Obituaries
Cora (Severtson) Rioth Spokane
Visitation for Cora J. Rioth, 76, will be from 9 a.m. to noon today at Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home. Funeral will follow at 2 p.m. at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church. Burial will be at Holy Cross Cemetery.
Mrs. Rioth, who was born in Whalan, Minn., died Tuesday.
She was a homemaker and a 54-year member of Our Savior’s Lutheran Church.
Her husband, Thomas, died in 1977.
Mrs. Rioth is survived by three daughters, Carolyn Aubrey, Linda Malson and Judy Olson, all of Spokane; two brothers, Arnie and Marvin Severtson, both of Minnesota; three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to Our Savior’s Lutheran Church.
Patricia (Pool) Haakenson Coeur d’Alene
Memorial service for Patricia Ann (Pool) Haakenson, 61, will be at 1 p.m. today at Yates Funeral Home in Coeur d’Alene. A gathering will follow at the Scottish Rite Temple in Hayden, Idaho.
Mrs. Haakenson, who was born in Sheridan, Wyo., died Monday.
She grew up in Wyoming and moved to Coeur d’Alene in 1956 and attended North Idaho Junior College, where she received a professional teaching certificate.
Mrs. Haakenson received a bachelor of science degree in applied natural sciences with a minor in mathematics from the University of Idaho.
She taught mathematics in the Coeur d’Alene School District for many years.
She was a member of the First Presbyterian Church, Queen Esther Chapter No. 12 of the Order of the Eastern Star, and the Coeur d’Alene Education Association.
Survivors include her husband, Robert; three children, Eric and Kristina Haakenson and Allisa Chipman, all of Coeur d’Alene; a sister, Sharon Russell of Spokane; and five grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Coeur d’Alene Education Association Scholarship Fund, c/o C.T.C.U., 1410 Kathleen Ave., Coeur d’Alene, ID 83815 or the Shriners Hospital for Children, 911 W. Fifth, Spokane, WA 99204.
Laura Gray Spokane
No service will be held for Laura Mae Gray, 83, at her request. Private inurnment will be at Fairmount Memorial Park. Heritage Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Gray, a lifetime Spokane resident, died Sunday.
She graduated from North Central High School and married Arthur Gray.
Mrs. Gary was a homemaker and also worked at Edgecliff Hospital for many years.
Her husband died in 1988.
Survivors include three daughters, Birdie Piper of Spokane, Donna Darr of Portland and Trudy Wold of Luther, Okla.; two sisters, Dorothy Jensen and Mable Hansen; eight grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Diabetes Association.
Edward Woodruff Spokane
Private service will be held for Edward R. Woodruff, 77, at a later date. Hennessey Valley Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Woodruff, who was born in Libby, Mont., died Tuesday.
In 1942 he began school at the University of Idaho and left to serve in the Air Force as a second lieutenant navigator in England with the 8th Air Force Bomber Group in World War II.
He returned to Idaho and graduated with an accounting degree in 1949.
Mr. Woodruff began working for Potlatch Forest Industries in Lewiston, and in 1950 he married Carolyn Powell. They moved to Spokane in 1959, and he worked for American Sign and Indicator Corp. until his retirement in 1980.
Survivors include his wife; three daughters; Jane Lutz of Spokane, Ann Woodruff Murray of Camas, Wash., and Tonia Goffinet of Snohomish, Wash.; a son, Lance Woodruff of Fall City, Wash.; a sister, Iva Dawson of Yakima; and 10 grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to Cancer Patient Care of Spokane County.
Gerald Wagner Spokane
Memorial service for Gerald Vern Wagner, 69, will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at Fairwood Community Church. Private committal of the urn will be at Fairmount Memorial Park. Ball and Dodd Funeral Home-North is in charge of arrangements.
A lifetime Spokane resident, Mr. Wagner died Thursday.
He served in the Air Force as an air traffic controller in the Asorp Islands from 1946 to 1950, and he married Mary Turner in Spokane in 1951.
Mr. Wagner was self-employed in the automobile body and fender business for 40 years. He had been working as a complaint driver for the circulation department at The Spokesman-Review since 1995.
