Obituaries
Gertrude Wurtz Spokane
Funeral Mass for Gertrude A. Wurtz, 101, will be at noon today at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church. Burial will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery. Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Wurtz, who was born in Glen Ullin, N.D., died Monday.
She moved to Spokane in 1935 and was a homemaker.
Mrs. Wurtz served as the Democratic precinct committee officer for Peaceful Valley and was a member of The Cathedral of Our Lady of Lourdes Altar Society.
Her husband, John, died in 1964.
Survivors include two sons, Adam Wurtz of Yakima and Ted Wurtz of Port Ludlow, Wash.; three daughters, Agnes Kock of Spokane, Anna Gray of Burley, Wash., and Veronica BodnerLucas of Duquesne, Pa.; a brother, Leonard Hoerner of Monroe, Wash.; 18 grandchildren, 34 great-grandchildren and six great-greatgrandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to Morning Star Boys Ranch or Our Lady of Lourdes Altar Society.
Elsie ‘Babe’ Farber Spokane
Graveside service for Elise C. “Babe” Farber, 89, will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday at Fairmount Memorial Park. Riplinger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Born in Olympia, Mrs. Farber died Saturday.
She worked as a cook in several restaurants in the Spokane area before retiring in 1962.
She was a member of the American Association of Retired Persons and Hillyard Christian Church.
She is survived by her husband of 34 years, Maurice.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Shriners Hospital for Children.
Florence Johnson Spokane
Graveside service for Florence J. Johnson, 88, will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday at Fairmount Memorial Park. Riplinger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Johnson, who was born in Overlee, N.D., died Saturday.
She worked as a sales clerk in a department store and was a 64-year resident of Spokane.
Her husband, Alvin, preceded her in death.
Mrs. Johnson is survived by a sister, Luella Gladhart of Spokane.
Barbara Spalding Ione, Wash.
Graveside inurnment for Barbara Jeanne Spalding, 62, will be at 11 a.m. Thursday at Riverside Cemetery in Ione. Sherman-Knapp Funeral Home in Newport, Wash., is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Spalding, who was born in Yakima, died Sunday.
She grew up in Ellensburg and moved to Ione in 1961.
In 1963 she married Jerry Spalding in Spokane and was a homemaker.
Survivors include her husband; three daughters, Penny Smith of Ione, Jeanne Ottensther of Delta Junction, Alaska, and Winona Bakrich of Tucson, Ariz.; two sons, Jerry Spalding of Ione and Thomas Phipps of Brentwood, Calif.; two sisters, Patricia Malone of Spokane and James Brown of Butte, Mont.; 25 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Doris Stevens Spokane
Service for Doris (Miller) Stevens, 67, was May 10.
Mrs. Stevens, who died May 7, was born in Washington D.C.
She graduated from the University of Iowa with a degree in English literature.
She moved to Spokane in 1958 and was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority.
She was active for many years with Planned Parenthood, the YWCA, Friends of Manito and Rockwood Garden Club. She was also a master gardener.
Survivors include two sons, Scott and Patrick Stevens, both of Spokane; two daughters, Susan and Tracy Stevens, both of San Francisco; and four grandchildren.
Charles Kubu Spokane
Visitation for Charles J. Kubu, 89, will be from 1 to 8 p.m. today at Ball and Dodd Funeral Home North. The funeral service is planned for 2 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home. Burial will follow at Fairmount Memorial Park.
Mr. Kubu, who was born in New Prague, Minn., died Monday.
He joined the Navy in 1925 and served until the end of World War II. During World War II he served in the European Theater and the Pacific Theater aboard the USS Washington.
After the war he joined the Fleet Reserve as a chief warrant officer in Spokane.
He worked for the Naval Supply Depot known as Velox in the Spokane Valley as a stationary engineer until 1953, when he began working on the construction of missiles throughout the Inland Northwest.
He spent three years as chief engineer at Rockwood Manor and then five years with the Riverside Warehouse Co. He retired in 1962.
Mr. Kubu was a member of the Retired Officers Association, the Fleet Reserve Association Branch 38, the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Coeur d’Alene and Eagles Lodge No. 2. His wife of 57 years, Zelma, died in 1986.
Survivors include two sons, Charles Kubu Jr. and Walter Graham, both of Spokane; a sister, Dorothy Hasher of Mapleton, Minn.; a brother, George Kubu of El Cajon, Calif.; eight grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren.
Gerald Nirk Potlatch, Idaho
Funeral for Gerald D. Nirk, 78, will be at 2 p.m. today at Kramer Funeral Home in Palouse, Wash. Burial will follow at Freeze Cemetery north of Potlatch.
Mr. Nirk, who was born in Potlatch, died Sunday.
He graduated from Potlatch High School in 1938 and worked in his family’s sawmill north of Potlatch.
From 1942 to 1946 he served in the Army as a technician third grade. After his discharge, he returned to the family sawmill.
In 1943 he married Ruth Ringer in Colfax, Wash., and continued to operate the sawmill until it was destroyed by fire in 1966.
In 1968 he was employed by Central Pre-Mix in Moscow, Idaho, where he worked as a truck driver and batch-man at the plant. He retired in 1979.
Mr. Nirk was a member of the Teamster’s Union Local in Lewiston.
Survivors include his wife; a daughter, Cathy Gabriel of Moscow, Idaho; two brothers, Ron Nirk of Potlatch and Glen Nirk of Post Falls; three sisters, Cleora Strong of Moscow, Norma Cridebring of Potlatch and Leola Barner of Post Falls; one grandchild and four stepgrandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of the Palouse in Moscow or to Latah Health Services of Moscow.
Samuel Bohn Davenport, Wash.
Funeral Mass for Samuel J. Bohn, 78, will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday at the Wellpinit (Wash.) Longhouse. Burial will follow at Wellpinit Catholic Cemetery. Strate Funeral Home in Davenport is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Bohn, who was born on the Spokane Indian Reservation, died Saturday.
He worked as a truck driver for construction on the reservation for many years and later as a caretaker.
Two wives, Evelyn Bohn and Juanita Bohn, preceded him in death.
Mr. Bohn was a member of the Spokane Tribe of Indians.
Survivors include a son, Kenneth Bohn of Spokane; two daughters, Lucille Soto of Olympia and Veronica Browneagle of Bellingham; two sisters, Catherine Andrews of Wellpinit and Christine Garcia of Spokane; eight grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society.
Russell Pohl Spokane
Funeral for Russell J. Pohl, 72, will be at 2 p.m. today at Thornhil Valley Funeral Home.
Mr. Russell, a lifetime Spokane resident, died Saturday.
He was co-owner of Pohl Spring Works.
He was a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers, the Valley Elks Lodge and Lilac City Caravaner’s Club.
Survivors include his wife of 44 years, Ollie; and a sister, Arlene Delling of St. Louis.
Edna Bradley Kennewick
Funeral for Edna O. Bradley, 88, was Tuesday at Sunset Mausoleum Chapel at Fairmount Memorial Park. Burial followed.
Mrs. Bradley, who was born in Green Forest, Ark., died Wednesday.
She lived in Miami, Okla., and Pasco before moving to Spokane about 30 years ago.
She moved to Kennewick two years ago.
She was a homemaker and a member of the Pillars and First Assembly of God Church in Spokane.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Robert.
Survivors include three nieces, Elaine LaFon and Marie Stanhope, both of Pasco and Barbara Ward of Kennewick.
Norma Secord Wichita, Texas
Service for Norma Helen Secord, 94, will be held at a later date. Owens and Brumley Funeral Home in Wichita Falls is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Secord, who was born in Swift Current, Saskatchewan, died Friday.
She moved to the Spokane area early in her life and worked as a hospital systems nurse for the state of Washington.
