Obituaries

Helen Nelson Spokane

Visitation for Helen Elizabeth Nelson, 92, will be from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. today at Thornhill Valley Funeral Home. Graveside service will follow at 2 p.m. at Pines Cemetery. Memorial service will be at 3 p.m. at Opportunity Presbyterian Church.

A lifetime Spokane Valley resident, Mrs. Nelson died Sunday.

She graduated from West Valley High School and Cheney Normal School.

Mrs. Nelson taught elementary school for one year and later worked for two years as a clerk at the Federal Wheat Commission.

She then went to work as a teller at the Bank of Latah, where she became a member and officer of the board of directors. She was active with the bank for more than 60 years.

Mrs. Nelson was a member of the Order of the Eastern Star Victory Chapter 161, the Valley Pioneers and was a member and past president of the National Association of Bank Women. She was also a member of Opportunity Presbyterian Church and a supporter of the Spokane Civic Theatre.

Mrs. Nelson is survived by a brother, Robert Nelson of Opportunity.

Memorial contributions may be made to Anna Ogden Hall for Women and Children or Opportunity Presbyterian Church Memorial Fund.

R.A. ‘Dick’ Kazanis Spokane

Funeral for R.A. “Dick” Kazanis, 65, will be at 3 p.m today at Ball and Dodd Funeral Home-South.

Mr. Kazanis, who was born in Great Falls, Mont., died Sunday.

He graduated from Metaline Falls (Wash.) High School in 1952 and served with the 116th Fighter Squadron, Washington Air Guard during the Korean War, and later in the parachute infantry with the 11th and 82nd Airborne divisions.

He married his wife, Mildred, in 1959 and attended Eastern Washington University before graduating from Kinman Business College.

Mr. Kazanis worked in the heavy equipment industry, primarily with Caterpillar dealerships. He moved to Nevada in 1988 and retired in 1997 as the Northeastern Nevada sales manager for Cashman Equipment Co. in Nevada. He returned to Spokane in June.

He was a 32nd-degree Mason and was a member of Masonic Lodge No. 34, the El Katif Shrine, the American Legion of the 11th Airborne Division Association and the 82nd Airborne Division Association.

Survivors include his wife; a daughter, Alyson Paredes of Elko, Nev.; a son, Andrew Kazanis of Spokane; and two grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Shriners Hospital for Children.

Glen Smith Coeur d’Alene

Private service for Glen O. Smith, 67, will be held later. English Funeral Chapel in Coeur d’Alene is in charge of arrangements.

Mr. Smith, who was born in Prosser, Wash., died Friday.

He served with the Navy and then retired and moved to Newport, Wash., before living in Spokane.

Mr. Smith worked as a firefighter at Fairchild Air Force Base before retiring and spending winters in Arizona.

Mr. Smith moved to Coeur d’Alene earlier this year and was a member of the Fleet Reserves in Spokane.

Survivors include his wife of 47 years, Agnes; four sons, Kenneth Smith of Coeur d’Alene, George Smith of Kelso, Wash., Glen Smith Jr. of Newport and John Smith of Otis Orchards; a brother, Kenneth Smith of Grandview, Wash.; two sisters, Iris Anderson of Prosser and Irene Wheeler of Oregon; eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Alonzo White Denver

Memorial service for Alonzo Herman White, 47, will be at 3 p.m. today at St. Thomas Church in Boulder, Colo.

Mr. White, a former Pullman and Spokane resident, died Friday from complications due to diabetes.

He was born in New York.

He attended Fordham University in New York and St. John Vianney Seminary in Richmond, Va., before moving to Colorado, where he worked as an administrator at the University of Boulder.

Mr. White received a master’s degree from the University of Colorado, Denver.

He later moved to Kansas, where he worked in administration at the University of Kansas in Manhattan.

Mr. White then moved to Pullman, where he was an administrator for several years at Washington State University. For the past four years, he was an administrator at WSU Spokane.

He returned to Colorado a few weeks ago to accept a position as the director of human resources at the University of Denver.

Mr. White was a WSU Spokane campus liaison to the Chamber of Commerce Education and Workforce Diversity committees. He was a representative for the Economic Development Council and had also served on the board of directors for the College and University Personnel Administrators.