Survivors include his wife; two sons, David Wagner of Spokane and Jack Wagner of Newman Lake; a daughter, Carol Parrott of Mead; two sisters, Lucielle Krell and Geraldine Baker, both of Spokane; six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Garbula Howlett Spokane
Funeral Mass for Garbula A. Howlett, 92, will be at 11 a.m. today at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church. Private inurnment will be at Holy Cross Cemetery.
Mrs. Howlett, who died Tuesday, was born in Sprague, Wash.
She was a retired school teacher.
Mrs. Howlett was a member of St. Patrick’s Church.
Her husband, Martin, died in 1991.
Survivors include a son, James Howlett of Hampton, Va.; a sister, Miriam Lee of Sprague; three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Donald House Jr. Willows, Calif.
Visitation for Donald C. “Donny” House, Jr., 28, will be from noon to 6 p.m. today at Heritage Funeral Home. Funeral is planned for 10 a.m. Saturday at the funeral home. Burial will follow at Spokane Memorial Gardens.
Born in Odessa, Wash., Mr. House died Oct. 8.
He graduated from Rogers High School in 1988.
Mr. House worked as a cook at Waffles Plus for several years. More recently, he worked as a long-haul truck driver for Swift Transportation.
He was a member of Life Center.
Survivors include his parents, Ruth and Donald House Sr.; two brothers, Ken and Rickey House; and three sisters, Christine Garrison, Teresa Jacks and Mary Warnick.
Jack Flugel Spokane
Visitation for Jack Charles Flugel, 77, will be from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. today and from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday at Riplinger Funeral Home. Memorial service will follow at 2 p.m. Saturday at Shadle Park Presbyterian Church.
Mr. Flugel, who was born in Kansas City, Mo., died Wednesday.
He served in the Air Force during World War II and worked as a master machinist in the aircraft industry.
Mr. Flugel was a member of the Disabled American Veterans Chapter No. 45 and the American Legion. He had been a resident of Spokane for 11 years.
Survivors include his wife of 31 years, Frances; three sons, David Ayers of Santee, Calif., Alex Ayers of Miami Springs, Fla., and Arthur Ayers of Caldwell, Idaho; seven grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
Frank Hagman Nordman, Idaho
Private military graveside service for Frank Albert Hagman, 76, was Thursday at Evergreen Cemetery in Priest River. Sherman-Knapp Funeral Home in Newport, Wash., is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Hagman, who was born in Priest River, died Monday.
He graduated from Moscow (Idaho) High School and attended the University of Idaho before serving in the Army Air Corps during World War II.
Mr. Hagman worked as a machinist for Aerojet in California for several years before returning to Spokane, where he managed an apartment complex from 1955 to 1973. He also worked as a carpenter building homes and apartment complexes in Bonner and Spokane counties. In 1973 he moved to Nordman.
He is survived by a brother, Jim Hagman of Priest Lake, Idaho.
Memorial contributions may be made to Priest Lake Hospice, c/o Katheryn Pratt, HC01 Box 98, Nordman, ID 83848.
James Roberts Spokane
Graveside service for James T. Roberts, 100, will be at 2 p.m. Saturday at Riverside Memorial Park. Ball and Dodd Funeral Home-South is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Roberts, who was born in Spokane, died Tuesday.
He was a member of the first graduating class at Lewis and Clark High School in 1916.
He enrolled at Washington State University but then enlisted in the Navy. Mr. Roberts served as a sonar listener aboard a flagship during World War I. He returned to WSU and received a degree in dairy science in 1921.
He owned the Milkhouse Dairy in Pullman for 32 years and later became postmaster. He retired in 1969 and returned to Spokane.
Mr. Roberts was a founding member of the Pullman Kiwanis Club, a member of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity, Whitman Masonic Lodge 49, the Spokane Consistory of Scottish Rite Bodies, El Katif Shrine, American Legion Post 0052 in Pullman and the Washington State Postmasters Association, of which he served as president.
