Obituaries
Eugene Kennedy Spokane
Funeral Mass for Eugene M. Kennedy, 89, will be at 10 a.m. today at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Lourdes. Ball and Dodd Funeral Home-North is in charge of cremation.
Mr. Kennedy, who was born in Grafton, N.D., died Friday.
He graduated from St. James High School in Grand Forks, N.D., and later worked as an union organizer for the Meat Cutters Union in Grand Forks.
In 1958 he moved to Spokane and worked as the head custodian for The Bon Marche. In 1960 he established Kennedy Janitorial Service. He retired in 1993.
Mr. Kennedy was a member of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Lourdes and Moose Lodge No. 161.
He is survived by his wife of 35 years, Thelma; three sons, Lawrence Kennedy of Grand Forks, Jack Kennedy of Yuba City, Calif., and Eugene Kennedy of Layton, Utah; two stepsons, Ronald Vander Mere of Lodi, Calif., and William Vander Mere of Seattle; two daughters, Katherine Sterling of Seattle and Maryanne Mielzarick of Wausau, Wis.; a stepdaughter, Betty Huchin of Seattle; 25 grandchildren, 30 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandson.
Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Spokane.
Lucille Gese Spokane
Funeral Mass for Lucille I. Gese, 72, is planned for 9 a.m. today at St. Charles Catholic Church. Burial will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery. Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Gese, a 51-year Spokane resident, died Monday.
She was born in in Luxemburg, Minn.
She was a homemaker and was a member of St. Charles Parish and Altar Society. She was also active with Meals on Wheels.
Mrs. Gese is survived by her husband of 51 years, Walter; a son, Ron Gese of Park City, Utah; five daughters, Barbara Deedler of Sebastopol, Calif., Lois Thorson of Medford, Ore., Charlotte Forster of Nehalem, Ore., Diann Gese of Denver and Janet Pedrotti of Sacramento, Calif.; a brother, Kenneth Kruchten of St. Cloud, Minn.; two sisters, Virginia Feneis of St. Cloud and Sylvia Blem of Robbinsdale, Minn.; and eight grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Morning Star Boys Ranch.
William Millsap Post Falls
Visitation for William L. “Bill” Millsap, 84, will be from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. today and Friday at English Funeral Chapel in Post Falls. Service is set for 10 a.m. Saturday at the Pleasant View Baptist Church in Post Falls. Burial will follow at Pleasant View Cemetery.
Mr. Millsap, who was born in Pleasant View, died Sunday.
He grew up in the Pleasant View area and lived in California for one year.
Mr. Millsap returned to the Post Falls area and worked as a farmer, logger, rancher and carpenter.
He was a member of Pleasant View Baptist Church.
Survivors include his wife of 62 years, Patricia; three sons, Bill and Jack Millsap, both of Post Falls, and James Millsap of Spokane; a daughter, Susan Payment of Arkansas; a brother, Earl Millsap of Post Falls; two sisters, Leona Oberst of Millwood and Martha Brookshire of Greenacres; 12 grandchildren, 15 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.
Memorial contributions may be made to Pleasant View Baptist Church, 4725 W. Riverview Drive, Post Falls, ID 83854.
Leonard Wigen Ritzville, Wash.
Visitation for Leonard C. Wigen, 88, is scheduled for 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. today at the Heritage Funeral Home. Service will be at 9:30 a.m. Friday at the funeral home. Burial will follow at Riverside Memorial Park.
Born in Oslo, Minn., Mr. Wigen, died Tuesday.
He worked for Burlington Northern Railroad for 40 years.
Mr. Wigen had lived in Spokane for 24 years and was a member of the Sons of Norway.
Survivors include two sons, Richard Wigen of Ritzville and Clifford Wigen of Simi Valley, Calif.; a brother, E.C. Christopherson of Puyallup, Wash; a sister, Gladys Pryor of Spokane; six grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
Margaret Puthoff Spokane
Funeral Mass for Margaret A. Puthoff, 87, will be at 1 p.m. today at St. Aloysius Catholic Church. Burial will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery. Riplinger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Puthoff, who was born in Uniontown, Wash., died Monday.
