loved the outdoors and enjoyed wood carving, rock collecting and polishing.
Mr. Leonard was past president of the Idaho State Superintendents Association, the Idaho High School Athletic Association, the State School Board Association and many others. He was a member of the Rotary Club, the Elks Lodge and the Lions Club.
Survivors include his wife, Joyce, at home; two sons, David Leonard of Vancouver, Wash., and Patrick Leonard of Hayden Lake, Idaho; one daughter, Marijo Guindon of Post Falls; two brothers, Jim Leonard of Coeur d’Alene and Jerry Leonard of Denver; two sisters, Shirley Murray of Priest Lake, Idaho, and Joan Thompson of Coeur d’Alene; and five grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Robert Leonard Scholarship Fund, in care of Post Falls High School, 16th and Williams, Post Falls, Idaho.
Alexander Cooper Spokane
Memorial service for Alexander W. Cooper, 82, will be at 2 p.m. Friday at the Sunset Mausoleum Chapel in Fairmount Memorial Park Cemetery. Riplinger Funeral Home is in charge of cremation.
Mr. Cooper, who died Saturday, was born in Murray, Idaho, and lived in Spokane for over 59 years.
He was a World War II Navy veteran, and worked as a plumber.
He was a member of the Disabled American Veterans No. 1 and Plumbers and Steamfitters Union Local No. 44.
He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Dorothy Cooper; one son, Kacey Cooper of Pullman; two grandchildren; and one sister, Beulah Donohue of Gresham, Ore.
Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Spokane or the American Cancer Society.
Chester Wagner Bonners Ferry, Idaho
Graveside service for Chester William Wagner, 93, will be held at 10 a.m. today at the Grandview Cemetery in Bonners Ferry.
Mr. Wagner died Friday at Southcrest Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Spokane.
He was born in 1901 in Wakonda, S.D., and in 1910 he moved with his family to Round Prairie, near Bonners Ferry.
In 1940 he moved to Spokane where he owned three service stations and worked as a mechanic. In 1983 he returned to Bonners Ferry.
He enjoyed playing the violin.
Survivors include two daughters, Dorothy Dieter of Spokane and Barbara Jacobsen of Redding, Calif.; one son, John Wagner of Cottonwood, Calif.; 13 grandchildren, 20 greatgrandchildren and one great-greatgrandchild.
Memorials may be made to the Bonners Ferry Senior Hospitality Center or to Ronald McDonald House, 1015 W. Fifth Ave., Spokane, WA 99204.
Victor Brady Mead
Memorial Mass for Victor C. Brady, 75, will be 11 a.m. today at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Colbert. Private inurnment will follow. HennesseySmith Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Bracy, who died Sunday, was a lifetime resident of Spokane and an Army veteran of World War II.
He was owner of Garland Furniture until 1972, then worked for Sears Roebuck & Co. until retiring in 1984.
He was a member of St. Joseph Parish in Colbert, Knights of Columbus, the North Spokane Rotary, the Elks Lodge and the Garland Avenue Business Association.
He is survived by his wife of 30 years, Irene Brady; three sons, Michael, Patrick and Greg Brady, all of Spokane; one daughter, Dawn BradyNeal of Spokane; five stepdaughters, Mary Tappe of Kennewick, Rene Johnson of Spokane, Robin Wharton of Bothell, Wash., Jamie Sue Crouch of Mead and Tracy Pleiss of Spokane; and eight grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to St. Joseph Catholic Church.
Frank VanDitto Spokane
Funeral Mass for Frank J. VanDitto, 70, will be at 10:30 a.m. today at Mary Queen Catholic Church. Burial will be at 1:30 p.m. at Holy Cross Cemetery. Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. VanDitto, who died Saturday, was a lifetime Spokane resident. He worked as an accountant for the city of Spokane.
He was a member of Mary Queen Parish and was involved with the Antonian School for Special Children, St. Anne’s Children’s Home and Davis Nursing Home.
He is survived by two brothers, Chuck and Paul VanDitto, both of Kellogg; two sisters, Mary Hester of Hayden Lake, Idaho, and Minnie D’Aprile of Spokane; and one foster brother, Frank Selzler of Spokane.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Spokane Food Bank.
Cyrus Wolff Spokane
Service for Cyrus H. Wolff, 87, will be Thursday at 2 p.m. at Sunset Mausoleum Chapel, followed by private burial at Fairmount Memorial Park. Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Wolff, who died Sunday, was born in Fort Benton, Mont., and was a 55-year Spokane resident. He retired from the Carpenters Union in 1974, then continued working with Wolff and Son Construction for 20 years.
He is survived his wife, Olga Wolff; two daughters, Corrine Dewey and Bonnie Aagard, both of Spokane; two sons, Gary Wolff of Laguna Hills, Calif., and Morris Wolff of Spokane; 13 grandchildren, 18 great-grandchildren, one sister and two brothers.
Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Spokane.
Georgia Anderson Coeur d’Alene
Service for Georgia A. Anderson, 87, is set for 1 p.m. today at Coeur d’Alene Memorial Funeral Home. Burial will follow at Coeur d’Alene Memorial Gardens.
Mrs. Anderson, who died Saturday in Coeur d’Alene, was born in 1907 in Edmore, N.D.
She was a member of the Worldwide Church of God.
Her husband, Archie, died in 1990.
Survivors include two brothers, Ervin McLain of Santa Rosa, Calif., and Charles McLain of Coeur d’Alene; one sister, Bergetta Moritz of Portland, Ore.