Obituaries
Dale Johnsen, D.V.M. Spokane
Memorial service for Dale B. Johnsen, 75, will be at 10 a.m. today at Riplinger Funeral Home.
A lifetime Spokane resident, Dr. Johnsen, died Saturday.
In 1945 he graduated from Washington State University with a degree in veterinary medicine. He practiced with his father in one of the first large-animal clinics in the Northwest.
He served in the Army during World War II.
Dr. Johnsen worked for the Washington State Horse Racing Commission as the track veterinarian at Playfair Race Course and other tracks for 50 years.
He served on the board of the Washington Horse Breeders Association and was president in 1973.
He was a charter member and past president of both Spokane Valley Rotary clubs, was a 50-year member of the Masonic Lodge, and was also a Shriner and a Jester.
Survivors include his wife of 51 years, Bettie; three daughters, Jennifer Ellersick of Newport, Wash., Deborah Hopkins of Federal Way, Wash., and Cindy Casey of Seattle; a sister, Doris Garner of Spokane; and five grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Shriners Hospital for Children.
Clifford Clark Blanchard, Idaho
Funeral for Clifford Walter Clark, 63, will be at 11 a.m. today at Sherman-Knapp Funeral Home in Newport, Wash. Burial will follow at the Blanchard Cemetery.
Mr. Clark, who was born in Spokane, died Saturday.
In 1971 he moved to Blanchard where he owned and operated the Blanchard Tavern. He later worked at Armour Meat Packing in Spokane until his retirement.
Mr. Clark was a member of the Eagles, Lions and Moose lodges.
Survivors include his wife, Loretta; a daughter, Lynn McDougall-Case of Reardan, Wash.; four sons, Berry Clark of Oldtown, Idaho, Billy Clark of Hayden Lake, Idaho, Clint Clark of Blanchard and Corey Clark of Hayden, Idaho; 17 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Alma Makus Spokane
A celebration of life for Alma Jean Makus, 61, was Tuesday at the family home.
Mrs. Makus, who died Friday, was born in Chewelah, Wash.
She was a 42-year Spokane resident and was a child-care worker for many years.
Her husband, Otto, died in 1985.
Survivors include two sons, Fred Makus of Spokane and Russell Makus of Bellingham; three daughters, Penny Schneider, Wendy Burgett and Becky Mangis, all of Spokane; a brother, Fred Nussbaum of Chewelah; two sisters, George Wise of Chattaroy and Delma Wise of Chewelah; and five grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Shriners Hospital for Children.
Leo Hutchins Deer Lake
Visitation for Leo C. Hutchins, 58, will be from 8 a.m. to noon today at Riplinger Funeral Home. Memorial service will follow at 4 p.m. at Northview Bible Church. Burial will be at Spokane Memorial Gardens.
Mr. Hutchins, who was born in Spokane, died Monday.
He graduated from Whitworth College and was a teacher and a coach. He served as principal at schools in Riverside, Reardan and Odessa, Wash., before retiring in 1995.
Mr. Hutchins was a member of the Washington State Principals Association, the International Assistance Program and Northview Bible Church.
Survivors include his wife, Lynda; two sons, Lance Hutchins of Macon, Ga., and Layne Hutchins of Bellingham; a daughter, Lori McMurtrey of Bellingham; his mother, Mable Nordby of Spokane; two sisters, Gladys Zielstra of Denver and Janice Timothy of Spokane; and five grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the International Assistance Program in care of Northview Bible Church.
George Mielke Spokane
Visitation for George E. Mielke, 89, will be from 1 to 8 p.m. today at Ball and Dodd Funeral Home-North. Funeral is planned for 1:30 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home with burial to follow at Spokane Memorial Gardens.
A lifetime Spokane resident, Mr. Mielke, died Sunday.
He graduated from North Central High School in 1927 and received a two-year degree in accounting from Northwestern Business College.
Mr. Mielke married Alice Sutherland in 1930 and worked for Continental Banking Co. in Spokane as a credit manager for 45 years until his retirement in 1974.