She graduated from the Sacred Heart School of Nursing and worked as a registered nurse at the Holy Family Nursing Home. She also worked as a seamstress for Holy Family Hospital.
Mrs. Puthoff was a 35-year Spokane resident and was a Catholic.
Her husband, Louis Puthoff, died in 1967.
She is survived by two daughters, Bernice Davenport of Spokane and Lugene Schmiedchen of Palm Desert, Calif.; a brother, Nick Hentges of Chewelah, Wash.; two grandchildren and two great-granddaughters.
Memorial contributions may be made to The American Heart Association.
Peter Mele Diamond Lake, Wash.
Graveside inurnment service for Peter Paul Mele, 64, will be at 2 p.m. today at the Holy Cross Cemetery in Spokane. Sherman-Knapp Funeral Home in Newport, Wash., is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Mele, who died Sunday, was born in Spokane.
He graduated from Gonzaga Preparatory School and attended Gonzaga University.
Mr. Mele served in the Navy.
He worked in the Seattle area as a sales representative in the trucking industry for more than 30 years.
He moved to Diamond Lake two years ago.
Survivors include a son, Daniel Mele of Seattle; four daughters, Teresa Bemel, Jennifer and Elizabeth Mele, and Kimberly Marchant, all of Spokane; and three grandchildren.
Grant Loncosty Spokane
Service for Grant F. Loncosty, 79, will be at 11 a.m. today at Holy Cross Cemetery chapel. Riplinger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Loncosty, a 54-year Spokane resident, died Sunday.
He was born in Connell, Wash.
He attended school in Genesee, Idaho, and later served in the Army during World War II.
Mr. Loncosty worked as a carpenter and house builder. He also worked for Sears for 20 years.
Survivors include his wife, Dolores (Grieser) Loncosty; two sons, Lyle Loncosty of Olympia and Gene Loncosty of Spokane; a sister, Rita Nau of Las Vegas, Nev.; a brother, Lee Loncosty of Oak Harbor, Wash.; and five grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Heart Association.
Bruce Bradetich Post Falls
Visitation for Bruce Dean Bradetich, 40, is scheduled for 5 to 7 p.m. today at Coffelt’s Moon Chapel in Sandpoint. Service will be at 11 a.m. Friday at Pinecrest Memorial Park in Sandpoint.
Mr. Bradetich, who was born in Coeur d’Alene, died Monday.
He graduated from Sandpoint High School.
Mr. Bradetich served with the Army from 1974 until 1976 in the helicopter division. He later settled in the Coeur d’Alene-Post Falls area.
He attended Spokane Community College and later worked for the W.I. Mill in Coeur d’Alene until it closed.
He then attended North Idaho College welding classes for two years and worked for Merritt Bros. Lumber Co. for four years.
He recently worked for the Post Falls School District in the maintenance department.
Survivors include two daughters, Brianna and Shanna Bradetich, both of Post Falls; his parents, Joe and Ruth Bradetich of Sagle, Idaho; a sister, Pam Bradetich of Pullman; and a brother, Alan Bradetich of Athol, Idaho.
Helen Lake Spokane
Memorial service for Helen Elizabeth Lake, 95, will be at 2:30 p.m. today at the Hazen and Jaeger Valley Funeral Home.
Mrs. Lake died Monday.
She was born in Chicago.
She had lived in Spokane for 80 years and worked for Armour Meat Packing for 42 years.
There are no known survivors.
Catherine Chesnut Spokane
Vigil service for Catherine J. Chesnut, 74, will be at 7 p.m. today at the Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home. Funeral Mass is planned for 10 a.m. Friday at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church. Burial will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery.
Mrs. Chesnut, who was born in Oakland, Calif., died Monday.
She moved to Spokane in 1952 and was a member of St. Francis Xavier Parish.
She is survived by her husband of 50 years, John; a son, Fred Fisher of Colorado Springs, Colo.; five daughters, Rosalie Brown of Long Beach, Wash., Diane Thomas, Marie Sande and Anna McGee, all of Spokane, and Fran Murphy of Buckley, Wash.; 17 grandchildren and 22 great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Heart Association.
