Obituaries

Emmett Nelson Spokane

Memorial service for Emmett H. Nelson, 81, will be at 2 p.m. Thursday at Manito Methodist Church. Ball and Dodd Funeral Home-South is in charge of the arrangements.

Mr. Nelson, who was born in Butte, Mont., died Saturday.

He graduated in 1934 from Butte High School.

Mr. Nelson served for six months in the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1935 and became an apprentice carpenter in 1936. In 1940, he became a journeyman carpenter.

He moved to Redmond, Ore., in 1943 and became a carpenter foreman for the construction of air bases in Redmond and Madras, Ore.

He married Shirley Watson in Redmond in 1943.

Mr. Nelson worked as a foreman, superintendent and district manager for H. Halvorson Inc. in Spokane.

In 1962 he went into the building contracting business as NOR-PAC Corp. Later, the name was changed to Nelson-Lydig Inc. He was a senior partner in that company.

He was a member of Manito United Methodist Church and was past president of the Inland Empire Chapter of Associated General Contractors, past president of the Builders Chapter of the Associated Contractors of America, past president of the Washington State Advisory Council for Vocational and Apprenticeship Training, and management representative to the Carpenters Apprenticeship Council and Pension Trust.

Mr. Nelson was also a member of the Spokane Park Board, Goodwill Industries Board of Trustees and Rockwood Manor Board of Trustees.

He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Shirley; a son, Peter Nelson of Bellevue; two daughters, Joyce Nelson and Laurie Anderson, both of Spokane; a brother, Paul Nelson of Butte; and four grandchildren.

Ralph Beaudreau Cheney

Service for Ralph W. Beaudreau, 96, is set for 1 p.m. today at Cheney Community Church. Burial will follow at Spokane Memorial Gardens. Ball and Dodd Funeral Home in Cheney is in charge of arrangements.

Mr. Beaudreau, who was born in South Dakota, died Sunday.

He moved to Coeur d’Alene in 1930 and worked for the Forest Service.

Mr. Beaudreau moved to Cheney in 1948 and worked for the City of Cheney in maintenance for 18 years. He retired in 1968.

He was also a carpenter and did woodworking. He was a member of the Cheney Community Church.

Survivors include his wife of 56 years, Thelma; two sons, Wayne and Gary Lisenbee, both of Torrence, Calif.; two daughters, Margo Dalager Stanzak of Spokane and Diane Knott of Gaithersburg, Md.; a sister, Laura Irving of Bonners Ferry, Idaho; and nine grandchildren.

Gerald Berscheid Nine Mile Falls

Visitation for Gerald “Jerry” Berscheid, 66, will be from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. today and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday at Heritage Funeral Home. Service is set for 2 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home. Burial will follow at Greenwood Memorial Terrace.

Mr. Berscheid, who was born in Chamberlain, S.D., died Sunday.

He moved to Otis Orchards in 1950 from South Dakota.

In 1952 he married Lois Carl in Coeur d’Alene.

Mr. Berscheid served in the Army during the Korean War and was honorably discharged in 1954.

He worked at Kaiser Aluminum for 31 years as a scale repairman. He retired in 1982.

Mr. Berscheid was a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1435, Deer Park Eagles Lodge 3564, United Steel Workers Union Local 338 and the American Association of Retired Persons.

Survivors include his wife; a son, Gerald Berscheid Jr. of Spokane; two daughters, Kaye Thompson of Spokane and Donna Seim of Aberdeen, Wash.; four brothers, Ralph Berscheid of Oldtown, Idaho, Loren Berscheid of Vancouver, Wash., Donald Berscheid of Otis Orchards and Dennis Berscheid of Veradale; two sisters, Ellen Davidson of Santee, Calif., and LaVonne Berscheid of Otis Orchards; nine grandchildren and three greatgrandchildren.

Alfhild Leinum Coeur d’Alene

Graveside service for Alfhild Tillie Leinum, 86, is planned for 1 p.m. Thursday at Forest Cemetery in Coeur d’Alene. English Funeral Chapel in Coeur d’Alene is in charge of arrangements.

Mrs. Leinum, a lifetime Coeur d’Alene resident, died Saturday.

