Obituaries
Francis Gillis Spokane
No service will be held for Francis Gordon Gillis, 81, at his request. Inurnment will be at Spokane Memorial Gardens. Thornhill Valley Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Gillis, who was born in Ritzville, Wash., died Wednesday.
He graduated in 1934 from Washtucna (Wash.) High School and then served in the Army. He was in the Military Police Board Organization from 1942 to 1945.
Mr. Gillis was awarded the Asiatic Pacific Campaign and Good Conduct medals.
A Spokane area resident since 1951, he worked at Kaiser Trentwood for 27 years until his retirement in 1979.
Survivors include a son, George Gillis of Spokane; a daughter, Ruthann Brazelton of Athol, Idaho; two sisters, Alene Staley of Medical Lake and Patricia Reeve of Spokane; seven grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to Catholic Charities of Spokane.
Raymond Lesky Greenacres
Visitation for Raymond J. Lesky, 57, will be from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. today at Hazen and Jaeger Funeral home. Funeral will be at 1 p.m. Wednesday at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints, Spokane East Stake Center. Burial will follow at the Pines Cemetery.
Mr. Lesky, who was born in Cle Elum, Wash., died Saturday.
He did maintenance work and was an 11-year resident of Spokane.
Survivors include his wife of 34 years, Gail; three sons, Shaun and Mark Lesky, both of Greenacres, and Stan Lesky of Spokane; a daughter, Deborah Shaw of Spokane; two brothers, James Lesky of Cle Elum and John Lesky of Seattle; a sister, Frances Donnelon; and 12 grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or the Family Home Care.
Nellie Nerbun Coeur d’Alene
No service will be held for Nellie E. Nerbun, 83, at her request. Yates Funeral Home in Coeur d’Alene is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Nerbun, who was born in Republic, Wash., died Thursday.
She settled in Spokane, where she lived for many years before moving to Coeur d’Alene 20 years ago.
Her husband, Russell, died in 1962.
Survivors include a son, Paul Nerbun of Spokane; three daughters, Claudia Schroder of Spokane, Sandra Tollefson of Seattle and Vicki Flinn of Seattle; a brother, Sidney Yenter of Spokane; eight grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Memorials may be made to Hospice of North Idaho, 280 Prairie Ave., Coeur d’Alene, ID 83815.
Alice Williams Spokane
No service will be held for Alice J. Williams. Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Williams, 74, died Thursday.
She was born in Tulsa, Okla., and worked in janitorial services.
Mrs. Williams was a resident of Spokane for 52 years.
She is survived by her husband, Herbert.
June Brislawn Spokane
Funeral for June M. Brislawn, 74, was Monday at Holy Cross Cemetery. Burial followed. Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Brislawn, who was born in Chewelah, Wash., died Thursday.
She was a homemaker.
Her husband, Marcian Brislawn, died in January.
Survivors include a son, Mike Brislawn of Kent, Wash.; five brothers, Ralph Cooley of Spokane, Wayne Cooley of Valley, Wash., and Larry, Dick and Bob Bostrom, all of Spokane; four sisters, Mary Long of Lacey, Wash., Arlene Horn and Grace Bostrom, both of Spokane, and Pat Carter of White Salmon, Wash.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Diabetes Association.
Katherine Burke Spokane
Memorial service for Katherine Burke, 76, will be at 1 p.m. today at Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home.
Mrs. Burke, who was born in Post Falls, died Thursday.
She graduated from Post Falls High School and Kelsey Baird Business School.
During World War II, she worked at the radio station at Geiger Field.
Mrs. Burke then worked as a stenographer with Loyal Protective Life Insurance Co. She retired in the early 1980s.
She was a member of the Catholic Church and was an active volunteer with various senior organizations.
Her husband of 43 years, Bud Burke, died in 1988.
Survivors include two sons, Jim Burke of Nine Mile Falls and Bill Burke of Colville, Wash.; a daughter, Patti Krupke of Mount Vernon, Wash.; a sister, Mary Frazey of Post Falls; and six grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Inland Empire Diabetes Association.
Howard Pottratz Spokane
Memorial service for Howard L. Pottratz, 85, will be at 1 p.m. today at Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home. A private inurnment will be at Greenwood Memorial Terrace.
Mr. Pottratz, who was a 60-year resident of Spokane, died Friday.
He was born in Waverly and served in the Navy Seabees during World War II.
Mr. Pottratz worked for Washington Water Power Co. for 40 years, including time as a line crew foreman.
He was a member of the Spokane Area Chamber of Commerce and held two terms as president of the Ag Bureau. He was a member of the Elks Lodge and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.
Survivors include his wife, Gertrude; and a sister, Irene Glover of Oregon City, Ore.
Margaret Hopkins Spokane
No service will be held for Margaret E. Hopkins. Ball and Dodd Funeral Home-South is in charge of arrangements.
Miss Hopkins, 85, died March 17.
She was a 75-year resident of Spokane and had worked for the federal government.
Miss Hopkins had been residing at Rockwood Manor Retirement Community.
There are no surviving family members.
Doris (Thomason) Winslett Spokane
A private inurnment for Doris (Thomason) Winslett, 86, will be held at Spokane Memorial Gardens. A memorial service will be at noon Saturday at Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home.
