Obituaries
Leora Fehlman Coeur d’Alene
Service for Leora Maida Fehlman, 80, will be today at 11 a.m. at the Coeur d’Alene Seventh-day Adventist Church. Burial will take place at Prairie View Cemetery. Coeur d’Alene Memorial Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Fehlman, who was born in North Dakota, died Monday.
She attended Union College in North Dakota and worked as a school teacher before working for the U.S. Forest Service. She retired from the Forest Service and lived in Washington, Alaska, Arizona and Utah before moving to Coeur d’Alene 13 years ago.
Survivors include a daughter, Edie Cutting of Coeur d’Alene; two stepdaughters; seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
George Miller Colfax, Wash.
Service for George Martin Miller, 80, was Wednesday at Garfield (Wash.) United Methodist Church. Burial will follow at Colfax Cemetery.
Mr. Miller, a longtime Colfax resident, died Friday.
He was born in Albion, Wash.
He graduated from Washington State College with a degree in agricultural engineering and in 1940, married Gertrude Haight.
He worked for the Farm and Home Security Administration in Wenatchee for a year and then worked for Boeing in Seattle during World War II.
He returned to Garfield following the war and farmed until he retired in 1992. He received a Conservation Farmer award in 1962 and was a member of the LaDow Grange.
Mr. Miller had served on the local, district and state school boards, the board of directors of Deaconess Hospital and the Garfield Clinic board. He was a member of Garfield United Methodist Church and received the Bishop’s Award from Bishop Calvin McConnell when he retired from conference level ministry in the church.
He was also active in the Republican party at the precinct and county levels, and was a charter member of the Garfield Lions Club.
He sang as a tenor with the Merry Wives and Squires, and also sang with the Pullman-Moscow Chorale and the local church choir, which he directed for several years.
He and his wife moved to Colfax in 1992. She died in 1995.
He is survived by a daughter, Jan Abrams of Cheney; two grandchildren and a great-grandchild.
Memorial contributions may be made to the church.
Virginia Wakefield Spokane
Memorial service for Virginia A. Wakefield, 79, will be at 11 a.m. Friday at Heritage Funeral Home. Her son-in-law, the Rev. Randall Steele, will officiate.
Mrs. Wakefield, who died Tuesday, was born in Reubens, Idaho. She graduated from high school in Endicott, Wash., and attended the University of Idaho. She had lived in Spokane for more than 60.
She was active in several community organizations including the Silver Spurs, March of Dimes, Spokane Exchangettes and was a Republican precinct committeewoman.
She is survived by her husband of 61 years, Victor Wakefield; two daughters, Jane Wakefield-Miritello of Seattle and Ann Steele of McMinnville, Ore.; a son, Russell Wakefield of Eugene, Ore.; and four grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to Shriner’s Hospital or the Spokane Exchange Club Foundation.
Gus Girnus Chewelah, Wash.
Graveside service for Gus Girnus, 84, will be at 2 p.m. today at Chewelah Memorial Park. Schanzenbach Funeral Home in Chewelah is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Girnus, who was born in Havre, Mont., died Monday.
He had lived in Chewelah since 1933 and worked for the Chewelah School District for 30 years, retiring in 1972. He operated the Big G Rock Shop for the past 28 years.
Mr. Girnus is survived by his wife of 60 years, Shirley; a son, Gus Girnus Jr. of Chewelah; two daughters, Goldia Salzman of Spokane and Janet Schoenberg of Chewelah; two brothers, Bill and Walt Girnus, both of Spokane; three sisters, Gloria Maier of Ritzville, Wash., Dolores McCormick of Oregon and Rosemary Mobbs of Arkansas; 14 grandchildren, 20 great-grandchildren and six stepgreat-grandchildren.
Doug McCray Spokane
Memorial service for Douglas Lee McCray, 47, a high school counselor and track coach, will be at 3:30 p.m. Friday at First Church of the Nazarene. Ball and Dodd Funeral Home-North is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. McCray, who died Monday at Priest Lake, Idaho, was born in Spokane.
He graduated from Shadle Park High School, Spokane Falls Community College and Washington State University.
He worked in Colfax, Wash., from 1971 to 1976 as a police officer and also served as assistant police chief.
In 1976, he moved to Coeur d’Alene where he taught social studies and coached football and girls basketball at Canfield Junior High School. He also coached varsity football and track at Coeur d’Alene High School.
He completed a master’s degree in counseling at Whitworth College in 1985, and in 1986 began teaching and coaching at Mead High School. He was one of the originators of the Mead Alternative High School.
He returned to Shadle Park High School in 1992 as a counselor and assistant track coach.
Mr. McCray was a member of First Church of the Nazarene.
He is survived by his wife of 25 years, Barbara McCray; two daughters, Erika and Allison McCray, both at home; his mother, Katharine McCray of Spokane; two brothers, Richard McCray of Colfax and Robert McCray of Spokane; and a sister, Joan Leach of Spokane.
Memorial contributions may be made to the church building fund.
Johnnie Hiatt Spokane
Visitation for Johnnie W. Hiatt, 76, is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. today at Ball and Dodd Funeral Home-South. Service will be at 2 p.m. Friday at the funeral home with burial at Greenwood Memorial Terrace.
