Obituaries

Robert Whitmore Pullman

Memorial service for Robert “Bob” Whitmore, 74, will be at 11 a.m. today at Pullman Presbyterian Church. Private graveside service will be held at the Pullman City Cemetery. Kimball Funeral Home in Pullman is in charge of arrangements.

Mr. Whitmore, who was born in Ritzville, Wash., died Sunday.

He graduated from LaCrosse (Wash.) High School and served in the Army during World War II.

After his discharge in 1945 he moved to Wenatchee.

In 1946 he married Maida King in Wenatchee and they moved three years later to Pullman.

Mr. Whitmore worked on the family farm and remained active until 1990. He also worked with the Soil Conservation Travel Bureau.

He served as president of the Junior Chamber of Commerce, the Washington State Jaycees and was Washington State Soil Conservation. He was also a member of the State Conservation Commission, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion and the Elks and Moose lodges.

Mr. Whitmore was also a member of the Whelan Grange and received the State of Washington Conservation Farmer Award. He also served on the Washington State Conservation Commission Board for 15 years and the National Secretary of Age Advisory Board for eight years.

He was a founding member of the Bank of Pullman and served on the bank’s board of directors.

Survivors include his wife; two sons, Kirk Whitmore of Cheney and Mark Whitmore of Pullman; a daughter, Marla Hammons of Chelan, Wash.; a brother, I.W. Whitmore of Colfax, Wash.; and six grandsons.

Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society.

Josephine Pagnutti Spokane

Funeral Mass for Josephine N. Pagnutti, 80, will be at 4:30 p.m. today at the Convent of the Holy Names. Burial will be held at a later date at the Convent of Holy Names of Jesus and Mary in Marylhurst, Ore. Ball and Dodd Funeral Home-South is in charge of the arrangements.

Mrs. Pagnutti, who was born in Portland, died Monday.

She graduated from St. Mary’s Academy and then in 1948 from Marylhurst College in Portland.

Mrs. Pagnutti became a sister at the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary Oregon Province. While there she taught piano and voice in Portland and Seattle.

She left the convent and moved in 1954 to Spokane, where she taught piano and retired from St. Aloysius grade school in 1978.

Mrs. Pagnutti also had worked with the Friends of Seven and was a member of St. Peters Catholic Church, where she was the choir director and organist. She was also a member of the Marylhurst Alumni.

There are no surviving family members.

Hazel Reed Spokane

Service for Hazel Josephine Reed, 83, is set for 11 a.m. today at the Liberty Lake Chapel Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Burial will follow at the Woodland Cemetery in Deer Park, Wash. Lauer Funeral Home in Deer Park is in charge of arrangements.

Mrs. Reed, who was born in Newberg, Ore., died Friday.

She graduated from Kinman Business College.

Mrs. Reed worked for the Spokane City Police Department as a secretary and bookkeeper for many years and retired in 1969.

Her husband, Ellis, died in 1994.

Survivors include a son, Donovan Reed of Spokane; a sister, Mary Miller of Canandaigua, N.Y.; 10 grandchildren and 45 great-grandchildren.

Elaine Nogle Redmond, Wash.

Graveside service for Elaine M. Nogle, 80, will be at noon today at Greenwood Memorial Terrace. Heritage Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Mrs. Nogle, who was born in Ritzville, Wash., died Monday.

She graduated from Eastern Washington State College and taught elementary school in the Spokane area for more than 25 years.

Ten years ago, she moved to Redmond.

Mrs. Nogle is survived by three sons, Marc Nogle of Casper, Wyo., Kerry Nogle of Redmond, Wash., and Kerlin Nogle of Bellevue, Wash.; a brother, Fred Koch of Spokane; and three grandsons.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Salvation Army.

Frances Sterling Spokane

Memorial service for Frances B. Sterling, 85, will be at 2 p.m. today at Faith Bible Church. Ball and Dodd Funeral Home-North is in charge of arrangement.

Miss Sterling, who was born in Kersey, Colo., died Saturday.

In 1932 she graduated from Central (Colo.) City High School.

Miss Sterling worked at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal federal plant in Denver during World War II.

She moved in 1963 to Sweet Home, Ore., and worked at Florence Cleaners in Florence, Ore. She retired in 1979.

In 1980 she moved to Spokane. She was a member of the Faith Bible Church.

She is survived by a sister, Anna Winfrey of Spokane.