He wife of 68 years, Edythe, died in 1990.
Survivors include two daughters, Nancy Burnett of Spokane and Janet Mooers of Carmel, Calif.; five grandchildren and 10 greatgrandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the James T. Roberts Family Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 644102, Pullman, WA, 99164.
Lois Cedar Spokane
Graveside service for Lois M. Cedar, 75, will be at 11 a.m. today at the Thornton (Wash.) Cemetery. Hazen and Jaeger Valley Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Ms. Cedar, who was born in Spokane, died Oct. 6.
She was raised in Thornton, Wash., and moved to Spokane 57 years ago after her marriage to Everett Nelson. They were later divorced.
Ms. Cedar was a homemaker and had lived at the Shellar Adult Family Home since February.
She was preceded in death by her companion, Lawrence Schmidt.
Survivors include a daughter, Anita Howard; and a son, Warren Nelson of Moscow, Idaho.
Carl Kellmer Newport, Wash.
Private military graveside service for Carl Fay Kellmer, 70, will be held at the Newport Cemetery. Sherman-Knapp Funeral Home in Newport is in charge of arrangements.
Born in Potlatch, Idaho, Mr. Kellmer died Saturday.
He grew up in Potlatch and Palouse, Wash., and later moved to Spokane.
He served in the Army during the Korean War and worked as a school custodian in the Spokane Valley for many years.
Mr. Kellmer moved to Newport in 1986. He was a member of the Newport Eagles Lodge.
His wife, Madge, died in 1997.
Survivors include a son, Jerry Kellmer, and a brother, Donald Kellmer, both of Newport.
Michael Baker Colville, Wash.
Graveside service for Michael John Baker will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at Pleasant View Cemetery in Ford, Wash. Danekas Funeral Chapel in Colville is in charge of arrangements.
Born in Colville, Mr. Baker died Oct. 6. He was 46.
He graduated from Mary Walker High School in Springdale, Wash., in 1970 and lived in Lonerock, Wis., before moving to Spokane where he worked for a small mill.
Mr. Baker then moved to Kettle Falls, Wash., where he began working as a dishwasher at Freddie’s Cafe. He later moved to Colville and began working as a cook at King Cole’s Restaurant.
Survivors include his mother, Pansy Baker of Colville; two sisters, Martha Miller of Colville and Nancy Mather of Chewelah; and six brothers, Kenny Baker of Spokane, Junior Baker of Boyds, Wash., Terry Baker of Wenatchee, Dennis Baker of Medical Lake, Chris Laughter of Deer Park and John Laughter of Colville.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Shriners Hospital for Children.
Katherine Morasch Endicott, Wash.
Funeral for Katherine “Katie” Morasch, 94, will be at 11 a.m. Monday at Trinity Lutheran Church in Endicott. Burial will follow at the Endicott Cemetery.
Mrs. Morasch, who was born in Saratov, Russia, died Wednesday.
She married John Morasch in 1924 and they made their home in Endicott.
Mrs. Morasch was a homemaker, and a member of Trinity Lutheran Church and served on various church committees.
Her husband died in 1992.
She is survived by four daughters, Betty Rudy of Colfax, Wash., Delores Jones of Clarkston, Wash., Joanne Wise of LaCrosse, Wash., and Shirley Graves of Tacoma; a son, Daniel Morasch of Wenatchee; two brothers, Alexander Bafus of Vancouver, Wash., and Daniel Bafus of Lewiston; three sisters, Esther Yearout and Virginia Hersh, both of Spokane, and Lydia Bitterman of Coeur d’Alene; 17 grandchildren, 20 great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to Trinity Lutheran Church.
Geraldine Laitinen Spokane
No service will be held for Geraldine “Jerry” Laitinen, 84. Thornhill Valley Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
A lifetime Spokane resident, Mrs. Laitinen died Oct. 2.
She graduated from Lewis and Clark High School and worked in the cosmetics department at The Crescent department store for 30 years. She retired in the late 1970s.
Her husband died in 1982.
Survivors include a sister, Virginia Yount of Spokane; and two grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Corbin Senior Center.