Obituaries
Richard Howard Spokane
Graveside service for Richard Lyle Howard, 71, will be held at 3 p.m. today in the Riverside Memorial Park Cemetery. The Cremation Society Of Washington is in charge of the arrangements and cremation.
Mr Howard, who was born in Ashtabula, Ohio, died Friday at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
He had lived in Spokane for 37 years.
Mr. Howard had worked as a salesman for 11 years for Variety Toy Sales and was the founder of ChemMark Chemical Co.
He had served in the Merchant Marine Service, the U.S. Army and the Army and Navy Reserves. During World War II, he served in both the European and Pacific theaters of operation.
He is survived by his wife, Leila Howard of Spokane; three sons, Dwight, Robert and Stephen Howard, all of Spokane; one sister, Alberta Magill of Painsville, Ohio; one brother, Arnold Howard of Conneaut, Ohio; and three grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society, or to the VA Medical Center.
Basima Farag Spokane
Service for Basima M. Farag, 62, is set for 2:30 p.m. today at Thornhill Valley Funeral Home. Burial will be at Pines Cemetery.
Mrs. Farag, who was born in Hosen, Jordan, died last Wednesday.
She moved to Spokane in 1963 from Lebanon and owned Bessie’s Cafe in Latah, Wash.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Faiez Farag in 1994.
Mrs. Farag is survived by her son, Wahid “J.D.” Farag of Spokane; one daughter, Carol Farag of San Diego; two sisters, Angela Azar and Badia Nimri, both of Spokane; and two brothers, Foad Elaimy of Spokane and Wadia Elaimy of New Orleans.
Daryl James Marlin, Wash.
Service for Daryl James, 49, is set for 11 a.m. today at the Grace Baptist Church, Wilson Creek, Wash. Burial will be at Marlin Cemetery. Strate Funeral Home in Odessa, Wash., is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. James, who was born in Odessa, died Saturday.
He graduated from Marlin High School in 1964.
He was self-employed and raised, bought and sold cattle in Marlin.
He is survived by two daughters, Jennifer James of Spokane and Jessica James of Cheney; one son, Jeffrey James of Marlin; his mother, Alethea James of Odessa; one brother, Orville James of Oregon City, Ore.; one sister, Janice Langehough of Kent, Wash.; a special friend, Kathy Cannon of Marlin; his children’s mother, Beverly James of Spokane; and four grandchildren.
Memorials may be made to the Daryl James Memorial Fund, c/o The Wheatland Bank, Odessa, WA 99159.
Ron Reopelle Spokane
Service for Ron Reopelle, 44, is set for 2 p.m. today at Ball & Dodd Funeral Home-North. Visitation was held Tuesday. Burial will follow at Elk Cemetery.
Mr. Reopelle, who was born in Spokane, died Thursday.
He had worked as a firefighter in Spokane County.
He is survived by his wife of 22 years, Jean Reopelle; two sons, Jason and Sean Reopelle, both of Spokane; his parents, Paul and Maxine Reopelle of Spokane; and one sister, Carolyn Cline of Deer Park.
Genevieve Duncan Portland
Service for Genevieve Duncan, 101, will be at 2 p.m. today at Brower-Wann Memorial Chapel in Lewiston. Burial will be at the Normal Hill Cemetery.
Born in Latah, Mrs. Duncan died Saturday.
She attended the University of Washington and obtained her teacher’s certificate at Lewiston Normal School.
She and her husband moved to Farmington, Wash., after their marriage in 1919. In 1962 they moved to Lewiston.
She moved to Portland after her husband, Harry, died in 1979.
She was a member of the Order of Eastern Star, the Order of the Nile, and various garden and social clubs.
Mrs. Duncan’s survivors are Robert S. Duncan of Port Ludlow, Wash., Joan Kinard of Portland, William Duncan of Tekoa, Wash., and Margaret Van Natter of Bothell, Wash.; 15 grandchildren and 23 greatgrandchildren.
Donations may be made to the Shriners Hospital for Crippled Children.
Oliver Pearsall Otis Orchards
Service for Oliver Pearsall is set for 10:30 a.m. today at Ball & Dodd Funeral Home-South. Graveside service will follow at 3:30 p.m. at Newport (Wash.) Cemetery. Visitation was held Tuesday.
Mr. Pearsall, who was born in Bellbuckle, Tenn., died Thursday.
In the 1940s, he founded Pearsall Motors in Newport.
He had been president of the Washington Fish and Wildlife Association during the 1950s.
He retired in 1964 and moved to Priest Lake, Idaho.
He was a member of Valley Assembly of God.
His first wife, Agnes died in 1967.
He is survived by his wife of 20 years, Alta Pearsall of Otis Orchards; one daughter, Jeannine Sanders of Southworth, Wash.; two sons, David Pearsall of Arlington, Wash., and John Pearsall of Portland; two stepdaughters, Joyce Rott of Boise and Sharon Dodge of Spokane; two half brothers, Larry Pearsall of Colorado, and Ramsey Pearsall of California; nine grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, nine stepgrandchildren; and 14 stepgreat-grandchildren.