She homesteaded in the Cougar Gulch area and attended schools in Coeur d’Alene.

Mrs. Leinum was a homemaker and a member of the Lutheran church in Coeur d’Alene.

Her husband, Arthur, died in 1964.

Survivors include a daughter, Carol Jacobson of Coeur d’Alene; two sisters, Theresa Mossburg of Coeur d’Alene and Adelia Gaston of Hayden Lake, Idaho; a brother, Alvin Gustafson of Spokane; two grandchildren and one great-grandson.

Brian ‘The Butcher’ Erickson Lakeside, Mont.

Service for Brian S. “The Butcher” Erickson, 33, will be at 1 p.m. today at EastHaven Baptist Church in Kalispell, Mont. Burial will follow at Glacier Memorial Gardens in Kalispell. Johnson Mortuary of Kalispell is in charge of arrangements.

Mr. Erickson, who was born in Spokane, died Friday.

He moved to the Flathead, Mont., area in 1980.

Mr. Erickson started working as a meat cutter for M and S Meat in Rollins, Mont., in 1988.

In 1990, he married Melissa Asker in Spokane.

Survivors include his wife; a son, Scott Erickson of Spokane; his mother and stepfather, Kathy and Bill Adams of Spokane; his father and stepmother, Allen and Linda Erickson of Kalispell; four brothers, Michael Yates of Kent, Wash., Bill Erickson of Cherry Point, N.C., Bob Erickson of Spokane and Joseph Erickson of Kalispell; two sisters, Ginger Knudsvig of Deer Park and Cinnamon Hall of Kalispell.

Haven Gilmore Spokane

Service for Haven A. Gilmore, a former Colville, Wash., resident, was Thursday at Danekas Funeral Chapel in Colville. Burial was at the Highland Cemetery in Colville.

Mr. Gilmore, who was born in Spokane, died Dec. 7. He was 91.

He graduated from Colville High School and worked on the family homestead near Colville.

In 1936 he married Esther Alderson in Spokane. In 1948 they moved to a ranch in the Kelly Hill area, near Kettle Falls, Wash.

Mr. Gilmore also worked in the sawmills for Matney’s, Brauner and Avey Bros. Lumber. He retired in 1974.

His wife died in 1974.

In 1976 he married Mary Compadore in Lewiston and in 1987 they moved to French Gulch, Calif., for three years. They then moved to Renton, Wash.

Mr. Gilmore moved back to Spokane four years ago.

He was a member of the Narcisse Grange, Kettle River Grange and the Washington State Grange.

He is survived by his wife of Pomeroy; four daughters, Rose Lehrbas and Sharon Mitchell, both of Spokane, Juanita Gilmore of Dallas and Wilma Hartle of Kent, Wash.; six sons, Loren Gilmore of Malden, Mo., Ray Gilmore of Sheridan, Mont., Harley Gilmore of Renton, Wash., Clair Gilmore of Puyallup, Wash., and Verne and Howard Gilmore, both of Kettle Falls; and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Ray Rookey Spokane

Memorial Mass for Ray D. Rookey, 76, will be at 11 a.m. Thursday at St. Charles Catholic Church. Private inurnment will follow at Fairmount Memorial Park. Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Mr. Rookey, who died Sunday, was born in Bonners Ferry, Idaho.

He attended schools in Lewiston, Idaho, and attended Gonzaga University.

He was a World War II Army veteran.

Mr. Rookey moved to Spokane in 1948.

He worked for Washington Water Power for 38 years before retiring.

Mr. Rookey was a member of the Washington Water Power Trailblazers, the Elks Lodge, the Illuminating Engineers Society, Northwest Kiwanis and St. Charles Catholic Church. He was also a Junior Achievement counselor.

Survivors include his wife of 50 years, Margie; two sons, Steve and David Rookey; a daughter Christie Allen; a sister, Eileen Malerich; and five grandchildren.

Bonnie Ries Ohton Phoenix

Visitation for Bonnie Lou Ries Ohton, 64, will be from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday and from 9 a.m. to noon Friday at Heritage Funeral Home. Service will follow at 1 p.m. at the funeral home.

Mrs. Ohton, who died Friday, was born in Springview, Neb.

