Obituaries
Glenn Lynam Medical Lake
Visitation for Glenn C. Lynam, 73, is scheduled from 4 to 8 p.m. today at Ball and Dodd Medical Lake Funeral Home. Service is planned for 11 a.m. Friday at Medical Lake Community Church. Burial will be at Spokane Memorial Gardens.
Born in Greybull, Wyo., Mr. Lynam died Monday.
He served in the Navy for four years and graduated from the University of Idaho.
He retired as a federal auditor for the Air Force Audit Agency in 1982.
Mr. Lynam was a member of Medical Lake Community Church, Medical Lake Lions Club and the National Association of Retired Federal Employees.
Survivors include his wife of 49 years, Helen Lynam; two daughters, Carol Bush of Richland and Katherine Allen of Spokane; two sons, Bob Lynam of Roseville, Minn., and Mark Lynam of Rio Rancho, N.M.; three brothers, John, Fred and Joe; four sisters, Harriet, Mary, Kitty and Martha Leigh; and eight grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to Child Evangelism Fellowship, P.O. Box 6594, Kennewick, WA 99336, or the American Heart Association.
Mary ‘Megan’ Giffin Spokane
Funeral Mass for Mary “Megan” Giffin, 41, is planned for 9 a.m. today at St. Paschal Catholic Church. Burial will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery. Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Giffin, who died Sunday, was born in Spokane.
She was an elementary school teacher for the Spokane Catholic Diocese and was a member of the Washington State Teachers Association.
She was active with the Inland Empire Catholic Charismatic Renewal and was a member of St. Paschal Catholic Church.
Mrs. Giffin is survived by her husband, William Giffin; her parents, Phillip “Mike” and Antoinette O’Neill of Spokane; two brothers, Collin O’Neill of Soldatna, Alaska, and Shawn O’Neill of Renton, Wash., and a sister, Maureen Crawford of Port Orchard, Wash.
Memorial contributions may be made to Catholic Charities.
Lila Smyth Spokane
Visitation for Lila E. Smyth, 77, is scheduled from noon to 8 p.m. today at Thornhill Valley Funeral Home. Service will be at 1 p.m. Friday at the funeral home. Burial will be at Greenwood Memorial Terrace.
Mrs. Smyth died Sunday.
Born in Gull Lake, Saskatchewan, she was raised in Spokane and attended North Central High School.
She worked for Dean Avenue Groceries and the Gold Coin as a clerk for more than 20 years, retiring in 1967.
She was involved in the founding of the Spokane Guilds’ School.
She spent summer months at Priest Lake, Idaho.
Her husband of 60 years, Charles Smyth, died in May.
Survivors include a son, John Smyth of Seattle; three daughters, Pat Bentley, Sharon Farnham-Benner and Sandra Campbell, all of Spokane; a sister, Dorothy Bensel of Arizona; five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. Memorial contributions may be made to the Wishing Star Foundation or to the Alzheimer’s Association, 5125 N. Market, Spokane, WA 99207.
George Tschoepe Troy, Mont.
Service for George Hermann Tschoepe, 84, will be Friday at 11 a.m. at Bonners Ferry (Idaho) Funeral Home. Mr. Tschoepe, who was born in Germany, died Sunday.
He served in the German armed forces during World War II and was captured in 1945 by the Russian military. He served 3-1/2 years in a Siberian prison camp.
Mr. Tschoepe immigrated to the United States in 1959, settling in California. He moved to Bonners Ferry in 1968 and owned a Volkswagen repair shop.
His health recently forced him to move to Troy.
Mr. Tschoepe was a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Bonners Ferry.
Survivors include his wife of 58 years, Anna; a son, Walter Tschoepe of Bonners Ferry; a sister, Lisa Scheurle of Germany; two grandsons and a granddaughter.
Marie (Powers) Holgren Spokane
Vigil service for Marie (Powers) Holgren will be held at 7 p.m. today at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church. Funeral Mass will be at 10 a.m. Friday at the church. Burial will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery.
Born in Chicago, Mrs. Holgren died Monday.
She was a longtime Spokane resident and was an actress with the Franciscan Players in the 1920s.
She was a member of St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, the Legion of Mary and St. Cecilia’s Guild.
Her husband, Philip Holgren, died in 1976.
She is survived by a son, John Holgren of Edgewood, Wash.; two daughters, Carol Holgren of Richardson, Texas, and Mariana Stapleton of Fullerton, Calif.; 10 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Poor Clare Nuns or Hospice of Spokane.
Helen (Pederson) Barnes Spokane
Service for Helen Irene (Pederson) Barnes, 77, will be at 11 a.m. Friday at the 11th Ward Chapel of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Burial will be at Fairmount Memorial Park. Ball and Dodd Funeral Home-North is in charge of arrangements.
