Obituaries
Richard Baker Spokane
Service for Richard A. Baker, 84, will be at 1 p.m. Saturday at Thornhill Valley Funeral Home. Burial will be at Spokane Memorial Gardens.
Mr. Baker, who died Tuesday, was born in Eagle Grove, Iowa.
He grew up in Grays Harbor, Wash., and came to Spokane in 1936.
In 1939, he married June Travis in Coeur d’Alene.
He worked as an electrician for the oil refinery in Hillyard and then coowned and operated a service station and garage in Trentwood from 1946 until 1975, when he retired.
He was a member of the Chewelah Masonic Lodge and the Scottish Rite.
He is survived by his wife; a daughter, Virginia Davis of Gig Harbor, Wash.; and two grandsons.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Shriners Hospital for Children.
Lena (Pirello) Orrino Spokane
Service for Lena Pirello Orrino, 87, is set for 11 a.m. Saturday at Holy Cross Cemetery Chapel. Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Orrino died Wednesday.
She was born in Greenacres and was a lifetime Spokane resident.
She was a homemaker and a member of St. Patrick Catholic Church.
Her husband, Albert Orrino, died in 1991.
She is survived by two sons, Ken and Angelo Orrino, both of Spokane; a daughter, Karen Geraghty of Spokane; four brothers, Andy Pirello of Seattle, and Charles, Wirt and Frank Pirello, all of Spokane; two sisters, Josephine Rizzi of Portland and Mary Pignanelli of Arbor, Wash.; six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Margaret Davidson Spokane
Vigil service for Margaret A. “Peggy” Davidson, is planned for 5 p.m. today at Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home. Memorial Mass will be at 8 a.m. Saturday at St. Aloysius Catholic Church with inurnment to follow at Holy Cross Cemetery.
Mrs. Davidson, 70, died Tuesday in Grand Coulee, Wash., where she had lived for the past nine months.
She was born in Sioux Falls, S.D., and had lived in Spokane for 40 years before moving to Grand Coulee.
She was a member of St. Aloysius Catholic Church and the American Association of Retired Persons and was a former member of the church Altar Society. She was also a volunteer with the American Cancer Society drive.
Her husband, Ronald Davidson, died in 1991.
Survivors include five sons, James Davidson of Aurora, Colo., Winfield Davidson of Grand Coulee, Thomas and Duane Davidson, both of Seattle, and Fred Davidson of Mountlake Terrace, Wash.; two daughters, Jane Harty of Mountlake Terrace and Patricia Summers of Kennewick; a sister, Constance Wamsley of Polson, Mont.; 13 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, 5125 N. Market St., Spokane WA 99207.
Vera (Mullaley) Kerl Spokane
Memorial wake for Vera (Mullaley) Kerl, 66, will be at 11 a.m. Jan. 4 at the Priest River (Idaho) Veterans of Foreign Wars Hall. The cremated remains will be buried at Evergreen Cemetery in Priest River. The Cremation Society of Washington is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Kerl, who died Tuesday, was born on a farm near Wilcox, Saskatchewan.
She moved to Priest River as a child and graduated from Priest River High School.
She married Ted Kerl in 1959.
She worked for the Priest River Times until she moved to Spokane with her husband in 1964.
In Spokane she worked as a bookkeeper and office manager for Bud Brown Appliance until 1989.
Mrs. Kerl is survived by her husband of 37 years; a stepdaughter, Karen Newton of Eureka, Calif.; a sister, Eyola Veltri and three brothers, Emmet Mullaley, Alva “Rip” Mullaley, and Tim Mullaley, all of Priest River, and two grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to Priest River Restoration and Revitalization, Inc. PO Box 1284, Priest River, ID 83856 or to Hospice of Spokane.
Orin Lopeman Spokane
Service for Orin L. Lopeman, 75, will be at 11 a.m. Monday at Heritage Funeral Home. Burial will follow at Fairmount Memorial Park.
Mr. Lopeman, who died Wednesday, was born in Colorado Springs.
He served in the Navy during World War II and was discharged in Sydney, Australia. He graduated from Brisbane University in Australia.
He served as legal aide to Adm. Van Hook on the USS Missouri and was present when the Japanese signed their surrender on board the ship in 1945.
In 1958, he married Agnes Loskot in Superior, Mont.
Mr. Lopeman worked as a commercial artist in Spokane for more than 40 years and started Howard Street Signs, a sign-painting company, with a partner.
He also did paintings, mostly landscapes.
He was a member of Painters Union Local No. 269, Veterans of Foreign Wars No. 1735, and the Disabled American Veterans and was a charter member of Valley Fourth Memorial Church.
Survivors include his wife; three sons, Dale McGraw of Colorado Springs, Max Lopeman of Sydney and Gene Lopeman of Queensland, Australia; two daughters, Jodean Waters of Mesa, Ariz., and Karen Lopeman of Queensland; a stepdaughter, Cherilyn Anderson of Federal Way, Wash.; a sister, Dorothy Browne of Portland; 10 grandchildren; three stepgrandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Spokane or Maranatha Bible Church, P.O. Box 0323, Newman Lake, WA 99025.
Rodney Ekholm Spokane
Service for Rodney C. “Rod” Ekholm, 55, is set for 11 a.m. Saturday at Riplinger Funeral Home. Burial will follow at Peone Prairie Cemetery.
Mr. Ekholm, a lifetime Spokane resident, died Wednesday.
He graduated from Mead High School.
He worked as a deputy sheriff in Spokane County for 29 years and as a radio technician for 15 years with Fire District 9. He was also a volunteer for 39 years with Fire District 9.
He was a member of Eagles Lodge No. 2, was the Mead High School Band Wagon driver and was amateur radio operator KB7ZJI.
Mr. Ekholm is survived by his wife, Judith Ekholm; four daughters, Cherie and Allyson Ekholm and Susan Ayala, all of Spokane and Bekki-Jo Bayless of Bellevue, Wash.; a son, Rod Ekholm Jr. of Spokane; his mother, Eleanor Ekholm of Spokane; a brother, Donald Ekholm of Spokane; and one granddaughter.
Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Spokane or the Leukemia Aid Society of America, 1402 3rd Ave. Seattle, WA 98101.
Lee Cox Sandpoint
Service for Lee Cox, 82, will be held Saturday at 11 a.m. at the United Methodist Church in Sandpoint. Burial will follow at Pinecrest Memorial Park. Coffelt Funeral Service is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Cox, who was born in Kansas, died Tuesday.
He grew up in Witchita, Kan., and was an ice home delivery worker. He also had worked at an ice rink and played semipro hockey for the Wichita Flyers.
Mr. Cox worked for Boeing during World War II and later opened Cox Bros. Sundries in Wichita.
He moved to Sandpoint in 1950 and operated a meat packing plant, as well as Economy Grocery, until retiring in 1977.
After his retirement, he delivered flowers for Nieman’s Uptown Floral Shop.
Mr. Cox was a member of the Sandpoint United Methodist Church.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Roberta.
Survivors include two children, James Cox of Scotland and Linda Morton of Kettle Falls, Wash.; five grandchildren, three great-grandchildren; three stepgrandchildren and four stepgreat-grandchildren.
Joseph ‘Uncle Joe’ Doucet Spokane
Memorial service for Joseph “Uncle Joe” Doucet will be held at a later date.
Mr. Doucet, 90, died Dec. 11.
He was born in Quebec and had lived in the Spokane Valley for 65 years.
He served in the Army and worked for Kaiser Aluminum for 25 years. He retired in 1971.
Mr. Doucet is survived by numerous nieces and nephews.
, DataTimes