Mrs. Secord was a member of the Order of Eastern Star and the Rebekkah Lodge.
She moved to Wichita Falls in 1985.
Her husband, Joseph, died in 1958.
Survivors include a daughter, Jo Ann Rego of Livermore, Calif., Audrie McInnis of Carlsbad, Calif.; two stepdaughters, Doris Rooker of Vancouver, British Columbia, and Geraldine Rogeness of Seattle; two grandchildren, and many great- and great-great-grandchildren.
Judy Wilder Spokane
Memorial service for Judy A. Wilder, 49, will be at 3 p.m. Friday at Heritage Funeral Home.
Mrs. Wilder, who was born in Ruthven, Iowa, died Sunday.
She was a certified nurses aide and a resident of Spokane for 10 years.
Survivors include two daughters, Starr Dias and Sabrina Wilder, both of Spokane; a son, Howard Wilder II of Spokane; several brothers and sisters, and three grandchildren.
Lyrl Frisque Usk, Wash.
Private service for Lyrl Austin Frisque, 80, will be held at a later date. Sherman-Knapp Funeral Home in Newport, Wash., is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Frisque, who was born in Green Bay, Wis., died Thursday.
She was a resident of Usk for the past 14 years.
Her husband, Roy, preceded her in death.
Survivors include a son, Thomas Frisque of Usk; a sister, Lucille Austin of Marinette, Wis.; four grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
Lois Long Spokane
Visitation for Lois L. Long, 82, will be from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. today and from 9 to 11 a.m. Thursday at Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home. Funeral is planned for 1 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home. Burial will follow at Fairmount Memorial Park.
Mrs. Long, who died Saturday, was born in Springfield, Mo.
She was raised in Benkelman, Neb., and moved to Hamilton, Mont., after she married Guy Long.
Mr. Long died in 1951 and she moved to Spokane, where she made ammunition at Columbia Lighting during the Korean War.
She also worked as a waitress in various restaurants and managed a restaurant in Spangle. She also worked as a bartender at the Hub Tavern and worked in the Safeway warehouse.
Mrs. Long most recently worked as a head housekeeper at Sacred Heart Medical Center. She retired after 15 years.
Survivors include two sons, Ron and Larry Long, both of Spokane; a daughter, Shirley Garland of Spokane; two sisters in Benkelman; 14 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.
Jacqueline Iltz Spokane
Visitation for Jacqueline “Jacque” Iltz, 73, will be from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. today at Ball and Dodd Funeral Home South. Graveside service is planned for 2 p.m. Thursday at Greenwood Memorial Terrace.
Mrs. Iltz, who was born in Colville, Wash., died Friday.
She graduated from North Central High School in 1942 and then worked for the Fashion Bootery in downtown Spokane.
In 1945 she married Harland Cowan in Spokane.
She worked at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation until 1954, when she moved to Walla Walla and worked for the Army Corps of Engineers.
In 1960 she married her second husband Howard Iltz, and they moved back to Spokane.
Mrs. Iltz then worked for the Federal Home Loan Bank Board until the company moved to Seattle and she began working at Fairchild Air Force Base as the personal secretary to the base commander.
She continued to work at Fairchild, moving to the base housing department, until her retirement in 1984.
Her husband died in 1995.
Survivors include a son, Craig Cowan of Salem, Ore.; a daughter, Judith Cowan of Post Falls; a brother, Robert Parsons of Moses Lake; one grandchild and one great-grandchild.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Lung Association.
Laura Barnes Spokane
Visitation for Laura Bell Barnes, 86, will be from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. today at Riplinger Funeral Home. Graveside service is scheduled for 10 a.m. Thursday at Riverside Memorial Park.
Mrs. Barnes, who was born in Hay, Wash., died Sunday.
She was a 72-year resident of Spokane.
Her husband, Emil, preceded her in death.
Survivors include two sisters, Wilma Froman of Spokane and Iona Trull of Colton, Wash.; two grandchildren, three great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.