Obituaries

Carol Herak Spokane

Vigil service for Carol L. Herak, 73, will be at 7 p.m. today at Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home. Funeral Mass will be at 10 a.m. Friday at St. Augustine Catholic Church. Burial will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery.

Mrs. Herak, who was an active member of the Spokane community for more than 50 years, died Sunday.

She was born in Hoopston, Ill., and was raised in western Montana.

Mrs. Herak graduated from Charlo High School in Montana and worked and lived in Missoula, Seattle and Spokane.

In 1944 she married Donald Herak and they moved to Spokane in 1951.

She and her husband were long-time supporters and benefactors of Gonzaga University. The Donald H. and Carol L. Herak School of Engineering Building was dedicated in 1988.

They were also involved with the first Gonzaga Night at the Symphony in the Opera House and have been major sponsors of this annual event and of the Spokane Symphony since 1987.

Mrs. Herak served on the Gonzaga University Library Board of Directors, the Cheney Cowles Museum Board of Trustees and the St. Anne’s Children’s Home Auxiliary.

Mrs. Herak was a volunteer at Sacred Heart Medical Center for many years.

She is survived by her husband; three children, Toni Robideaux and Jerry and Donna Herak, all of Spokane; a sister, Ruth Moore of Spokane; and three grandchildren.

Charles Lombard Spokane

Rosary for Charles W. “Chuck” Lombard, 72, will be at 7 p.m. today at St. John Vianney Catholic Church. Memorial Mass will be at 10 a.m. Friday at the church. Inurnment will follow at the church columbarium. Hennessey Valley Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Mr. Lombard, who was born in Spokane, died Saturday.

He graduated in 1943 from West Valley High School and served in the Navy as a radar technician aboard an aircraft carrier during World War II.

Mr. Lombard worked his way up to district manager for Ford Motor Company and General Motors in Spokane, Seattle and Salt Lake City.

He served as an usher at St. John Vianney Catholic Church and was a grand knight in the Knights of Columbus.

Survivors include two sons, Frank and John Lombard, both of Spokane; three sisters, Genevieve Pierce and Amelia Braungardt, both of Spokane and Rita McFarland of Federal Way, Wash.; a brother, Mike Lombard of Spokane; and two grandsons.

Sam Parker Spokane

Memorial service for Sam Q. Parker, 79, is set for 10 a.m. Saturday at Heritage Funeral Home. Private inurnment was held at Greenwood Memorial Terrace.

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

He graduated from high school in Miles City, Mont., and in 1938 married Laura Bacon in Coeur d’Alene.

Mr. Parker served in the Navy during World War II and then worked as an operating engineer in Spokane until his retirement in 1982.

Survivors include his wife; two sons, Sam and Raymond Parker, both of Spokane; and five grandchildren.

Mata Webber Davenport, Wash.

Service for Mata Webber, 95, is planned for 11 a.m. Friday at Zion Lutheran Church in Davenport. Burial will follow at Mountain View Cemetery in Davenport. Strate Funeral Home in Davenport is in charge of arrangements.

Mrs. Webber, who was born north of Davenport, died Sunday.

She worked for the maintenance department of Spokane College and then worked at the newly built Davenport Hotel.

In 1927 she went to work at the Spokane telephone company as an operator, a job she held until rotary phones were installed.

She married Ervin Webber in Coeur d’Alene in 1929 and they continued to make their home in Davenport.

During World War II she worked at her husband’s Union gas station. Mrs. Webber then worked for the City of Davenport as a deputy clerk and she and her husband ran the Union Oil bulk plant until 1962.

She then became a full-time homemaker, but also helped her husband in his television repair business until the 1980s.

Mrs. Webber was a member of Zion Lutheran Church.

Survivors include her husband; a son, Ronald Webber of Spokane; and a sister, Elsie Buck of Davenport.

