Obituaries

David Welden Rathdrum, Idaho

Visitation for David R. Welden, 41, will be from 4 to 8 p.m. today at Yates Funeral Home, Hayden Chapel. Service will be at 11 a.m. Friday at Hayden Chapel. Burial will follow at Pinegrove Cemetery in Rathdrum.

Mr. Welden, who was born in Spokane, died Monday.

He grew up in Coeur d’Alene and moved to Rathdrum in 1973, graduating from high school there.

Mr. Welden began a career as a cabinetmaker in high school and worked for Custom Furniture and Cabinets. He later worked for Stratford Homes.

He also was active in Rathdrum Little League Baseball and served as a coach.

Survivors include his wife of more than 20 years, Doreen; two sons, Joshua Welden of Coeur d’Alene and Lucas Welden of Rathdrum; his father, Jack Welden of Boise; a brother, Jack Welden of Boise; five sisters, Cathy Welden and Merri LiButti, both of Boise, Judy Kelterborn of California, Carolyn Hanson of Bonney Lake, Wash., and Sandy Kirshner of Spanaway, Wash.; and four godchildren.

Ida Olderness Spokane

Funeral for Ida M. Olderness, 89, will be at 1 p.m. today at Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home. Burial will follow at Fairmount Memorial Park.

Mrs. Olderness, who died Monday, was born in Grand Forks, British Columbia.

She graduated from Northport (Wash.) High School in 1927 and was proprietor of a dry goods store in Kendrick, Idaho.

Mrs. Olderness was a resident of Spokane for the past 47 years.

She was a member of First Covenant Church and Gideon’s Project Joy.

Her first husband, Richard Cross, died in 1947. Her second husband, Harold Olderness, died in April.

Survivors include a son, Dick Cross of Loon Lake; three daughters, Nadene Stephenson of Edmonds, Wash., Seeran Phelps of Loon Lake and Verna Adams of Lewiston, Idaho; 11 grandchildren, 26 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to First Covenant Church.

Ruth Guffin Spokane

Graveside service for Ruth A. Guffin, 88, is set for 11 a.m. Friday at Peone Prairie Cemetery. Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Mrs. Guffin, a lifetime Spokane resident, died Monday.

She worked at Sacred Heart Medical Center as a nurses aide for many years.

Survivors include a daughter, Marcia Green of Tacoma; a sister, Helen Funden of Spokane; four grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.

Clarence ‘Toots’ Thompson Rathdrum, Idaho

Service for Clarence L. “Toots’ Thompson, 86, will be held at a later date at Alden-Waggoner Funeral Home in Boise. Yates Funeral Home in Coeur d’Alene is in charge of local arrangements.

Mr. Thompson, who was born in Boise, died Monday.

He grew up in Horseshoe Bend, Idaho, and attended Boise High School.

Mr. Thompson worked for Quinn Robbins, Morrison Knudsen and the State of Idaho and started City Washing Machine Service in 1943.

He later formed Thompson Appliance in Boise with his brother. It later became Thompson’s Inc. He retired in 1975 and moved to Rathdrum.

He was involved in several Rathdrum community activities and volunteered at school carnivals in Boise and helped maintain the Rathdrum city parks.

Survivors include his wife of 65 years, Eleanor; four daughters, Colleen Chilikas of New Jersey, Patricia Waterman of Boise, Carol Helmick of Rathdrum and Sue Cobley of Homedale, Idaho; a brother, Kenneth Thompson of Boise; eight grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to Rathdrum Library or Rathdrum Parks Department.

William Gunter Jr. Inchelium, Wash.

Funeral service for William C. “Billy Jack” Gunter, Jr., 38, will be at 10 a.m. today at Strate Funeral Home in Davenport, Wash.

Mr. Gunter, who was born in Sandpoint, died Friday.

Survivors include his parents, Bill and Barbara Gunter of Fruitland, Wash.; two sons, Calvin Gunter of Fruitland and Ivory Gunter of Inchelium; two daughters, Brandi and Trisha Gunter, both of Oregon; three sisters, Debbie Hardwock, Joni Flett and Jewel Moss; two brothers, Darrell and Robbie Hunter, both of Oregon; and his grandparents, Jewel Gunter of Sandpoint and Velma McCoy of Fruitland.

Gen (Meier) Mead Chattaroy

Memorial service for Gen (Meier) Mead, 54, is planned for 2 p.m. today at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Rockford. Riplinger Funeral home is in charge of arrangements.