Dorothy Coffman Spokane
Graveside service for Dorothy Chrystal Coffman, 84, will be held at Greenwood Cemetery at 2 p.m. today. The Cremation Society of Washington is in charge of the arrangements and cremation.
Mrs. Coffman who was born in Lexington, Minn., died Friday.
She grew up and attended schools in Spokane, and was a graduate of Lewis and Clark High School. She was a 1933 graduate of the Kinnman Business College. She had lived in Coeur d’Alene for 12 years before moving back to Spokane.
She is survived by her husband of 59 years, Bert E. Coffman; three grandchildren, six great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Spokane.
Earnest Woods Spokane
A gathering of family and friends was held at the Spokane Valley Eagles Tuesday for Earnest D. “Ernie” Woods, 60.
Mr. Woods, who was born in Alberta, Canada, died Saturday.
He moved to Bonners Ferry in 1963 and had worked for the Union Pacific Railroad for 43 years, the last few years as a conductor.
He was a 13-year resident of Spokane, and had been past president of the Bonners Ferry Jaycees, a Jaycees international senator and a master Mason in the Bonners Ferry Masonic Lodge. He was a member of the Idaho Scottish Rites Bodies, the Calam Shrine Temple in Lewiston and the Union Pacific Old-Timers Club.
He is survived by his wife of 11 years, Doris Woods; five daughters, Jodi Meddock of Mead, Kelly Sheldon of Post Falls, Wendy Adames of Fort Hood, Texas, and Gwen Giddens and Tamie Trotter, both of Spokane; four sons, Gary Woods of Spirit Lake, Idaho, Frank Trotter of Springfield, Ore., and Jim and Don Trotter, both of Spokane; his mother, Fern Woods, and one sister, Arlene Eskola, both of Spokane; one brother, Frank Woods; 15 grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Spokane or the Shriners Hospital for Crippled Children.
Charlotte Stowe Palmer, Alaska
Service for Charlotte Ann Stowe will begin at 2 p.m. today at Our Savior Lutheran Church, Pinehurst. Burial will be at Hunt Cemetery, Kingston, Idaho. Shoshone Funeral Service of Kellogg is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Stowe died Friday. She was raised in Kingston and, after her marriage to Wayne Stowe, she moved to Alaska. After retirement, they moved back to the Canyon area in Idaho. Following Mr. Stowe’s death in 1968, she moved to Alaska to live with her sister.
She was a member of Our Savior Lutheran Church of Pinehurst, Idaho, the Ladies of the Canyon Club, the Lady Eagles Auxiliary and the Women’s Bowling League.
Survivors include one son, Bill Harvey of Estancia, N.M.; one brother, Gene Nearing of Kingston; one sister, Harriet Smith of Palmer; six grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Alaska Children’s Service, 4600 Abbott Road, Anchorage, AK 99507.
James Ayers Spokane
Memorial service for James E. Ayers, M.D., 52, is set for 2 p.m. Thursday at Hazen & Jaeger Valley Funeral Home. Private cremation will be at Pines Cemetery.
Mr. Ayers, who was born in Broken Bow, Neb., died May 25, while vacationing with his family in Belize.
He was a graduate of the University of Nebraska Medical School.
He worked as a physician in the Army for four years. In 1973, he moved to Spokane and started a family practice in the Valley.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Elizabeth Waldo Ayers in 1991.
He is survived by two daughters, Amy Ayers and Andrea Ayers, both of Denver; his mother, Margaret Ayers of Broken Bow; and one brother, Jerry Ayers of Spokane.
Memorials contributions may be made to the Valley Hospital and Medical Center.
Richard Evans Spokane
No service will be held for Richard B. Evans, 91, at his request. Private cremation will be at Pines Cemetery.
Mr. Evans, a 90-year resident of Spokane, died Friday.
He was born in Cincinnati and moved to Spokane with his family when he was a child.
Mr. Evans had worked as a private contractor, building residential homes in the Spokane Valley for 30 years. He retired in 1970.
He was a member of the Spokane Valley Chamber of Commerce, the Valley Pioneers and the Washington State University Cougar Boosters.
His wife, Harriet, preceded him in death.
Survivors include one daughter, Virginia Wold of Corvallis, Ore.; one son, John Evans of Lacey, Wash.; nine grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Alta Biel Spokane
Service was held Tuesday for Alta F. Biel, 95. Burial was at Holy Cross Cemetery.
Mrs. Biel, who was born in Verdon, Neb., died Friday.
She had lived in Spokane since 1929, and was a member of St. Charles Parish.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Alvy, who died in 1993.
Mrs. Biel is survived by her son, Gary L. Coon of Alsea, Ore.; two grandchildren, six great-grandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren.
The family suggests memorial contributions be made to the American Heart Association.
Howard Mostek Sandpoint
Service for Howard Dean “Deano” Mostek,74, will be at 2 p.m. today at Coffelt’s Moon Chapel, Coeur d’Alene.
