Obituaries

Helen Graham Spokane

Memorial service for Helen E. Graham, 81, is planned for 1 p.m. Wednesday at Whitworth Community Presbyterian Church.

Mrs. Graham, who died Saturday, was born in Bismarck, N.D.

She worked for the U.S. government during World War II at the Panama Canal and came to Spokane in 1949.

She was a homemaker and was a charter member of Whitworth Community Presbyterian Church and also served as an elder and member of their prayer chain. She was a member of Dorcas Circle, Learn-A-Bit Group, Kings Daughters and Whitworth College Women’s Auxiliary.

Mrs. Graham is survived by her husband of 61 years, Willard “Carl” Graham Sr.; a daughter, Joyce Olsen of Pasco; a son, Willard “Carl” Graham Jr. of Spokane; a brother, Rex Swindling of Salem, Ore.; four grandsons and three great-grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to Whitworth Community Presbyterian Church Memorial Fund.

Claude Ferger Spokane

Memorial service for Claude M. Ferger, 79, will be at a later date. Thornhill Valley Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Mr. Ferger died Wednesday.

He was born in Post Falls and attended Post Falls High School.

He was in the Civilian Conservation Corps in Washington and North Idaho. He later worked as a truck driver for several road construction companies in Spokane and retired from United Paving in 1983.

Mr. Ferger was a member of Teamsters Union Local No. 690.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Margaret Ferger, in 1989.

Mr. Ferger is survived by four sons, Dennis Ferger of Boise, and Dean, Dale and Duane Ferger, all of Spokane; a daughter, Jo Ann Hollen of Spokane; a sister, Jose Bohn of Spokane; 13 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren.

Howard Beeman Coeur d’Alene

Visitation for Howard E. Beeman, 84, is scheduled from 9 to 11 a.m. today at Sherman-Knapp Funeral Home. Graveside service will immediately follow at Newport Cemetery in Newport, Wash.

Mr. Beeman, who died Friday, was born in the Old Calispel Post Office in Usk, Wash.

He graduated from Cusick (Wash.) High School and worked as an edger at area sawmills. He retired from the Northwest Timber Mill in Coeur d’Alene in 1977.

He owned the G&H Tavern in Post Falls until 1982.

Mr. Beeman had been a member of the Coeur d’Alene Eagles for 32 years.

Two wives, Anne and Georgia, preceded him in death.

Survivors include numerous cousins.

Charles Phelan Spokane

Memorial service for Charles A. “Chuck” Phelan, 68, will be at 5 p.m. today at St. David’s Episcopal Church. Riplinger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Mr. Phelan died Thursday.

He was a lifetime Spokane resident and owned Lilac City Decorators for 30 years.

He was a member of St. David’s Episcopal Church and the Kiwanis Club of Downtown Spokane.

He is survived by his wife of 48 years, Patricia Phelan; two daughters, Terry Albrecht of Seattle and Sherry Wright of San Francisco; a sister, Kathleen Breuer of Missoula; three brothers, James Phelan of Renton, Wash., Bob Phelan of Butte, Mont., and Pat Phelan of Des Moines, Wash.; and two granddaughters.

Allen Cox Spokane

Memorial service for Allen B. Cox, 76, will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday at Manito Presbyterian Church. Ball and Dodd Funeral Home-South is in charge of cremation.

Born in Harrisonville, Mo., Mr. Cox died Friday.

He came to Spokane in 1949 and went to work for Washington Water Power in their commercial marketing department. He retired in 1985.

He served in the Army Air Corps from 1943 to 1945.

Mr. Cox was a founding member of the Spokane Junior Chamber of Commerce and Manito Lions Club.

His wife, Alice Cox died in 1990.

He is survived by two daughters, Harriette Wyene of Spokane and Linda Cox of Los Angeles; four sons, John Cox of Seattle, Robert Cox of Spokane, James Cox of Los Angeles and William Ingalls-Cox of Vashon Island, Wash.; four brothers, Albert Cox of Iowa City, Iowa, Harold Cox of Naples, Fla., Howard Cox of Raytown, Mo., and Jim Cox of Lee’s Summit, Mo.; a sister, Hazel Blazer of Huntington Beach, Calif.; 11 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to Manito Lions Club.

Leboria Ives Spokane

Vigil service for Leboria J. Ives, 81, is planned for 7 p.m. Wednesday at Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home. Funeral Mass will be at 10 a.m. Thursday at St. Ann Catholic Church. Burial will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery.

Mrs. Ives, a longtime Spokane resident, died Sunday.

She was born in Marcus, Wash.

She worked as a housekeeper in the health care industry and was a member of St. Ann Catholic Church.

Her husband, Edgar Ives, died in 1991.

Mrs. Ives is survived by six sons, Gene and Bill Ives, both of Spokane, Edgar and Albert Ives, both of Seattle, Roger Ives of Port Orchard, Wash., and Clarence Ives of New Baden, Ill.; two daughters, Josephine Whitten of San Bernardino, Calif., and Sharon Petree of Sunnyvale, Calif.; a brother, Francis Lazia of Petaluma, Calif.; 27 grandchildren and 29 great-grandchildren.

Shirley Brandt Spokane

Service for Shirley Ann Brandt, 65, is planned for 1 p.m. Thursday at Holy Cross Lutheran Church. Burial will be at Greenwood Memorial Terrace. Riplinger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Mrs. Brandt, who died Sunday, was born in Spokane.