Born in Great Falls, Mont., Mrs. Barnes died Tuesday.
She retired in 1989 from the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, where she had worked for 24 years in the Dietetic Services Department.
She was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and served as ward Relief Society President. She was also a member of the Sons of Norway.
Her husband of 62 years, Richard Barnes, died in 1995.
Mrs. Barnes is survived by a sister, Anna Heikkila of Great Falls; three daughters, Darlene Kelly of Provo, Utah, Virginia Shouse of Sedro Woolley, Wash., and Patricia Gates of Spokane; two sons, David Barnes of Otis Orchards and Thomas Barnes of Spokane; 21 grandchildren, 22 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandson.
Memorial contributions may be made to Cancer Patient Care.
Joan (Kellom) DeStefano Spokane
Service for Joan L. (Kellom) DeStefano, 67, will be at 1:30 p.m. Friday at Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home. Cremation will follow the service.
Mrs. DeStefano, a lifetime Spokane resident, died Monday.
She graduated from North Central High School and worked for Hanson and Parr Construction Co. as a bookkeeper.
She is survived by her husband of 47 years, Tony DeStefano of Spokane; a son, James DeStefano of Spokane; three daughters, Connie Hansen and Deborah Bassen, both of Spokane, and Toni Jo Hopkins of Richmond, Ky.; a sister, Donna Chafee of Spokane; 11 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to Anna Ogden Hall.
Arthur Beauchamp Spokane
Memorial service for Arthur E. Beauchamp, 88, is set for 11 a.m. Friday at Liberty Lake Community Church. Thornhill Valley Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Beauchamp, who died Monday, was born in Olga, N.D.
He worked as a carpenter and had lived in Spokane since moving from North Dakota in 1954.
Survivors include his wife of 57 years, Marie (Hiebert) Beauchamp; four sons, Wayne, Dale and Ron Beauchamp, all of Spokane, and Marv Beauchamp of Mount Vernon, Wash.; four daughters, Ann Nap of Yuma, Ariz., and Diana Rasmussen, Trudi Brown and Bette Wilhelm, all of Spokane; a brother, Ed Beauchamp of Spokane; a sister, Alyce Hiebert of Kalamazoo, Mich.; 24 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Heart Association.
William Tanner Spokane
Service for William Christian Tanner, 94, is planned for 2:30 p.m. Friday at Ball and Dodd Funeral Home-North. Burial will be at Moran Prairie Cemetery.
Mr. Tanner died Monday while visiting his daughter in California.
He was born in Spokane.
He worked for the Buick automobile company for more than 40 years, starting with Eldridge Buick Co., at First and Cedar, in 1926.
He lived on the family farm, eight miles out of town, until 1931, when he moved into Spokane.
He is survived by a daughter, Joyce Bratton of Newhall, Calif.; four granddaughters and eight great-grandchildren.
Leslie Zimmerman Cheney
Service for Leslie E. Zimmerman, 89, will be at 2 p.m. Friday at Ball and Dodd Funeral Home-Cheney. Private burial will be at Spokane Memorial Gardens.
Mr. Zimmerman, who died Monday, was born in Crete, Neb.
He attended Doane College in Crete and operated a variety store in Nebraska.
He moved to the Cheney area in 1948 and operated the Ben Franklin in Cheney from 1948 to 1968.
He was a member of the Cheney Lions Club and Cheney Community Church.
His wife of 55 years, Lorna Zimmerman, died in 1988.
He is survived by two sons, Larry Zimmerman of Colfax, Wash., and Roger Zimmerman of Cheney; a sister, Ruth Richardson of Wilbur, Neb.; nine grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. Memorial contributions may be made to Cheney Community Church.
Arthur Pharness Spokane
Memorial service for Arthur M. Pharness, 84, will be at 2 p.m. Friday at Sunset Chapel at Fairmount Memorial Park. Ball and Dodd Funeral Home-North is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Pharness, who died Friday, was born in Minneapolis.
He moved to Plummer, Idaho, and lived there from 1936 to 1956. He then moved to Spokane and worked as a welder for Welders Andrews Equipment Co. He retired in 1974.
His wife, Metta Pharness, died in 1992.
He is survived by three brothers, Leslie Pharness of Elk, Weslie Pharness of Spokane and Wallace Pharness of Marshall, Wash.; and two sisters, Madaline Rieley, of Fair Oaks, Calif., and Evelyn Hamers of Elk.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, 5125 N. Market St., Spokane, WA 99207.
James Wilber Deer Park
Memorial service for James B. “Jim” Wilber, a lifetime Spokane resident, will be at 12:30 p.m. Friday at Riplinger Funeral Home.