Mrs. Mead, who was born in Devils Lake, N.D., died Tuesday.

She was a homemaker.

Mrs. Mead is survived by her husband of 33 years, Don; four sons, Kevin Franklin of Spokane, Don and Bruce Mead, both of Chattaroy and Tim Mead of Salt Lake City; a daughter, Mishelle Altena of Colbert; two sisters, Marian King of Spokane and Lavern Halem of Golden Valley, Ariz.; and eight grandchildren.

Lillian McNair Coeur d’Alene

Memorial service for Lillian V. McNair, 87, will be held at a later date. Yates Funeral Home in Coeur d’Alene is in charge of arrangements.

Mrs. McNair, who was born in Coeur d’Alene, died Monday.

She grew up in Coeur d’Alene and attended schools in Coeur d’Alene. She graduated from Cheney Normal College, now known as Eastern Washington University.

Mrs. McNair moved to Farmington, Wash., in 1936 and worked for the Postal Service before retiring.

She was a member of the Pythian Sisters and served as Grand Chief, and was also a member of Farmington Methodist Church.

Mrs. McNair was preceded in death by her husband, Morgan.

She later returned to the Coeur d’Alene area.

Survivors include a daughter, Carolyn McNair of Connecticut; and a nephew, Don LaVoie of Coeur d’Alene.

Memorial contributions may be made to Garfield Emergency Medical Technicians, c/o Garfield Farmington Emergency Medical Service, Garfield, WA 99130.

Bertha Dollarhide St. John, Wash.

Funeral service for Bertha Dollarhide, 88, will be at 11 a.m. Friday at St. John Christian Church. Burial will follow at St. John Cemetery. Bruning Funeral Home in Colfax, Wash., is in charge of arrangements.

Mrs. Dollarhide, who was born in a home between St. John and Lancaster, Wash., died Monday.

In 1927, she married Gaines Dollarhide in Colfax and they made their home in the Sunset area of Whitman County, before moving to St. John in 1941.

Mrs. Dollarhide worked for two years at the Cold Storage Market of St. John, and in the laboratory of the Soil Conservation Office and for the St. John School District for a short time before working as the assistant librarian at the St. John Library. She also served on the library board for five years.

She was a member of Thornton Methodist Church, Wheatland Grange and St. John Rebekah Lodge.

Her husband died in 1962.

Survivors include three daughters, Marilyn Partridge of Spokane, and Barbara Bailey and Evelyn Patterson, both of St. John; a sister, Alma Lafady of Longview, Wash.; 10 grandchildren, two stepgrandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to St. John Fire Department or St. John Library.

Lynn Skinner Sandpoint

Graveside inurnment for Lynn Quartis Skinner, 97, was Wednesday at Newport (Wash.) Cemetery.

Mr. Skinner, who died Saturday, was born on a ranch east of Gordon, Neb.

He grew up on a homestead near Trump, Colo., before moving in 1938 to Idaho, where he bought land in Vay, Idaho, and lived for 11 years.

Mr. Skinner was involved with the building of Camp Farragut during World War II and also worked at Hunter’s Point Naval Base in Calif., and later at Hanford Atomic Works. He worked for Diamond National Lumber Co. in Priest River for more than 12 years, retiring in 1962.

After his retirement, he moved to the Oldtown, Idaho, area. He had lived in Sandpoint for the past year.

Survivors include his wife, Retha; three daughters, Jeannie Hutchins of Newport, Ella Skinner of Seattle and Lynda Turner of Ona, W. Va.; a son, Paddy Skinner of Nampa, Idaho; a stepson, Mike Collins of Priest River and nine grandchildren.

Vestina ‘Vesta’ Miller Coeur d’Alene

Visitation for Vestina Jane “Vesta” Miller, 85, will be from 4 to 7 p.m. today at Yates Funeral Home in Coeur d’Alene. Service will be Friday at 2 p.m. at the funeral home. Graveside service is set for 11 a.m. Saturday at Greenwood Cemetery in Spokane. Mrs. Miller, who was born in Canfield, Idaho, died Tuesday.

She lived in Spokane for many years before moving to Coeur d’Alene 32 years ago.

Mrs. Miller was a member of the Eagles Auxiliary Guild.

Survivors include her husband of 32 years, Eldon; three daughters, Sharon Lasswell, Jeanette Arveson and Arlene Bryant; three sons, Frank, Donald and Jim Dearing; a brother, Kenneth; and numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren.