Obituaries
Thomas Griner Spokane
Memorial service for Thomas E. Griner, 78, will be held at a later date. Ball and Dodd Funeral Home-South is in charge of cremation.
Mr. Griner, who died Wednesday, was born in Cashmere, Wash.
He was raised on a farm in Hanford, Wash., and attended the University of Washington. He had lived in Spokane for 40 years.
He served in the Army Air Corps during World War II as a B-17 pilot. He was shot down over Germany and was held in a prisoner-of-war camp for 14 months.
After the war he sold furniture for Craft Master until 1950, when he opened his first store in Helena and then one in Billings, Mont.
In 1952 he joined with Harold Patten, who had a furniture store in Great Falls, Mont., and started Self-Service Furniture. Their chain grew to 24 stores in five states. Last October, 23 of stores were sold to Heilig-Meyers. Mr. Griner, with his son Terry, and Fred Sauther, was still an owner of the store in Great Falls.
He was chairman of the board of Self-Service Furniture.
Mr. Griner is survived by his wife of 56 years, Florence Griner; a son, Terry Griner of Spokane; two sisters, Berenice Brierley of Spokane and Jean Stocking of Coeur d’Alene; and two grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the KPBX-FM Spokane Public Radio Generator Fund.
Alonzo ‘Al’ Gerke Spokane
No service will be held for Alonzo Winston “Al” Gerke, at his request. The Cremation Society of Washington is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Gerke, 77, died Thursday in Mexico while vacationing.
Born in Spokane, Mr. Gerke worked for the postal service for 37 years.
He was a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
Survivors include his wife, Virginia Gerke; two daughters, Joan Gerke of Kent, Wash., and Peggy Magart of Pensacola, Fla.; two sons, Duane Gerke of Skillman, N.J. and Joe Gerke of Spokane; a sister, Winifred Erickson of Spokane; and seven grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to LaPenita Community Medical Clinic in Mexico, through the family.
Treasa Berry Pullman
Memorial service for Treasa Muriel Berry, 93, will be at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday at Kimball Funeral Home in Pullman. Graveside service will follow at Pullman City Cemetery.
Mrs. Berry, who died Thursday, was born in Butte, Mont., and moved to Melrose, Idaho, when she was young.
In 1922 she married John Berry in Lewiston.
They had lived in Spokane, Elk River, Idaho, Lewiston and Clarkston, Wash., before they settled in Pullman in 1947.
She had worked as a grocery clerk for Safeway, Trent’s Grand Grocery and The Cougar Market.
Mrs. Berry was a member of the Friends Non-Denominational Christian Fellowship.
Her husband died in 1993.
Mrs. Berry is survived by a son, Stanley Berry of Pullman; a sister, Pearl Anderson of Butte; a brother, Eddie Meier of Pullman; three grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Northwest Children’s Home in Lewiston.
Grady Triplett Spokane
Service for Grady J. Triplett, 76, is set for 11 a.m. today at Sunset Mausoleum Chapel at Fairmount Memorial Park. Heritage Funeral Home in Spokane is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Triplett, who died Thursday, was born in St. Maries.
He had lived in Spokane for 70 years and was a driver for Central Pre-Mix and Acme Concrete.
He was a member of Teamsters Union Local 690 and a World War II Army veteran.
He is survived by his wife of 53 years, June Triplett; two sisters, Lily Sorenson of Post Falls and Leona Carlson of Spokane; and two brothers, Ronald Triplett of Spokane and Donald Triplett of Texas.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Heart Association or the American Cancer Society.
Douglas Sly Spokane
Service for Douglas Charles Sly, 94, will be at 1 p.m. Tuesday at Ball and Dodd Funeral Home-South. Burial will be at Greenwood Memorial Terrace.
Mr. Sly, who died Wednesday, was born in Spokane and moved to New York with his family in 1910.
He joined the Army when he was 21 and was stationed in Hawaii.
In 1927 he married Gladys Chesham, and they settled in New York. They moved to Spokane in 1935.
Mr. Sly was a member of the construction crew that built Coulee Dam and during World War II he worked as a millwright at Kaiser Aluminum in Trentwood. After the war, he owned a construction company.
In 1958 he became a member of the carpenters/millwrights union and was an instructor of millwright skills at the community college level. He retired when he was 75.
Mr. Sly was a member of First Presbyterian Church.
His wife died in 1988.
He is survived by a son, Ernest Sly of Spokane; two daughters, Audrey Sly Hedman of Cathlamet, Wash., and Carol Sly Southard of Liberty Lake; four sisters, Fanny Kyle of Eclectic, Ala., Pearl Daily and Mary Arnold, both of Yorkshire, N.Y. and Dorothy Stangl of Delevan, N.Y.; and a brother, George Sly of Eclectic.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Senior High Youth Activities at First Presbyterian Church.
Anne Shaler Spokane
Memorial service for Anne Shaler, 70, will be at 11 a.m. today at Thornhill Valley Funeral Home.
Mrs. Shaler, who was born in Vilna, Alberta, died Feb. 17.
She had lived in Spokane for more than 40 years and worked for Swifts Meat Packing Co. from 1950 to 1960 and for the Silverloaf Bakery from 1960 to 1970.
She was a member of the Ladies Oriental Shrine No. 3.
Her husband, Kevan Shaler, died in 1988.
Mrs. Shaler is survived by two daughters, Janet Meyers and Barbara Anderson, both of Spokane; a brother, William Kully of Edmonton, Alberta; two sisters, Nancy Wozny of Vilna, Alberta, and Sylvia Terwilliger of Santa Monica, Calif.; two grandchildren and two greatgrandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Shriners Hospital for Children.
Glen ‘Uncle Glen’ Cruger Spokane
Service for H. Glen “Uncle Glen” Cruger, 92, is planned for 2 p.m. today at Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home. Burial will be at Riverside Memorial Park.
Born in Stevensville, Mont., Mr. Cruger died Thursday.
He was a longtime Spokane resident and was a sheet-metal worker and worked for Sturm Heating. He was a member of First Assembly of God Church and Sheet Metal Union Local No. 26.
He was preceded in death by his wife of 74 years, Mary Cruger.
Mr. Cruger is survived by a son, Mel Cruger; four sisters, Doris Peterson of Spokane, Evelyn Stiles and Berta Bard, both of Washington state, and June Cummins of Walla Walla; three brothers, Dean and Dick Cruger, both of Medical Lake, and Paul Cruger of Otis Orchards; two grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
Memorials may be made to the New Tribes Mission, P.O. Box 1000, Sanford, FL 32771.
Hazel Stone Spokane
Service for Hazel I. Stone, 94, will be at 10 a.m. today at Ball and Dodd Funeral Home-South. She will be entombed beside her husband at Terrace Heights Memorial Park in Yakima.
Born in Minnesota, Mrs. Stone died Thursday.
She came to Washington state with her family as a child and graduated from Hillyard High School and St. Luke’s School of Nursing.
She married Jonathan Stone in 1925. He died in 1989.
She was a member of PEO Chapter AZ.
She is survived by a son, Wesley Stone of Spokane; five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Library for the Blind, 821 Lenora St., Seattle, WA 98121-2783.
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