He was a member of the First Church of the Nazarene and Spokane Credit Union.
His wife died in 1991.
Survivors include a daughter, Marcella Wright of Spokane; three brothers, Clarence and Robert Mielke, both of Spokane, and Edward Mielke of Yuma, Ariz.; a sister, Hazel Miller of Spokane; three grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
Robert McGowan Rathdrum, Idaho
Memorial service for Robert Paul McGowan, 13, will be Wednesday at 11 a.m. at Rathdrum Methodist Church. English Funeral Chapel in Coeur d’Alene is in charge of arrangements.
Robert died Thursday. He was born in California and lived there until moving to Spokane and then to Rathdrum six years ago. He was a student at Lakeland Junior High and a member of the school choir.
Survivors include his parents, Julie and Paul McGowan; a sister, Leah McGowan at home; and his grandfather, Yutaka Kimoto of California.
Lee Bensley Spokane
Graveside service for Lee M. Bensley, 82, will be at 10 a.m. today at Spokane Memorial Gardens. Heritage Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
A 60-year Spokane resident, Mr. Bensley, died Saturday. He was born in South Dakota.
In 1945 he married Thelma Prater.
Mr. Bensley worked as a receiving clerk at Newberry’s in Spokane for more than 45 years.
Survivors include his wife.
Helen (Haden) Bahr Davenport, Wash.
Funeral for Helen (Haden) Bahr, 86, was Monday at Wilbur (Wash.) Lutheran Church. Burial was at Wilbur Cemetery. Strate Funeral Home in Davenport is in charge of arrangements.
Born in Wilbur, Mrs. Bahr, died Thursday.
She married Clarence Bahr in 1934 and moved to the family farm north of Wilbur.
Mrs. Bahr studied music at Cheney Normal School.
She was a member of the Spokane and Washington State Music Teachers associations and taught piano lessons for more than 50 years. For a time, she was the only state accredited music teacher between Spokane and Wenatchee.
She recently moved to Davenport to live in a nursing home.
Her husband died in 1994.
Survivors include two sons, Daryll and Robert Bahr, both of Wilbur; six grandchildren and 11 greatgrandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Wilbur Cemetery Association, c/o Carol Bodeau, Route 1 Box 61, Wilbur, WA 99185 or the Lincoln Hospital Foundation, 10 Nichols St., Davenport, WA 99122.
Ruth Nytroen Spokane
Memorial service for Ruth L. Nytroen, 74, was Saturday at Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home. Private inurnment will be held at a later date.
A 25-year Spokane resident, Mrs. Nytroen died last Thursday. She was born in Alberta, Canada.
She was a homemaker and a member of the Stanek Art Group.
Survivors include her husband of 47 years, Lars; three daughters, Leslie Edwards of Spokane, and Laurie Nytroen and Kristi Johnson, both of Temecula, Calif.; and six grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society or Hospice of Spokane.
Mernis ‘Buster’ Adams Spokane
No service is planned for Mernis A. “Buster” Adams, 81, at his request. The Cremation Society of Washington is in charge of arrangements.
A 70-year resident of Spokane, Mr. Adams, died Saturday. He was born in Winthrop, Wash.
He owned and operated Adams Sewer Service in Spokane from 1937 until his retirement in 1990.
His first wife, Bonnie, died in 1995.
Survivors include his wife, Patricia; a son, Dwayne Adams of Spokane; a daughter, Janice Stiffler of Arizona; a sister, Audrey Bridgeman of Bakersfield, Calif.; and several grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society.
John Kupers Harrington, Wash.
Memorial service for John I. Kupers, 88, will be at 11:30 a.m. Thursday at Harrington Community Church. Strate Funeral Home in Davenport, Wash., is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Kupers, who was born in Downs, Wash., died Friday.
He graduated from Harrington High School in 1932, married Margaret Wegele in 1937 and farmed in the Harrington area for several years.