Mr. Mostek died Wednesday. He was born in Lusk, Wyo., grew up in Dover, Idaho, and graduated from Sandpoint High School.
He served in the Marine Corps during the Korean War. He worked for Pack River Lumber Co., in Dover and in maintenance on air bases in Alaska. He retired in 1982.
Mr. Mostek was a member of the Eagles Lodge and the Veterans of Foreign Wars. He enjoyed hunting and fishing.
Survivors include three sisters, Doris Evans of Dover, Helen Aguanno of Newark, N.J., and Vera Rheinschmidt of Richland.
Bernice Killin Spokane
Memorial service for Bernice R. Killin, 73, is set for 2 p.m. Saturday at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Cheney. Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Killin, who was born and raised in Spokane, died Friday.
She was a homemaker.
She was a member of Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Cheney, the Alpha Lambda Chapter of Beta Sigma Phi, and Chapter AJ of the Philathropic Education Organization.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Orland, in 1981.
She is survived by two daughters, Judith Killin of Spokane and Karen Wichman of Cheney; one son, Don Killin of Cheney; and one granddaughter.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Orland Killin Scholarship Program at Eastern Washington University, or Emmanuel Lutheran Church.
George Mandyke Spokane
Visitation for George Mandyke, 92, was held Monday and Tuesday. Burial was private.
Mr. Mandyke, who was born in Galeton, Penn., died Saturday.
Mr. Mandyke was a graduate of the Palmer College of Chiropractic.
He had lived in Spokane for 13 years and had worked as a chiropractor.
His wife, Helena Mandyke, preceded him in death.
He is survived by one son, Dave Mandyke of Spokane.
Orvel A. Reynolds Spokane
Visitation for Orvel A. Reynolds, 82, was Monday and Tuesday. Service was held Tuesday at Spokane Memorial Gardens.
Mr. Reynolds, who was born in Dawson County, Mont., died Friday.
He had lived in Spokane for 53 years and had worked as a carpenter.
He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Dorothy Reynolds; two sons, Orvel Lee Reynolds and Al H. Reynolds; numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Spokane.
Dale SiJohn Plummer, Idaho
Mass for Dale SiJohn will be at 10 a.m. today at Sacred Heart Mission Catholic Church, DeSmet, Idaho. Burial will follow at St. Michael’s Cemetery in Worley, Idaho. Yates-Hodge Funeral Home, St. Maries, is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. SiJohn died Saturday from injuries suffered in an automobile accident.
He was born in Clarkston, Wash., and grew up in Spokane. He married Stephanie Stiffonic in 1985 and they made their home in Orofino, Idaho. After their divorce in 1993, he made his home in Plummer.
He was a member of Sacred Heart Mission Catholic Church and the Coeur d’Alene Tribe.
Survivors include two sons, Nathan and Adam, and a daughter, Sarah, of Clarkston; his parents, Inez SiJohn of Plummer and Walter Broncheau of Pendleton, Ore.; two brothers, Robbie SiJohn and Tim Allen, both of Plummer; and six sisters, Tamara Tomaskin of DeSmet, Louella Sampson of Pendleton, Judith Smith of Plummer, Gena SiJohn of Spokane, Jolee Slickpoo of Seattle, and Lynette Scott of Wapato, Wash.
Lillian Rath-Gaine Coeur d’Alene
Service for Lillian Velma Rath-Gaine, 72, will be today at 10 a.m. at Yates Funeral Home, Coeur d’Alene.
Mrs. Rath-Gaine, who died Saturday, was born in Beaver Dam, Wis.
She married Borden Rath and moved to the Coeur d’Alene area in 1959. After working for Montgomery Ward and Albertson’s for many years, she retired in 1977. That same year Mr. Rath died. She married Clayton Gaine in 1979. He died in 1980.
She was a member of the Idaho Wildlife Federation, past president of Coeur d’Alene Wildlife Federation, director of Region One Citizens Against Poaching, and a member of the Coeur d’Alene Art Association and Phi Sigma Alpha.
She is survived by her friend of 15 years, Cliff Schnider; three sons, Arthur Haack of Madison, Wis., Robert Haack of Acworth, Ga., and Michael Rath of Vancouver, Wash.; two daughters, Velma Haack of Milwaukee and Patricia Haack of Madison; one brother, Robert Watzke of Milwaukee; and seven grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Coeur d’Alene Library, 201 Harrison Ave., Coeur d’Alene, ID 83814.
Margie Heberling Spokane
Vigil service was held Monday, and Funeral Mass was celebrated Tuesday for Margie M. Heberling, 78. Burial was at Ritzville (Wash.) Cemetery.
Mrs. Heberling, a 66-year Spokane resident, died Friday.
She was born in Lind, Wash.
She had been a member of St. Thomas More Catholic Church.
She is survived by one son, Craig Heberling, Spokane; one daughter, Sister Kay Heberling, S.N.J.M., of Seattle; one sister, Dorothy Seivers of Spokane; and three grandchildren.
The family suggests memorial contributions be made to the Holy Names Sisters Retirement Fund or Spokane Guilds’ School.