Obituaries
Alfred Roecks Stockton, Calif.
Graveside service for Alfred George Roecks, 84, will be at 2 p.m. May 30 at the Fairfield Pioneer Cemetery. A reception will follow at Fairfield Presbyterian Church. Rocha’s Mortuary in Lodi, Calif., is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Roecks, who was born in Spokane, died March 26.
He graduated from Fairfield High School in 1932 and in 1936 married Lois Brim. She died in 1983. He married Peggy Paxton Heisinger in 1984.
Mr. Roecks sold appliances, cars and machinery for Farmers Alliance Wholesale and Elevator Co., and worked for the J.R. Saunders Co. until 1940, when he began working as a specialty salesman for the John Deere Plow Co. He later was a territory manager for John Deere.
He moved to Spokane from Fairfield in 1941, later moving to Casa Grande, Ariz., to manage the O.S. Stapley implement store for several years.
Mr. Roecks went on to manage the Best Fertilizer Co. in Lathrup, Calif., later moving to Lubbock, Texas, and then to Plainview, Texas, to help build the American Plant Food Corp. facilities.
He retired in 1965 and returned to Spokane. He spent his winters in Mesa, Ariz., and moved to Stockton last August.
Mr. Roecks was 32nd degree Mason and served as president of the Manteca Rotary Club.
Survivors include his wife; two daughters, Bonnie Duncan of Stockton and Mary Belker Hart of Portland; five grandchildren and two great-granddaughters.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Fairfield Pioneer Cemetery Association.
Ruth McGougan Spokane
Graveside service for Ruth A. McGougan, 89, will be at 11 a.m. today at Greenwood Memorial Terrace. Ball and Dodd Funeral Home-North is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. McGougan, who was born in Independence, Iowa, died Wednesday.
She graduated from Cottonwood (Idaho) High School in 1927 and moved to Spokane in 1929.
Mrs. McGougan graduated from the Deaconess School of Nursing in 1932 and married Donald McGougan in 1934. He died in 1963.
She worked as a registered nurse at Deaconess Hospital for 40 years, before retiring in 1974.
Survivors include two sons, Jerry and Gene McGougan, and a daughter, Lynn Wohl, all of Spokane; a brother, Ralph Romig of Utah; 10 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren.
Joseph `Hank’ Durham Spokane
Visitation for Joseph “Hank” Durham, 91, will be from 5 to 8 p.m. today at Thornhill Valley Funeral Home. Memorial service will be held at a later date.
A Spokane resident since 1930, Mr. Durham died Wednesday. He was born in Kansas.
Mr. Durham owned and operated a construction business for many years, retiring in 1961.
He was a member of Glad Tidings Assembly of God Church, a lifetime member of the Eagles Lodge and was a private pilot for 42 years.
His wife, Thelma, died in 1987.
Survivors include a daughter, Wanda Carson of Spokane; four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Heart Association.
Delmer Yost Spokane
Memorial service for Delmer J. Yost, 84, will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at Knox Presbyterian Church. The Cremation Society of Washington is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Yost, who was born in Pennant, Saskatchewan, died Monday.
In his youth he worked in the gold fields of Yellow Knife in the Northwest Territories of Canada. He was the first to hold a gold brick made in the Yellow Knife mines.
He later worked in logging camps, riding the railroad between camps during the Great Depression.
In 1940, he married Grace Buness. During World War II, Mr. Yost worked in a munitions plant in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
He moved to Spokane in 1957, where he worked as an electrician for Washington Water Power.
Mr. Yost later worked as a power house operator, moving to the Lewiston and Clarkston, Wash., areas, living there for 13 years before returning to Spokane. He retired from WWP in 1980 after 23 years of service.
He was a member of Knox Presbyterian Church.
Survivors include his wife; a daughter, Lois Willis of Enumclaw, Wash.; a son, Brian Yost of Half Boon Bay, Calif.; two sisters, Velma Thomas of Calgary, Alberta, and Helen Morrow of Powassan, Ontario; five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Spokane.
Nevada Lewis Spokane
No service will be held for Nevada Grace Lewis, 75, at her request. Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
A 60-year Spokane-area resident, Mrs. Lewis died Monday. She was born in Kellogg, Idaho.
Mrs. Lewis graduated from Northport (Wash.) High School and from Sacred Heart School of Nursing.