Memorial contributions may be made to Oriental Missionary Society International or to Faith Bible Church.

Eugene Romero Deer Park

Service for Eugene Robert Romero, 68, is planned for 2:30 p.m. today at Lauer Funeral Home in Deer Park. Burial will follow at Woodland Cemetery with full military honors in Deer Park.

Born in Chicago, Mr. Romero died Sunday.

He served in the Air Force during the Korean and Vietnam wars.

In 1950 he married Caroline Tailfeathers.

He retired in 1971 from the Air Force and then retired from the UNYSIS Corporation in 1991 as a computer field engineer.

Survivors include his wife; four sons, Robert and Brian Romero, both of Deer Park and Shawn and Brent Romero, both of the Blood Reservation, Alberta; a daughter, Yolanda Davis of Standoff, Alberta; and seven grandchildren.

Howard Smith Dayton, Wash.

Graveside service for Howard Earl Smith, 78, was Sunday at the Hunt Cemetery in Kingston, Idaho.

Mr. Smith, who died Dec. 11, was born in Spokane.

He graduated in 1937 from high school in Kingston and served in the Army during World War II in the European Theater.

Mr. Smith moved to Deer Park in 1951 where he worked for the Deer Park Pine Company.

In 1960, he began his career with the U.S. Postal Service. He retired in 1980 and moved to Dayton in 1996.

He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Hilda; a son, Terry Alan of Lewisville, Texas; a daughter, Lela Harty of Dayton; three half sisters, Janet Gothmann, Marlene Skjeie and Lois Brown; four grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

Philip Broeckel Davenport, Wash.

Service for Philip Broeckel, will be at 1:30 p.m. Friday at the Country Bible Church in Dusty, Wash. Burial will follow at the Dusty Cemetery. Bruning Funeral Home in Colfax, Wash., is in charge of arrangements.

Mr. Broeckel, 87, died Monday. He was born in Dusty.

In 1932 he married Katherine Ottmar and they farmed the family homestead and raised livestock.

He moved to Davenport two years ago.

Mr. Broeckel rode with Gentlemen on Horseback for 36 years.

He was a member of the Country Bible Church and was a charter member of the Mockonema Cutting Club.

His wife died in 1994.

Survivors include two daughters, Shirley Benham of Seattle and Marlene Dreger of Wilbur, Wash.; a son, Dale Broeckel of Dusty; six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Country Bible Church.

Jeanne Berger Spokane

Graveside service for Jeanne P. Berger, 74, will be at 11 a.m. Friday at Nez Perce (Idaho) Cemetery. Malcom’s Brower-Wann Funeral Home in Lewiston is in charge of arrangements.

Mrs. Berger died Sunday from cancer.

She was a longtime Clarkston elementary school teacher before moving to Spokane.

Survivors include her husband, Stan; and three brothers, Elmer Evenson Jr. of New York, Kenneth Evenson of Ohio, and Walter Evenson of Florida.

Irma Boisen Spokane

Memorial service for Irma L. Boisen, 75, will be at 2 p.m. Saturday at the United Church of Christ of Veradale. Thornhill Valley Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Mrs. Boisen, who was born in Troy, N.Y., died Friday.

She graduated from high school in Troy and moved to Spokane in 1955 from Walnut Creek, Calif.

Mrs. Boisen worked for the Postal Service for 15 years as a rural mail carrier and retired in 1983.

She was a member of the United Church of Christ of Veradale, and the Eagles and Veterans of Foreign Wars auxiliaries.

Her husband of 53 years, Howard Boisen, died in 1995.

She is survived by a daughter, Linda Kraemer of Spokane; two sons, Erick and Chris Boisen, both of Spokane; 11 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Roy Ellis Phoenix

Memorial service for Roy Ellis, 74, will be at 1 p.m. Saturday at Heritage Funeral Home.

Mr. Ellis, who was born in Oakesdale, Wash., died Saturday.

He served in the Navy as an underwater demolition expert until 1945.

Mr. Ellis then farmed, but mainly worked in the transportation industry.

He was a resident of Spokane from 1951 until moving to Phoenix in the mid 1970s.

Mr. Ellis was a self-taught professional musician and played as a recording studio musician as well as a member of the Trail Riders Trio.