Mr. White was also active with Volunteers of America’s Crosswalk program.

Survivors include two sons, Jamal White of Cheney and Jerald White of St. Angelo, Texas; his mother, Rebecca Via White of Cape Coral, Fla.; two sisters, Antricilla Howard of Hampton, Va., and Teri White of Danville, Va.; and a brother, J.T. White of New York.

Memorial contributions may be made to VOA Crosswalk of Spokane.

Nell Maurice Victoria, British Columbia

Funeral for Nell Maurice, 87, was Friday at St. Andrews Church in Victoria. Inurnment will be at Holy Cross Cemetery. Memorial service in Spokane is planned for a later date.

Mrs. Maurice, who was born in Largs, Scotland, died Oct. 6.

She married Ray Maurice in 1941, and they moved to Cranbrook, British Columbia in 1944.

In 1948 they moved to Spokane, and she worked as a baker at Whitworth College for 25 years.

Mrs. Maurice was a member of St. Thomas More Catholic Church and moved to Victoria four years ago.

Her husband died in 1989.

Survivors include a daughter, Shelagh Huntley of Spokane; two sons, Terry and Jim Maurice, both of Canada; two sisters in Scotland; nine grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Henry ‘Hank’ Burmester Spokane

Memorial service for Henry F. “Hank” Burmester, 96, was Tuesday at Gethsemane Evangelical Lutheran Church. Private burial will be at Pines Cemetery.

Mr. Burmester, who was born in in West Point, Neb., died Saturday.

He graduated from the University of Nebraska with a degree in agriculture. He farmed in Lyons, Neb., for 40 years before moving to Spokane in 1952.

Mr. Burmester worked for White Pine and Sash from 1956 to 1969 and at the Opportunity Convalescent and Medical Center as the maintenance director until his retirement in 1984.

He was a member of Gethsemane Evangelical Lutheran Church.

Mr. Burmester is survived by a sister, Elizabeth Dorn of Longmont, Colo.

Memorial contributions may be made to Gethsemane Evangelical Lutheran Church.

Lawrence Aripa Plummer, Idaho

Rosary for Lawrence S. Aripa, 72, will be at 7 p.m. today at the DeSmet (Idaho) Community Center. Funeral is planned for 10 a.m. Thursday at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in DeSmet. Burial will follow at the DeSmet Mission Cemetery. Kramer Funeral Home in Tekoa, Wash., is in charge of arrangements.

Mr. Aripa, who was born in DeSmet, died Sunday.

He graduated from Plummer High School and attended college in Great Falls, Mont., and the American Institute of Indian Arts in Santa Fe, N.M., before receiving an honorary degree in arts and humanities from North Idaho College.

Before World War II he played trombone with the Dave Garrick Orchestra and the Coeur d’Alene City Band.

Mr. Aripa served in the Navy as a signalman third class on a patrol craft escort during World War II and later owned and operated an Indian art business in Benewah County for many years.

He was a member of the Coeur d’Alene Tribe of Indians and had served on the Tribal Council since 1983. He also had been vice chairman of the tribal council for the past eight years and had served as an associate judge.

Mr. Aripa was a spiritual leader, story teller and historian for the Coeur d’Alene Tribe and was co-author of a book, “Stories That Make the World.”

He was a member of Joseph R. Garry American Legion Post No. 5 and had been serving as post chaplain. He was also a member of the National Congress of American Indians and the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians.

Survivors include a foster daughter, Yvonne Smith of Newport, Wash.; and two brothers, Henry Aripa and Hillary Skanen, both of Plummer.

Memorial contributions may be made to Sacred Heart Catholic Church in DeSmet.

Rosemary Short Coeur d’Alene

Graveside service for Rosemary Ann Short, 70, will be at 2 p.m. Thursday at Evergreen Cemetery in Post Falls. English Funeral Chapel in Post Falls is in charge of arrangements.

Mrs. Short, who was born in Kentucky, died Tuesday.

She was a homemaker and moved to Coeur d’Alene from Valdez, Alaska, two months ago to be near family.