Joyce Weir Spokane

Memorial service for Joyce Weir, 87, will be at 11 a.m. Friday at Whitworth Community Presbyterian Church. Ball and Dodd Funeral Home - South is in charge of arrangements.

Mrs. Weir, who was born in North Dakota, died Friday.

She moved to Spokane in 1954 and graduated from Spokane Community College as a licensed practical nurse.

Mrs. Weir worked at various places as an LPN, including Holy Family Hospital.

She was a member of Whitworth Community Presbyterian Church.

Her husband, Walter Weir, died in 1957.

Survivors include a son, James Weir of Portland; a daughter, Jo Ellen Jones of Spokane; two brothers, Dick Allstot of East Wenatchee, Wash., and Bill Allstot of Tonasket, Wash.; four grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.

Ralph ‘Buck’ Kile Jr. St. John, Wash.

Service for Ralph Emerson “Buck” Kile Jr., 74, is planned for 2 p.m. Friday at St. John Methodist Church in St. John. Burial will follow at the St. John Cemetery. Bruning Funeral Home in Colfax, Wash., is in charge of arrangements.

Mr. Kile, who was born in Thornton, Wash., died Saturday.

He served in military during World War II where he flew F4-F Wildcat fighter planes from an aircraft carrier.

Mr. Kile was a retired farmer in Whitman County and a member of St. John’s Methodist Church, the Coin Masonic Lodge, Order of the Eastern Star Golden Link Chapter, Elks Lodge and the Wheatland Grange.

His wife, Patricia, died in 1981.

Survivors include a son, Jim Kile of St. John; a daughter, Nancy Fike of Spokane; and four grandchildren.

Frances Maine Spokane

Service for Frances M. Maine, 79, will be at 10 a.m. Friday at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church. Burial will follow at 2 p.m. at Pine Grove Cemetery in Blanchard, Idaho. Riplinger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Mrs. Maine, a lifetime resident of Spokane, died Monday.

She graduated from John R. Rogers High School and worked as a salesperson in women’s ready-to-wear at Rusan’s in Spokane.

Mrs. Maine was a member of Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, Lone Eagles Club, the Cheney Writer’s Club and was a volunteer at Holy Family Hospital.

Survivors include a son, Roger Maine of Chattaroy; three daughters, Virginia Henderson of Colbert, Sandra Fredrickson of Nine Mile Falls, and Cathleen Rozell of Auburn, Wash.; 11 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Gloria Ritter Sprague, Wash.

Memorial service for Gloria B. Ritter, 82, will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at Sprague Lutheran Church. Bruning Funeral Home in Colfax, Wash., is in charge of arrangements.

Mrs. Ritter, who was born in Newport, Wash., died Sunday.

She was raised in the Cusick, Wash., area and in 1933 graduated from high school there.

In 1934 she married Frank Ritter in Newport. They moved to the Tri-Cities in 1943.

Mrs. Ritter worked on the Hanford Reservation for 20 years for General Electric and moved to Sprague in 1969. There, she worked for the Sprague School District as a special assistant. She retired in 1984.

She was a member of Sprague Lutheran Church and Sprague Senior Citizens.

Her husband died in 1993.

Mrs. Ritter is survived by a son, Leroy Ritter of St. John, Wash.; two daughters, Margaret of Renton, Wash., and Patricia Moore of Aberdeen, N.Y.; two brothers, Bruce Bond of Cusick and Earl Bond of Portland; 12 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren.

Mary Nill Spokane

Service for Mary Nill, 93, will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at Zion Lutheran Church. Burial will follow at Pines Cemetery. Thornhill Valley Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Mrs. Nill, who was born and raised in Ashley, N.D., died Tuesday.

In 1934 she married Matthew Nill in Ashley and they moved to Spokane 48 years ago.

She was a homemaker and a member of Zion Lutheran Church.

Her husband died in 1968.

She is survived by a daughter, Margaret Heinen of Mead; two brothers, Bill Baumann of Ashley and Gus Baumann of La Jolla, Calif.; two sisters, Ida Neu and Ella Spitzer, both of Yakima; and two grandsons.