Mr. Wilber, a retired barber, died Monday. He was 64.
He worked as a barber from 1957 to 1988 for various shops and later owned Jim’s Barber Shop on North Monroe for several years.
He was a member of the Deer Park and Spokane Eagles Lodges.
He is survived by his wife of 45 years, Mildred Wilber; a daughter, Kathy McVey of Spokane; a son, Terry Wilber of Spokane; a sister, Vernal Mackie and a brother, Bob Wilber, both of Spokane; four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society or Hospice of Spokane.
Bertha Johnson Spokane
Memorial service for Bertha H. Johnson, 83, was Wednesday at First Covenant Church. Burial was at Fairmount Memorial Park.
Mrs. Johnson died Nov. 27 in Scottsdale, Ariz., where she had lived for two years.
She was born in Firesteel, S.D.
She graduated from Pacific Lutheran College in Tacoma.
She had lived in Spokane since 1953, after moving here from Yakima. She worked at Finch Kindergarten in Spokane from 1956 to 1973, when she retired.
Mrs. Johnson was a member of First Covenant Church and Bible Study Fellowship.
Her husband of 54 years, Jasper Johnson, died in 1994.
She is survived by two sons, Ivan Johnson of Moorhead, Minn., and David Johnson of Ephrata, Wash.; a daughter, Dianne Brouwer of Scottsdale; two brothers, Morris Larson of Rapid City, S.D., and Robert Larson of Mobridge, S.D.; two sisters, Doris Travis of Mobridge and Donna Petersen of Thousand Oaks, Calif.; nine grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
Memorial contributions may be made to the church.
Richard Walters Spokane
Memorial service for Richard Allen Walters, 39, will be at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at the Iron Workers Union Hall. Burial will precede at Glacier Memorial Gardens in Kalispell, Mont. Buffalo Hill Funeral Home in Kalispell is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Walters, 39, died Nov. 22 at home from a seizure.
He was born in Great Falls, Mont., and moved to Kalispell when he was young.
He moved to Wilbur, Wash., with his family and graduated from Wilbur High School and then moved to Spokane in 1976 and went to work as an iron worker. He was a member of Iron Workers Union No. 14.
He is survived by his mother, Delores Walters of Kalispell; two brothers, Lyle Walters of Kelso, Wash., and Edward Walters of Redwood City, Calif.; and a sister, Candace Smith of Kelso.
Memorial contributions may be made to Candle Lighters, P.O. Box 7489, Spokane, WA 99207.
Myron ‘Mike’ Riggins Spokane
Service for Myron L. “Mike” Riggins, 97, will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at Riplinger Funeral Home. Cremation will follow the service.
Mr. Riggins, a longtime Spokane resident, died Monday.
He was born in Bladen, Neb.
He retired from The SpokesmanReview in 1974 after 36 years as a printer.
He was the oldest member of the Spokane Falls Typographical Union, and was a 60-year member of the Boy Scouts of America. He received the Silver Beaver Award, the St. George Award and the Silver Pelican Award.
He was also a member of St. Aloysius Parish and a former member of the St. Vincent DePaul Society.
Mr. Riggins was a World War I Army veteran and was a member of the American Legion Post No. 9.
He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Loretta; three sons, Jack and Lynn Riggins, both of Nine Mile Falls, and Pat Riggins of Spokane; five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Mildred Nickeson Spokane
Memorial service for Mildred Muriel Nickeson, 87, is planned for 1 p.m. Saturday at Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home. Inurnment will be at Fairmount Memorial Park.
Mrs. Nickeson, who died Monday, was a lifetime Spokane resident. She was a member of Central Baptist Church and the Veterans of Foreign Wars No. 51 Ladies Auxiliary.
Her husband, L.H. “Pal” Nickeson, preceded her in death.
She is survived by a son, Gary Nickeson of Spokane; two daughters, Marjorie Pratt and Mary Lou Mueller, both of Spokane; a brother, Frank Russell, and a sister, Alice Lockhert, both of Spokane; three grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Shriners Hospital for Children.
Hazel Wildey Spokane
Memorial service for Hazel H. Wildey, 89, will be at 2 p.m. Saturday at Westminster Congregational United Church of Christ. Ball and Dodd Funeral Home-South is in charge of arrangements.
Born in Fairfield, Mrs. Wildey died Friday.
She graduated from Washington State College with a teaching degree and worked as a teacher.
She had lived in Spokane since 1935 and was a member of Westminster Congregational United Church of Christ.
Her husband, Walter Wildey, died in 1989.
She is survived by a son, Ronald Wildey of Spokane; two sisters, Verna Moss and Marjorie Stender, both of Seattle; three grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the church.
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