She moved in the late 1930s to the Yakima Valley, where she farmed in Lichty, Wash.

Mrs. Ohton moved to Spokane in 1966 and worked for Lerners clothing store and Perkins restaurant.

She was a member of Calvary Baptist Church in Toppenish, Wash., and Trinity Baptist Church in Spokane Mrs. Ohton moved to Phoenix in 1983 and married Antonio Ohton there in 1987.

She retired in 1994 from Dennys restaurant, where she worked as a hostess.

Survivors include her husband; four daughters, Louise Parker and Barb Finney, both of Spokane, Brenda Hanna of Concho, Ariz., and Billie Huston of Ignacio, Colo.; a brother, Eugene Dawson of Minnesota; three sisters, Mary Krening of Phoenix, Crystle Christian and Linda Hartle, both of Malden, Mo.; 13 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.

Alvord ‘Skeeter’ Verley Spokane

Service for Alvord V. “Skeeter” Verley, 43, was Monday at Ball and Dodd Funeral Home-North. Burial followed at Fairmount Memorial Park.

Mr. Verley, who was born in Whitefish, Mont., died Dec. 10.

He moved to Spokane in 1969 and served in the Army for four years.

Mr. Verley worked for Spokane School District 81 as an auto mechanic until an early medical retirement.

He was a member of the Northwest Wildlife Association.

Survivors include two sons, Alvord Verley of Spokane and Richard Hoffman of Puyallup, Wash.; a daughter, Jennifer Verley of Auburn, Wash.; six sisters, Sharon Kimbell of Las Vegas, Vernetta Verley of Spokane, Jeannie Jones of Whitefish, Sherry Mihllond, Mary Lou Moore and Tina Crawford, all of Spokane; two brothers, Earl Crawford of Newport, Wash., and Dusty Thomas of Spokane; his stepfather, Earl Crawford of Spokane; and two grandchildren.

Emma Klaus Spokane

Service for Emma Mae Klaus, 74, will be at 1 p.m. Friday at Riplinger Funeral Home. Private burial will follow at Greenwood Memorial Terrace Cemetery.

Mrs. Klaus, who was born in Killdeer, N.D., died Saturday.

She worked as a housekeeper at the Paul Bunyon Hotel in Coeur d’Alene, Town Center in Coeur d’Alene and the Coeur d’Alene Hotel.

She had lived in Spokane for 28 years.

Her husband, John Klaus, died in 1978.

Mrs. Klaus was a member of Our Savior Lutheran Church.

Survivors include two daughters, Diana Klaus and Sherry Taylor, both of Spokane; a son, Sherman Klaus of Cheney; two sisters, Florence Pasich of North Bend, Ore. and Betty Cutler of Anaconda, Mont.; four grandchildren and one great-grandson.

Marlus Tews Spokane

Memorial service for Marlus D. Tews, 67, will be held at a later date at the Fraternal Cemetery in Chelan, Wash. Riplinger Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements and cremation.

Mrs. Tews, a former Chelan resident, died Thursday.

She was born in Arthur, N.D., and graduated from high school there.

Mrs. Tews then moved to Chelan, Wash., where she was a homemaker.

She moved to Spokane in 1972.

Mrs. Tews was a member of the Chelan Eagles Auxiliary 2218 and TOPS 488 in Spokane.

Survivors include her husband, Kenneth; two sons, Kenneth Tews of New Castle, Wash., and Michael Tews of Chelan; a daughter, Terry Tews of Veradale; two sisters, Esther Ananson of Ada, Minn., and Bernice Tharpe of Moscow, Idaho; a brother, Robert Blake of Omak, Wash.; five grandchildren and one great-grandson.

George Andrews Chewelah, Wash.

Memorial service for George E. Andrews, 94, will be held at a later date. Danekas Funeral Chapel in Colville, Wash., is in charge of the arrangements.

Mr. Andrews, who was born in Spalding, Idaho, died Friday.

In 1926 he married Elsie Gardner in Coeur d’Alene.

They lived in Cedonia, Rice and Kettle Falls, Wash., before settling in Chewelah in the late 1920s.

Mr. Andrews was a teacher at Jenkins Junior High in Chewelah for several years before becoming principal. He held that position for more than 30 years.