Bobby Hayes Osburn, Idaho
Visitation for Bobby Lee Hayes, 65, will be from 7-8 p.m. today at the Wallace (Idaho) Funeral Chapel. Service is planned for 1 p.m. Friday at the funeral chapel. Burial will be at Evergreen Cemetery in Post Falls.
Mr. Hayes, who was born in Kansas, died Monday.
He moved to the Silver Valley in 1936 from Kansas.
He had worked as a miner at several local mines until a mining accident at the Tamarack Mine in 1975 forced him to retire.
He served with the Coast Guard during the Korean War.
Mr. Hayes owned the Hayes Chevron Station in Wallace in the 1960s and early 1970s.
He was a member of the Osburn Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Disabled American Veterans and the Berean Baptist Church in Kellogg.
Survivors include his wife of 31 years, Sandra; two sons, Robert and Mike Hayes, both of Mullan, Idaho; his parents, Charlie and Edith Hayes of Silverton, Idaho; a sister, Naomi Kromberec of Spokane; five brothers, Kenneth Hayes of Mullan, Jerry Hayes of Osburn, Marvin Hayes of Spokane, Jim Hayes of Bingen, Wash., and Jack Hayes of White Salmon, Wash.; seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of North Idaho, 280 Prairie Ave., Coeur d’Alene, ID 83814.
Lorraine ‘Lolly’ Neff Spokane
No service will be held for Lorraine “Lolly” Neff, 63. The Cremation Society of Washington is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Neff, who was born in Edmore, N.D., died July 16.
She moved to Spokane in 1977 and worked as an office manager for her husband’s insurance business.
Mrs. Neff is survived by her husband Richard “Dick”; a son, Kim Wass of Evans, Colo.; a daughter, Toni Neslen of Spokane; a brother, Norman Melland of Tucson, Ariz.; and two grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Ferris High School Marching Band.
John Platter Spokane
Vigil service for John L. Platter, 89, will be at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Ball and Dodd Funeral Home-South. Funeral Mass is planned for 10 a.m. Saturday at St. Augustine Catholic Church. Burial will be at Holy Cross Cemetery.
Mr. Platter, who was born in Harrington, Wash., died Sunday.
He attended Green Mountain School in Newman Lake and later graduated from Cheney High School and Washington State College School of Pharmacy.
He had owned a pharmacy in Almira, Wash., and in the late 1930s he moved to Spokane and operated the University Pharmacy. He later worked for the Hart and Dilatush Pharmacy.
In 1949 he started his own business, Platter Pharmacy, in the Rockwood Clinic. He retired in 1976.
Mr. Platter was a member of Manito Lions, Knights of Columbus, and Washington State Pharmaceutical Association.
His wife of 47 years, Marcella Platter, died in 1981.
He is survived by a son, Howard Platter of Spokane; and two grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to Morning Star Boys Ranch or the Gonzaga Prep Foundation.
James ‘J.R.’ Smith Jr. Spokane
Service for James R. “J.R.” Smith Jr., 16, will be at 2 p.m. Friday at the Ball and Dodd Funeral Home-North. Burial will be at Riverside Memorial Park.
Mr. Smith died Saturday in an automobile accident.
He was born in Spokane.
He is survived by his father and stepmother, James Smith and Colleen McQuaid; his mother, Sandra Anderson; four brothers, Jason Anderson, Richard, Jimi and Marques Smith, all of Spokane; a sister, Jamie Smith Athens of Federal Way, Wash.; his grandfather, Londro Smith of Mead; his grandmother, Suzetta Burril of Medical Lake; and his great-grandmother, Helen Christy of Medical Lake.
Florence Fournier Hollister Post Falls
Memorial service for Florence M. Fournier Hollister, 80, is planned for 10:30 a.m. Aug. 2 at English Funeral Chapel in Post Falls. Born in New Jersey, Mrs. Hollister, died Friday.
She moved to Post Falls from Spokane 30 years ago.
She had worked as a seamstress making custom draperies.
Survivors include her husband, Richard.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, North Idaho Chapter, 1916 Lakewood Drive, Coeur d’Alene, ID 83814.
, DataTimes