She worked in the dietetic department at Sacred Heart Medical Center for 25 years.

She was a member of the board of directors of the Diamond Lake Beach Club and was a member of the Diamond Lake Improvement Association.

Her husband, Jack Brandt, died in April 1996.

She is survived by a daughter, Donna Kolstead of Spokane.

Memorial contributions may be made to the American Heart Association.

Edward Tester Spokane

Memorial service for Edward Almon Tester, 82, was Monday at Riplinger Funeral Home.

Born in Eagle River, Wis., Mr. Tester died Saturday.

He had lived in Spokane for more than 70 years and retired from McVay Bros.

He also had a home at Twin Lakes, Idaho.

Survivors include his wife of 50 years, Joanne; two daughters, Anita Whelchel of Nampa, Idaho, and Catherine Lopez of Post Falls; a sister, Anita Moretz, and a brother, Clayton Tester, both of Spokane; six grandchildren and one great-granddaughter.

Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society.

Rollin Putzier Post Falls

Memorial service for Rollin J. Putzier, 65, was Monday at the New Life Community Church in Hayden Lake, Idaho. English Funeral Chapel of Post Falls was in charge of arrangements.

Mr. Putzier, who was born in Winner, S.D., died Thursday.

He moved to North Idaho in 1957 from South Dakota and graduated from Gonzaga School of Law in 1989. He had worked as a horse trainer, millworker and construction worker.

Mr. Putzier was a member of the Disabled American Verterans, the American Legion and the Democratic Party.

Survivors include his wife, Judy; a son, Rollin W. Putzier of Post Falls; two daughters, Mary Putzier of Nevada and Laura Putzier of Lewiston; four brothers, Marvin Putzier of Coeur d’Alene, Irvin Putzier of South Dakota, Carl Putzier of Boise and Galen Putzier of Tacoma; five sisters, Colleen Kemmer and Joan Lucey, both of South Dakota, Sharon Rohrbach of Coeur d’Alene, Shiela Skidmore of California and Harriet Littlejohn of Spokane; and two grandchildren.

Memorials may be made to the Wishing Star Foundation, 915 Second, Suite 3, Spokane, WA 99204.

Lucille Smith Spokane

Graveside service for Lucille E. Smith, 85, will be at 2 p.m. Friday at Spokane Memorial Gardens. Riplinger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. Mrs. Smith, a lifetime Spokane resident, died Saturday.

She had worked as a retail clerk for the Anita department store.

She was a member of Audubon Park United Methodist Church.

Mrs. Smith is survived by two daughters, Patricia Pearson of Spokane and Barbara McLaren of Monroe, Wash.; a son, Dennis Smith of Spokane; two sisters, Lillian Allan and Eilene Edwards-Miller, both of Spokane; six grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to Audubon Park United Methodist Church.

Annie Reidt Spokane

Service for Annie Mae Reidt, 65, will be at a later date. Thornhill Valley Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Mrs. Reidt, who died Saturday, was born in Newman Lake.

She attended Rogers High School and was a longtime Spokane resident.

In 1949 she married Lewis Reidt.

She volunteered with the American Lung Association.

Mrs. Reidt is survived by her husband; two sons, William Reidt of Spokane and Patrick Reidt of Harrington, Wash.; a daughter, Louise Fouquette of Otis Orchards; three brothers, John Wood of Chattaroy, Joe Wood of Elk and Earl Wood of Seattle; a sister, Virginia Davis of Spokane; and a grandson.

James Halbert Hauser Lake, Idaho

Memorial service for James Eli Halbert, 40, will be Wednesday at 3 p.m. at Yates Funeral Home in Coeur d’Alene. Mr. Halbert, who was born in New York, died Friday.

He grew up in New York before moving to Boise, where he lived and worked as a Linotype operator for 13 years.

He moved to Coeur d’Alene in 1989 and continued his career with Rocky Mountain Bank Note until he was disabled.

Mr. Halbert was a member of the National Rifle Association.

Survivors include a son, Jacob Halbert, and a daughter, Jennifer Halbert, both of Homedale, Idaho; his father, Roy Halbert of New York; two brothers, Tim Halbert of Medical Lake and Pat Halbert of Athol, Idaho; and two sisters, Denise Bartlett of Hauser Lake and Debra Suit of Oregon.

Memorials may be made to Sacred Heart Kidney Center, or the Hauser Lake Volunteer Fire Department.

Jane Nixon Spokane

Private memorial service for Jane Phyllis Nixon, 79, will be today at Riplinger Funeral Home.

Mrs. Nixon, who died Friday, was born in Spokane.

She attended Kinman Business University in Spokane.

Mrs. Nixon had also lived in Lewiston.

She spent eight years in Saudi Arabia in the 1940s and 1950s before returning to Spokane, where she worked for the city’s legal department.

Mrs. Nixon is survived by a daughter, Janis Fogelson of Veradale; two sisters, Harriet Lobaugh of Spokane and Ramona Collier of Escalon, Calif.; three grandsons and several great-grandchildren.

Clara Planthaler Spokane

No service will be held for Clara H. Planthaler, at her request. Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Mrs. Planthaler, 86, died March 1.

She was born in Fraser, Iowa.

Mrs. Planthaler had lived in Spokane for 61 years and was a homemaker.

She is survived by her husband of 61 years, George Planthaler.

, DataTimes