Mr. Kupers was a member of the Acacia Masonic Lodge 58, Order of the Eastern Star and the Moses Lake Elks Club and was a charter member of the Harrington Lions Club and the Harrington Golf and Country Club.
Survivors include his wife; a son, Karl Kupers of Harrington; a daughter Kathy DalPino of North Wales, Pa.; a brother Fred Kupers of Ritzville, Wash.; three grandchildren and one great-grandson.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Harrington Golf and Country Club Memorial Fund, Box 191, Harrington, WA 99134.
John McLachlan Jr. Spokane
Memorial service for John Webster McLachlan, Jr., 68, is planned for 2 p.m. Thursday at his home. Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
A lifetime Spokane resident, Mr. McLachlan, died Saturday.
He worked for 37 years as a mailer for The Spokesman Review.
His wife, Doris, died in 1993.
Survivors include four daughters, Theresa Hill, Joyce Binford, and Kate and Jo McLachlan, all of Spokane; five sons, John, Bill, and Dan McLachlan, all of Spokane, Tom McLachlan of San Antonio, Texas, and Stephen McLachlan of Davenport, Wash.; a sister, Mary Brown of Spokane; and 17 grandchildren.
Augusta Ostendorf Spokane
Memorial service for Augusta N. Ostendorf, 85, was Sunday at Riverview Retirement Community. Private graveside service was at Spokane Memorial Gardens.
Mrs. Ostendorf, who was born in Cincinnati, died Thursday.
She moved to Spokane in 1943 and worked as a secretary at a magnesium plant in Spokane, Galena (Fairchild) Army Air Depot during World War II, and for the Department of Social and Health Services. She retired in 1975.
Mrs. Ostendorf was a member of Messiah Lutheran Church and several Spokane senior centers. She played the organ and helped with the chapel service at a retirement center.
Her husband, Edward, preceded her in death.
Survivors include two daughters, Shirley Schrawyer of Colville, Wash., and Audrey Anderson of Orange, Calif.; two sons, David Ostendorf of Lakewood, Wash., and Phillip Ostendorf of Seattle; 12 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to Riverview Care Center.
Stamford Ayers Sr. Spokane
Funeral for Stamford A. Ayers, Sr., 78, was Monday at Hazen and Jaeger Valley Funeral Home.
Mr. Ayers, who died Wednesday, was born in Verona, N.J.
He served in the merchant marine from 1943 to 1945.
He had lived in Spokane for 11 years and worked as a manager with a construction company in Spokane for several years.
Mr. Ayers was a member of Valley Fourth Memorial Church and Eagles lodges in Okanogan and Tonasket, Wash.
Survivors include his wife of 53 years, Barbara; two sons, Michael and Stamford Ayers Jr., both of California; four daughters, Nancy Childre and Barbara Brewer, both of Spokane, Patricia Thornhill of California and Antoinette Mancaruso of Oregon; a sister, Betty Van Pelt of California; 19 grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Spokane.
Virgil Bastron Spokane
No service is planned for Virgil Joseph Bastron, 78, at his request. Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Born in Ritzville, Wash., Mr. Bastron died Friday.
He was a 45-year Spokane resident and served in the Army Air Corps during World War II. He also worked as an automobile mechanic.
Survivors include his wife, Helen; and a brother, Marvin Bastron of Ritzville.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Hospice of Spokane or the American Cancer Society.
Doris (Jimeson) Nichols Greenacres
No service is planned for Doris M. (Jimeson) Nichols, 70, at her request. Heritage Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Nichols, who was born in LaCrosse, Wash., died Sunday.
She graduated from Lewis and Clark High School and married Dale Nichols in 1945. She was a homemaker.
Survivors include her husband; a son, Gary Nichols of Kona, Hawaii; three daughters, Joan Burson of Greenacres, and Susan and Claudia Nichols, both of Spokane; a brother Bud Jimeson of Arizona; three sisters, Lorraine Boyton of Deer Park, Roberta Tulley of Spokane and Marge Wilmey of Post Falls; six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Spokane.