Mr. Hiatt, who died Sunday, was born in Ackworth, N.D.
He served as a medic in the Army during World War II.
He came to Spokane in 1951 and worked as a furnace fireman for Kaiser Aluminum in Trentwood for 30 years. He retired in 1983.
Mr. Hiatt was a member of the Spokane Valley Eagles Lodge.
His wife, Carrie, died in 1973.
He is survived by his wife of 17 years, Barbara Hiatt; three daughters, Peggy Lockwood of St. Maries, Diana Thrasher of Spokane and Audrey Sims of Kent, Wash.; three stepdaughters, Beatrice Berge of Spokane, and Patricia Foster and Rebecca Palahnuik, both of Veradale; two sons, Rodger Hiatt of Texas and Jack Hiatt of Spokane; two stepsons, Joseph Heaton of Otis Orchards and Michael Palahnuik of Veradale; six sisters, Violet House of Renton, Wash., Esther McCallie of Spokane, Elvina Thompson of Landa, N.D., Ena Birkland of Seattle, and Leola Lagerquist and Nettie Peterson, both of Dunseith, N.D.; two brothers, Harry Hiatt of Sequim, Wash., and Ike Hiatt of St. John, N.D.; 17 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren.
Elizabeth Randall Spokane
Visitation for Elizabeth Inez Randall, 83, is scheduled from noon to 9 p.m. today at Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home. Service is set for 1 p.m. Friday at Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home. Burial will be at Fairmount Memorial Park.
Mrs. Randall, who was born in Alberton, Mont., died Sunday. She had worked in a creamery and was a 55-year Spokane resident.
Mrs. Randall is survived by three daughters, Susan Hansen of Spokane, Lillian Longhofer of Deer Park and Miriam McKim of Prichard, Idaho; two sons, Terry Randall of Spokane and Frank Randall of Memphis, Tenn.; a sister, Susie Vincent of Plains, Mont.; a brother, Mortimer Bacon of Alberton, Mont.; 12 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Multiple Sclerosis Society.
Richard McMahon Spokane
Memorial Mass for Richard J. McMahon, 64, is planned for 10 a.m. Friday at The Cathedral of Our Lady of Lourdes. Burial will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery. Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. McMahon died March 27.
He was a lifetime Spokane resident and worked as a department store clerk.
He is survived by a brother, Jerry McMahon of Spokane; and two sisters, Joan Day of Tacoma and Sheila Peck of Downey, Calif.
Elmo Tanneberg Coulee City, Wash.
Visitation for Elmo Tanneberg, 83, is scheduled from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. today at Kayser’s Chapel of Memories in Moses Lake. Service will be at 11 a.m. Friday at Coulee City Presbyterian Church. Burial will follow at Valley View Memorial Park in Soap Lake, Wash.
Mr. Tanneberg, who was born in Coulee City, died Monday.
He graduated from Coulee City High School and then worked as a boat pilot for the Chelan Boat Company.
In 1941, he married Vesta Schultz in Spokane and they settled on his family’s farm in the St. Andrews, Wash., area. They farmed until he retired in 1977.
He was a member of the St. Andrews Grange, the Washington Association of Wheat Growers and the Coulee (Cenex) Co-op. He had served as director of the Central Washington Grain Growers Association and on the board of the Coulee City School District.
The popular wheat variety, Eltan, was named in his honor by Washington State University.
Survivors include his wife; two sons, Larry and Jerry Tanneberg, both of Coulee City; a daughter, Colleen Long of Ephrata, Wash.; a sister, Mary Pat Brown of Coulee City; seven grandchildren and 13 greatgrandchildren.
Ray Snider Spokane
Service for Ray N. Snider, 78, will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home. There will be private burial at Fairmount Memorial Park.
Mr. Snider, who was born in Kooskia, Idaho, died Tuesday.
He was a 60-year Spokane resident and, before joining the Navy, worked at the Davenport Hotel as a waiter.
He served as a mechanic in the Navy during World War II. Following the war, he worked as a civilian for the 92nd field maintenance squadron from 1946 until he retired in the late 1970s. He also served during the Korean War.
Mr. Snider was a member of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 51 and the Pages of Harmony. He had also served as a cub scout and boy scout leader in the Audubon district for 28 years.
Survivors include his wife of 50 years, Lois Snider; four sons, Larry, Wayne and Curtis Snider, all of Spokane, and Neil Snider of Wasilla, Alaska; a brother, Lloyd Snider of Seattle.; two sisters, Marie Hendrickson of Lewiston and Jean Lavonne of Florida; and five grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Boys Scouts of America Inland Northwest Council.
Clyde Leach Portland
Service for Clyde William Leach, 68, will be held at 1 p.m. at Coffelt’s Moon Chapel in Sandpoint. Interment will take place at Lakeview Cemetery. Coffelt Funeral Service in Sandpoint is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Leach, who was born in Sandpoint, died Tuesday.
He moved to Ione, Wash., in 1935 and attended schools there.