Survivors include her husband, Howard; three sons, Michael, Howard and Mark Short, all of Post Falls; five daughters, Debbie Pyle of Post Falls, Georgia Linder, Patty Lamphier, and Rosalee Miller, all of Spokane; two sisters, Clare and Annalou; a brother, Cyrio Bastain; 20 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Bobbie Boswell Spokane

Memorial service for Bobbie L. Boswell, 66, will be held at a later date. Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Mrs. Boswell, who died Saturday, was born in Laverne, Okla.

She moved to Spokane 41 years ago and later began working for Eastern Washington University. She worked there for 15 years before retiring in 1994.

Survivors include her husband of 46 years, James; two daughters, Vicki Mangum of Spokane and Debra Wallace of Richland; a sister, Betty Bentley of Montrose, Colo.; four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Gertrude ‘Gerda’ Ellis Spokane

Graveside service for Gertrude H. “Gerda” Ellis, 89, was Tuesday at Greenwood Memorial Terrace. Born in Sweden, Mrs. Ellis died Monday.

She worked as a salad maker at the Holiday Inn and the Desert and Ridpath hotels for many years.

Mrs. Ellis was a 50-year Spokane resident.

Her husband, Charles, died in 1963.

Survivors included several nieces and nephews.

Florence Greene Spokane

Funeral for Florence Georgina Greene, 83, will be at 11 a.m. Friday at Schanzenbach Funeral Home in Chewelah, Wash. Burial will follow at St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery in Jump Off Joe, Wash.

Mrs. Greene, who was born in Aberdeen, Wash., died Sunday.

In 1937 she married McIntyre Greene, and they lived in Grays Harbor, Wash., until 1954, when they purchased the Greene family farm and moved near Jump Off Joe Lake.

They operated the dairy farm from 1957 to 1973 and lived on the farm until 1997, when they moved to Spokane.

Her husband died in January.

Survivors include three sons, Terry Greene of Spokane, Brian Greene of Arlington, Wash., and David Greene of Steilacoom, Wash.; a daughter, Sharon Joy Wayson of Jump Off Joe; a sister, Dorothy Vekich of Aberdeen; nine grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimers Research Foundation.

Robert Grosse Spokane

Visitation for Robert T. “Bob” Grosse, 90, will be from noon to 8 p.m. today and Thursday at Ball and Dodd Funeral Home-South. Funeral is planned for 10:30 a.m. Friday at the funeral home. Burial will follow at Spokane Memorial Gardens.

Born in Spangle, Mr. Grosse died Saturday.

He grew up on a ranch outside Spangle and ranched there until his 20s when he moved to Spokane.

In 1920 he married Mae Johnson.

Mr. Grosse worked as a foreman for paving crews and helped build Farragut Naval Station in Idaho in 1941. He later worked for several heavy construction companies, including Powers Construction, which later became Inland Asphalt, Sather, N.A. Degerstrom and Murphy Bros. He retired in the early 1970s.

He was a member of Laborers Union Local 238.

Survivors include his wife; and a sister, Helen Parker of Liberty Lake.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Shriners Hospital for Children.

Audrey Orr Spokane

Private service will be held at a later date for Audrey Margaret Orr, 86, at her request. Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Mrs. Orr, who was born in Butte, Mont., died Sunday.

She was a homemaker and a 48-year Spokane resident.

Survivors include a daughter, Margaret Redinger of Chattaroy; three grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Memorial contributions may be made to Country Church of the Open Bible in Elk.

Shirley Cranston Ritzville, Wash.

No service will be held for Shirley M. Cranston, 81. The Cremation Society of Washington is in charge of arrangements.

Mrs. Cranston, who was born in Huntley, Mont., died Sunday.

She was a homemaker and had lived in Ritzville for 20 years. Before moving to Ritzville, Mrs. Cranston was a resident of Renton, Wash., and Yakima.

Her husband, Robert, died in 1967.

Survivors include four daughters, Janet Mace of Renton, Marion Johnston of Connecticut, Mary Fricke of Oak River, Minn., and Leslie Kubic of Ritzville; a sister, Mavis Wilkinson of Billings, Mont.; three brothers, Joe and Dave Morgan of Idaho and Noel Morgan of Tacoma; 10 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Ronald McDonald House.