He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Lila; a son, Bud Ellis of Yakima; three daughters, Deni Wiggins of Spokane, Kathy Fraley of Atlanta and Beth Fincher of Kennewick; a brother, Harold Ellis of Oakesdale; a sister, Helen Loziere of Seattle; 11 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, 100 W. Harrison, North Tower #510, Seattle, WA 98119 or the American Heart Association.

ClaraBell Birdsell Kennewick

Graveside memorial service for ClaraBell “C.B.” Birdsell, 74, will be at 1 p.m. Saturday at the St. John (Wash.) Cemetery. Bruning Funeral Home in Colfax, Wash., is in charge of arrangements.

Mrs. Birdsell, who was born near Lancaster, Wash., died Tuesday.

She received a medical assistant degree from Kinman Business College.

Mrs. Birdsell was employed for several years in medical records at Whitman Community Medical Center in Colfax. She later moved to Spokane and worked at Kinman Business College, later renamed Trend Business College.

She retired in 1994 and moved to Kennewick when the college closed. She was a member of Plymouth Congregational Church.

Mrs. Birdsell is survived by two sons, Gary Birdsell of Kennewick and Barry Birdsell of Albion, Wash.; two sisters, Elva Menning of Steptoe, Wash., and Florence Henning of St. John; and numerous grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to the St. John Emergency Medical Technicians, P.O. Box 221, St. John, WA 99171.

Madeline Ditlevson Olympia

No service will be held for Madeline Ditlevson, 87, at her request. Her ashes will be placed with her husband’s remains at Pines Cemetery at a later date. Forest Funeral Home in Olympia is in charge of arrangements.

Mrs. Ditlevson, who was born in Crystal, N.D., died Friday.

She worked as an office manager for insurance companies and lived in Opportunity for 43 years.

Mrs. Ditlevson moved to Olympia 15 years ago.

Her husband was Loren Ditlevson.

Survivors include two daughters, Carol Ditlevson of Seattle and Joyce Adams of Portland; a son, Richard Ditlevson of Olympia; and several grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Arthritis Foundation or to the charity of one’s choice.

John MacClain Bellingham

No service will be held for John Carl “Jack” MacClain, 63, at his request. Westford Funeral Home and Cremation Service in Bellingham is in charge of arrangements.

Mr. MacClain, who was born in Spokane, died Sunday.

He served in the Marine Corps during the early 1950s and later worked as a traveling salesman and truck driver.

Mr. MacClain moved to Bellingham six years ago.

He is survived by his companion, Barb Butler of Bellingham; four daughters, Sandra Fisette and Leslie Curtis, both of Spokane, Linda Williams of Chattaroy and Laura MacClain of Austin, Texas; two sons, Michael and Robert MacClain, both of Spokane; a brother, Myron Dalbey of Aloha, Ore.; a sister, JoAnn DeLaune of Poulsbo, Wash.; and 10 grandchildren.

Kathy Seed Spokane

No service will be held for Kathy Darlene Seed, 52, at her request. The Cremation Society of Washington is in charge of arrangements.

Mrs. Seed, who was born in Tekoa, Wash., died Sunday of cancer.

She worked as a nurses aide.

Survivors include two sons, Gregory Seed of Bend, Ore., and Bradley Seed of Nine Mile Falls; her mother, Lucile Crockett; a brother, Wayne Crockett of Loon Lake; two sisters, Irene Fair of Conrad, Mont., and Judy Smith of Spokane; and three grandchildren.

Lucille Peterson Spokane

No service will be held for Lucille Peterson. Thornhill Valley Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Mrs. Peterson, 81, died Friday.

She was a lifetime Spokane resident and was a homemaker.

Her husband, Chester, died in 1982.

Mrs. Peterson is survived by three daughters, Wendy Johnson and Janice Rittgarn, both of Spokane, and Darlene Bromseth of Richmond, Va.; seven grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

Billie Heinz Centralia, Wash.

Inurnment for Billie M. Heinz, 70, will be at a later date at Moran Prairie Cemetery. Sticklin Funeral Chapel in Centralia is in charge of arrangements.

Mrs. Heinz, who was born in Spokane, died Saturday.

She moved to Everett for several years and returned to Spokane in 1956.

Mrs. Heinz was a homemaker.

She moved to Centralia six weeks ago.

Survivors include two sons, Larry Heinz of Rochester, Wash., and Randy Heinz of Castle Rock, Wash.; and three grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Rochester Scholarship Association, c/o Rochester High School, 19800 Carper Road, S.W., Rochester, WA 98579.

, DataTimes