Mr. Andrews was a member of the International Order of Odd Fellows in Rice and the Chewelah Kiwanis Club.

His wife preceded him in death.

Survivors include two daughters, Patricia Hooper of Deer Park and Nancy Plummer of Veradale; a son, Robert Andrews of Chehalis, Wash.; numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren.

Iva Burger Spokane

Memorial service for Iva A. Burger, 96, was Sunday at the Spokane Valley Baptist Church.

Mrs. Burger, who died Friday, was born in Creston, Wash.

She graduated from Creston High School and in 1926 from Spokane University.

Mrs. Burger served as a student pastor at Usk, Wash., and in Spokane during her school years.

In 1958 she married E. Winfrey Burger.

She was a nurse, X-ray and lab technician from 1942 to 1977. After her retirement she was the church secretary at Spokane Valley Baptist Church.

Mrs. Burger was a member of Spokane Valley Baptist Church since 1935.

Her husband preceded her in death.

There are no surviving family members.

Delmar Foster Spokane

Memorial celebration for Delmar D. Foster, 83, will be held between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Saturday at 3403 E. 28th. Private burial was held. Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.

Mr. Foster, a 65-year Spokane resident, died Friday.

He was born in Spokane and worked as an operating engineer for an asphalt company.

Mr. Foster was a member of the Spokane Eagles Lodge No. 2.

His wife, Edna, died in 1995.

Survivors include a son, Richard Foster; two daughters, Delores Gumenberg and Virginia Toland; three sisters; two brothers; three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Linda Nelson Spokane

Service for Linda M. Nelson, 39, was Monday at Heritage Funeral Home. Burial followed at Riverside Memorial Park.

Mrs. Nelson died Thursday from a liver disease.

She was born in Colorado Springs, Colo.

She had lived in Spokane for 10 years and worked as a secretary/receptionist for Washington Trust Bank for several years.

Survivors include her husband, Daniel; a son, Timothy Nelson and a daughter, Jessica Nelson, both of Spokane; her mother and stepfather, Darlene and Donald Odell of Fair Oaks, Calif.; her father, Jack Hall of Marble Falls, Texas; a brother, David Hall of Seattle; and two sisters, Susan Ward of Longview, Wash., and Laura Conrad of Marysville, Calif.

John Reinert Spokane

Funeral Mass for John A. Reinert, 86, was Monday at St. Thomas More Catholic Church. Entombment followed at Holy Cross Cemetery.

Born in Holland, Mr. Reinert died Friday.

He worked as an electronic technician for the naval shipyards. He moved to Spokane 28 years ago.

Mr. Reinert was a member of St. Thomas More Parish, Knights of Columbus Third and Fourth degree, Elks Lodge 1181, Machinist Union and the Star of the Sea Catholic Church in Bremerton.

Survivors include his wife of 56 years, Clara; two sisters, Sister Mary Francina Reinert, S.N.J.M. of the Holy Names Convent in Spokane and Francine Smith of Veradale.

Gerd Fischer, M.D. Spokane

No service will be held for Gerd Fischer, M.D., 74. Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Mr. Fischer, who was born in Frankfurt, Germany, died Wednesday.

He worked as a neurosurgeon in Spokane from the 1960s until 1988, when he retired. Mr. Fischer has been a resident of Spokane for 29 years.

His wife of 39 years, Gudula Fischer, died in 1993.

Survivors include two sons, George Fischer of Spokane and Gerard Fischer of Seattle; a daughter Gudu Mosher of Ephrata, Wash.; and three grandchildren.

Beatrice Taylor Spokane

No service will be held for Beatrice J. Taylor, 67, at her request. Ball and Dodd Funeral Home-North is in charge of the arrangements.

Mrs. Taylor, a lifetime Spokane resident, died Thursday.

She graduated in 1948 from North Central High School.

Mrs. Taylor worked at Kaiser Trentwood in the accounting department from 1966 to 1990, when she retired.

She is survived by her husband of 28 years, Frank; a son, Brady Taylor of Naples, Fla.; her twin sister, Leatrice Iserman of Waverly, Iowa; her sister, Geraldine Rinderneck of Spokane; and a granddaughter.

, DataTimes