Obituaries

Bradley Behrens Spokane

Funeral Mass for Bradley W. Behrens, 38, will be at 9:30 a.m. today at St. Aloysius Catholic Church. Burial will be at Holy Cross Cemetery. Ball and Dodd Funeral Home-South is in charge of arrangements.

Born in Spokane, Mr. Behrens, died Wednesday from complications of lung cancer.

He attended Gonzaga Preparatory School and worked at Sacred Heart Hospital for 18 years in the laundry.

Survivors include his wife of 10 years, Cheryl Behrens; a son, Erik Behrens of Spokane; a stepson, Phil DeLaPena of Spokane; his parents, Bill and Mary Behrens of Spokane; two sisters, Barbara Sherette and Bonnie Lewis, both of Spokane; and a brother, Brian Behrens of Spokane.

Alfred Williams Indian Wells, Calif.

Service for Alfred C. Williams, 81, will be at noon today at HennesseySmith Funeral Home. Private burial will be at Greenwood Memorial Terrace.

Mr. Williams, a former Spokane businessman, died Tuesday.

He was born in Arkansas and graduated from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville and was a member of the Sigma Nu fraternity.

He worked as a sports editor at the Santa Barbara (Calif.) News-Press until 1940 when he became a reporter for the Los Angeles Times.

Mr. Williams served in the Navy from 1942 until 1945.

In 1947, he and his wife, Joanne (Dessert) Williams, came to Spokane and he went to work for his wife’s family’s Desert Hotel Corporation. He became president of the company in 1956 after Mrs. Victor Dessert died.

Under his direction the hotel company built the Desert Hotel, the Desert Sahara Motel, the Pacific Hotel, the Desert Caravan Inn - now known as the Friendship Inn Spokane House - and the historic Desert Hotel in Coeur d’Alene.

Mr. Williams also served on the Board of Directors of the Spokane Public Library, served as president of the Spokane Cougar Club and on several government and civic commissions in Spokane. His wife, Joanne died in 1986 and he moved to California in 1988.

In 1989, he married Barbara Kopet.

Survivors include his wife; two sons, Richard Williams of Los Angeles and Fred Williams of Spokane; two stepsons, Jeffrey Kopet of Spokane and Craig Kopet of Seattle; a daughter, Georgi Krom of Seattle; a stepdaughter, Julie Kaiser of Portland; a brother, Hosea “Dick” Williams of Santa Barbara, Calif.; a sister, Ethel Steigler of Arkansas; four grandchildren and a stepgrandchild.

Memorial contributions may be made in his name to the Spokane Public Library.

, DataTimes