Mr. Leach later worked in the mines and cement plant in Metaline Falls, Wash., and drove a logging truck.
He went to work as a welder at the Caterpillar foundries in Portland in 1960, retiring due to health reasons in 1985.
Survivors include a close friend, Shirley Bottoms, of Portland; six children, Bruce and Gordon Leach, both of Portland, Marvin Leach of Tennessee, Keith Leach and Annette Wiseman, both of Spokane, and Kathryne Bottoms of Portland; two sisters, Ida Fleetwood of Idaho and Bessie Darrell of Oregon; 15 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Cecelia Van Buren Spokane
Visitation for Cecelia E. Van Buren, 86, is scheduled from 2 to 8 p.m. today at Thornhill Valley Funeral Home. Funeral Mass is set for 10 a.m. Friday at St. John Vianney Catholic Church. Burial will be at Holy Cross Cemetery.
Mrs. Van Buren, who died Sunday, was born in Butte, Mont., and was a 40-year Spokane resident.
In Montana, she was a member of a group of women called Daredevils, who jumped from airplanes. She had also participated in rodeos, operated a rooming house and worked as a nurses aide for the Providence Sisters at Mount St. Joseph’s Convent in Spokane.
Mrs. Van Buren is survived by a son, Tom Niland and a daughter, Pat Schoenberger, both of Spokane; two brothers, George Stepan of Cypress, Calif., and Martin Stepan of Anaconda, Mont; six grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
Eva Beauchene Spokane
Memorial service for Eva Helen Beauchene, 84, is planned for 11 a.m. Saturday at Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home Born in Astoria, Ore., and a 55-year Spokane resident, Mrs. Beauchene died Friday. She worked as a cashier for J.C. Penney for 23 years.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Oscar Nelson. She is survived by three daughters, Margie Skantel of Kellogg, Shirley Michel of Port Townsend, Wash., and Julie Kees of Spokane; two sons, Ronald and Byron Beauchene, both of Canada; a sister, Ester Ricketts of Prichard, Idaho; nine grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren.
Merelle MacDonald Harrington, Wash.
Scripture service for Merelle (Jacoby) MacDonald, 84, will be at 7 p.m. today at St. Francis Catholic Church in Harrington. Service is planned for 11 a.m. Friday at the church with burial at Hillcrest Cemetery in Harrington. Strate Funeral Home in Davenport, Wash., is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. MacDonald, 84, died Monday.
She was born in Wisconsin and was a 50-year Harrington resident.
She graduated from Bonners Ferry, Idaho, High School and Kinman Business College.
She retired from McCartney Insurance in Harrington.
Mrs. MacDonald was a member of the St. Francis Altar Society.
Her husband, K.B. “Heavy” MacDonald, died in 1965.
Survivors include a daughter, Janet Biggart of Seattle; three grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society or the Northwest Kidney Foundation.
Robert Deno Keller, Wash.
Graveside service for Robert L. Deno, 72, is planned for 11 a.m. Saturday at Kewa Cemetery near Inchelium, Wash. Strate Funeral Home in Grand Coulee, is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Deno, who died Monday, was born in Tensed, Idaho.
He was a member of the Coeur d’Alene Tribe and had worked as a truck driver in construction and had farmed in Lind, Wash. He moved to Keller 16 years ago from Lind.
Mr. Deno served in the Army during World War II.
He married Ella Mae Beardslee in Lovelock, Nev., in 1967.
Survivors include his wife; two sons, Robert and Mike Deno; three stepsons, Melvin, Paul and Jesse Judd; a stepdaughter, Arlete Davis; a brother, Glenn Deno of Spokane; five sisters, Louella Vallmer, Pearl Flemming and Eileen Salter, all of Spokane, Ruth Hainline of Richland and Dorothy Massingale of Loon Lake, Wash.
John ‘Jack’ O’Brien Spokane
No service will be held for John E. “Jack” O’Brien, 73, at his request. Heritage Funeral Home is in charge of cremation.
Mr. O’Brien, who died Sunday, was born in Detroit and had lived in Spokane for 28 years.
He served in the Army Air Force during World War II and received a presidential citation and the Distinguished Flying Cross.
Mr. O’Brien worked as a real estate certified public accountant for Alvin J. Wolfe and James S. Black.
Mr. O’Brien is survived by his wife of 27 years, Joan O’Brien; a daughter, Jacklynn Kortmeyer of The Colony, Texas; two stepsons, Bruce Susinger of Homer, Alaska, and Ron Susinger of Spokane; nine grandchildren and many great-grandchildren.
Lillian Hopkins Spokane
No service will be held for Lillian J. Hopkins, 83, at her request. Thornhill Valley Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Hopkins, who died Sunday, was born in Pullman and graduated from high school there.
She worked as a dental hygienist in Pullman until she moved to Spokane in 1942.
In Spokane, she worked for the American Red Cross and Spokane County Health Department for many years.
She had also worked for Drs. Jones and Saxon until she retired.
Mrs. Hopkins was a member of the Inland Empire Beagle Club.
Her husband, Glenn Hopkins, D.V.M., died in 1986.
She is survived by a brother, Glen Crandall Jr., of Spokane.
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