Mabel Hogenson Spokane

Private graveside service for Mabel Hogenson, 94, will be at 11 a.m. today at Riverside Cemetery. Ball and Dodd Funeral Home - South is in charge of arrangements.

Mrs. Hogenson, who died March 4, was born in Davenport, Wash.

She worked as a legal secretary for a Spokane attorney.

Her husband, Ernest Hogenson, died in 1979.

Survivors include two sisters, Jessie Coburn of Spokane and Ruth Holcomb of Irvine, Calif.

James O’Connell Jr. Spokane

Funeral Mass for James J. O’Connell Jr., 83, was Wednesday at Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home. Burial followed at Holy Cross Cemetery.

Mr. O’Connell, who was born in Chicago, died Sunday.

He served as a lieutenant commander in the Navy during World War II.

Mr. O’Connell worked for the Chicago Board of Education for 36 years including 20 years as principal of Zenos Coleman Public School.

He moved to Spokane 23 years ago and was a member of Immaculate Conception Church in Post Falls.

Survivors include his wife of 54 years, Alberta; three sons, James O’Connell III of Chattanooga, Tenn., Barry O’Connell of Bozeman, Mont., and Brendan O’Connell of Fort Collins, Colo.; two daughters, Alberta Walchuk of Conway, Ariz., and Patricia Ziegler of Gold River, Calif.; a sister, Mary Hughes of Wheaton, Ill.; and 19 grandchildren.

Lee Whitaker Spokane

No service will be held for Lee A. Whitaker, 79, at his request. The Cremation Society of Washington is in charge of arrangements.

Born in Troy, Mont., he died Thursday.

He graduated from Flathead County High School in Montana and served in the Marine Maintenance Division of the Army in the South Pacific during World War II.

Mr. Whitaker moved to Spokane in 1946 and retired from Kaiser Aluminum-Trentwood after 37 years.

Survivors include his wife of 57 years, Flavia; a son, Brian Whitaker of Spokane; a daughter, Robin Murray of Coeur d’Alene; and three grandchildren.

Lorene Varker Spokane

No service will be held for Lorene B. Varker. Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Mrs. Varker, 72, died Saturday.

She was born in Redwood City, Calif., and graduated from high school in California.

Mrs. Varker graduated from Kinman Business College where she received her medical assistant training.

She was a 35-year Spokane resident and worked in a doctor’s office before working at First Care Med Center for more than 10 years.

Mrs. Varker was a member of the Certified Medical Assistants Association.

Survivors include a son, Keith Varker, and two daughters, Susie Loskamp and Penny Paschall, all of Spokane; 11 grandchildren and numerous great-grandchildren.

Charles Mills Spokane

Graveside service for Charles R. Mills, 66, will be at 2 p.m. Monday at Riverside Memorial Park. The Cremation Society of Washington is in charge of arrangements.

Mr. Mills, who was born in Chicago, died Monday.

He was raised in Los Angeles and joined the Army in 1948. He served until 1952, receiving the Purple Heart while in the Korean War.

After the service, he moved to Spokane and worked as a coin dealer for Carroll’s Stamps and Coins until his retirement in 1989.

Mr. Mills is survived by a sister, Merry Dick of Spokane.

Loraine Peterson Spokane

Private service and entombment for Loraine B. Peterson, 84, will be held at a later date. Ball and Dodd Funeral Home - South is in charge of arrangements.

Mrs. Peterson, a lifetime resident of Spokane, died Tuesday.

She graduated from Lewis and Clark High School and worked at Galena Air Field during World War II.

Mrs. Peterson then was a homemaker and a member of Unity Church of Truth and Little Spokane Garden Club.

Her husband of 40 years, John Peterson, died in 1983.

Survivors include two sons, David and Douglas Peterson, both of Mead; and a brother, Vaughn Chappell of Spokane.

, DataTimes