Mrs. Winslett, who was born in Sandpoint, died Wednesday.
Her family moved to Spokane when she was a child, and she graduated from North Central High School in 1929.
In 1936 she married Edmund Winslett, and they lived in many places, including San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and Japan while he was in the military.
After her husband’s retirement from the Army, they returned to Spokane and operated a travel agency.
Mrs. Winslett was a member of the First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Spokane and the First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, Chapter AI of the PEO sisterhood, the Spokane Garden Club, Women of Rotary, the Young Women’s Christian Association Historical Society and the Eastern Washington Historical Society.
Survivors include two daughters, Georgine Winslett of Culpepper, Va., and Jackie Rider of Albuquerque, N.M.; a brother, Donald Thomason of Spokane; two sisters, Lorraine Bowie and Carol Jones, both of Spokane; two grandsons and two great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the First Church of Christ Scientist in Spokane, Habitat for Humanity, Young Women’s Christian Association, the Eastern Washington State Historical Society, PEO education projects, c/o Mrs. Clair Jones, 7718 N. Panorama Drive, Spokane, WA 99208, or to the Eden Fund at Riverview Care Center.
Edna (Bamford) Erickson Spokane
Graveside service for Edna E. (Bamford) Erickson, 94, will be at 1 p.m. today at Mountain View Memorial Cemetery in Tacoma. A memorial service will be at 2:30 p.m. Thursday at the Riverview Terrace Chapel. Riplinger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Erickson, who was a 13-year resident of Spokane, died Friday.
She was born in Merrill, Wis., and moved to Everett as a child.
Mrs. Erickson graduated in 1921 from Franklin High School and in 1930 married Alvyn Erickson in Chehalis, Wash.
She worked for Pacific Marine Supply and as a stenographer for Price Waterhouse.
Mrs. Erickson was active as a deacon and in the women’s association at the Little Church of the Prairie. She was also a member of the Lakewood Garden Club and the Athena Study Club.
In 1985 she moved to the Riverview Retirement Community in Spokane and served as secretary of the Residents’ Council.
Her husband died in 1967.
Survivors include a daughter, Janet Whitcomb of Spokane; a son, John Erickson of Seattle; six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Riverview Eden Foundation, c/o J.E. Renner, or to First Presbyterian Church.
Lawrence Dunsmore Spokane
Funeral for Lawrence V. Dunsmore, 59, will be at 1 p.m. Thursday at Thornhill Valley Funeral Home. Burial will follow at Fairview Cemetery in Rockford.
Mr. Dunsmore, who was born in Wallace, died Friday.
He graduated from North Idaho Junior College and served three years in the Army.
Mr. Dunsmore moved to Spokane in 1965 and had owned and operated Dunsmore Land Surveyors for the past 27 years.
He was a licensed professional land surveyor in Washington, Idaho, Montana and North Dakota. He was past president of the Inland Empire Chapter of the Land Surveyors Association of Washington.
Survivors include his wife of 31 years, Shirley; his mother, Virginia Dunsmore of Osburn, Idaho; two brothers, Dan and Ron Dunsmore, both of Spokane; and two sisters, Laurella Oneslager of Osburn and Lorraine Reasor of Seattle.
Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Spokane, the Spokane Humane Society or the Land Surveyor Memorial Scholarship, c/o Spokane Community College.
Gyle Nelson Spokane
Visitation for Gyle F. Nelson, 61, will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday and from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday at Hazen and Jaeger Valley Funeral Home. Funeral will be at 3 p.m. Friday at the funeral home. Burial will follow at Pines Cemetery.
Mr. Nelson, who was born in Whitefish, Mont., died Friday. He was a 50-year resident of Spokane.
He worked at Inland Empire Paper Co. for 20 years as a crane operator. He also worked for Tomlinson-Black for 24 years in real estate sales.
Mr. Nelson was a graduate of the Realtor Institute and was a certified residential appraiser. He was a member of the Presidents Club of Tomlinson-Black for outstanding sales volume.
He was also a volunteer firefighter for the Millwood Fire Department, and was a member of the Valley Lions and the Elks.
Survivors include his wife of 40 years, Lila; a son, Keith Nelson of Mesa, Ariz.; two daughters, Kerri Kline of Mesa and Kris Bill of Spokane; three sisters, Beverly Foster and Denise Brothers, both of Spokane, and Paula Gonzalez of Aurora, Colo.; and six grandchildren.
Mabel Bartholomew Vancouver, Wash.
Memorial service for Mabel E. Bartholomew, 89, was Monday at Ball and Dodd Funeral Home-South.
Mrs. Bartholomew, a former 65-year resident of Spokane, died Tuesday.
She was born in Sharon, Wash., and in 1926 graduated from Sharon High School.
Mrs. Bartholomew moved to Spokane in 1926 and worked for J.I. Case Tractor from 1928 to 1933.
She was a member of Mountain View Church of the Nazarene, Sinto Senior Center and the Troubadour Band.
Mrs. Bartholomew moved to Vancouver, Wash., seven years ago.
Her husband of 47 years, William, died in 1980.
Survivors include a daughter, Shirley Thur of Battle Ground, Wash.; a brother, Clarence Reeck of Tacoma; three grandsons and one great-granddaughter.