She worked as a registered nurse at Sacred Heart Hospital and Madison North Nursing Home, as well as various other hospitals and nursing homes, for many years.
Mrs. Lewis was a member of the Eagles Lodge 2 Auxiliary, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1474 Ladies Auxiliary and the Hillyard Senior Center.
Survivors include two daughters, Karen King of Spokane and Pamela Bartelt of Minnesota; a son, Tim McGuire of Medical Lake; a sister, Viola Anderson of Enumclaw, Wash.; numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Ogden Hall Shelter for Women and Children, 2825 W. Dean, Spokane, WA 99201.
Florence (Hertzberg) LaVigne Spokane
Memorial service for Florence V. (Hertzberg) LaVigne, 80, will be at 2 p.m. today at Whitworth Presbyterian Church. A reception will follow at the church. Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
A lifetime Spokane resident, Mrs. LaVigne died Monday.
She graduated from Lewis and Clark High School in 1937 and married Raymond LaVigne in 1939.
Mrs. LaVigne was a homemaker and a volunteer at Holy Family Hospital. She also was a member of Whitworth Presbyterian Church.
Survivors include her husband; two daughters, Linda Jones and Gayle Orton, both of Spokane; a sister, Alice Freeburg; a brother, William Hertzberg; and three grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Holy Family Hospital Foundation, 5633 N. Lidgerwood, Spokane, WA 99207.
Mary Newell Coeur d’Alene
Service for Mary Grace Newell, 79, will be Saturday at 3 p.m. at English Funeral Chapel in Coeur d’Alene. Graveside service will follow at Forest Cemetery, Riverview Section in Coeur d’Alene.
Mrs. Newell, who was born in South Dakota, died Thursday.
She grew up in Priest River, Idaho, and married Clell Newell in 1965. In 1966 she moved to Redmond, Wash., after being transferred by Pacific Northwest Bell.
Mrs. Newell moved to Springfield, Mo., in 1972 to study for the ministry. She served full-time for many years before retiring in 1990 and moving to Coeur d’Alene.
Survivors include her husband; two sons, George and Art Bews, both of Priest River; a daughter, Clara Hickey of Issaquah, Wash.; two sisters, Margaret Ferguson of Greenacres and Mabel Walker of Clarkston, Wash.; a brother, Lawrence Larson; 12 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
Memorials may be made to Hospice of North Idaho, 280 W. Prairie Ave., Coeur d’Alene, ID 83815.
Kathryn Chase Spokane
Visitation for Kathryn Elizabeth Chase, 91, will be from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. today at Ball and Dodd Funeral HomeNorth. Memorial service is planned for 5 p.m. Saturday at the funeral home.
Mrs. Chase, who was born in Snohomish, Wash., died Wednesday.
She graduated from Snohomish High School in 1924 and from cosmetology school in Seattle in 1926. She married Robert Chase in 1934.
Mrs. Chase owned and operated Kathryn’s Beauty Shop in Seattle for 15 years, later operating the business in her home for 20 years. She retired in 1962 and moved to Spokane from Everett in 1985.
She was a member of the South Everett Lady Lions Club, Laurel Heights Garden Club, Lady Elks and Smartassets Investment Club. She also was involved in a book club and a pinochle club.
Her husband, Robert, died in 1985.
Survivors include a daughter, Linda Raney of Spokane; and two grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Heart Institute of Spokane.
Phyllis Hewett Spokane
Private service will be held for Phyllis J. Hewett, 79, at her request. Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
A 56-year Spokane resident, Mrs. Hewett died Monday. She was born in Tacoma.
Mrs. Hewett was a lifetime member of the Spokane Country Club and a member of the Kappa Alpha Theta Sorority.
Survivors include three daughters, Katie Wandler and Mary Hewett, both of Spokane, and Patty Neidlinger of West Hartford, Conn.; and four grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Multiple Sclerosis Society.
Edna Cheyrion Spokane
No service will be held for Edna May Cheyrion. Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Cheyrion, who was born in Wadena Township, Minn., died Sunday. She was 96.
She grew up in Avon, Idaho, and worked as a waitress at the Nobby Inn in Moscow, Idaho, for many years.
Mrs. Cheyrion moved to Spokane 40 years ago.
She is survived by her brother, Charles Schwarts of Outlook, Wash.
Memorial contributions may be made to Catholic Charities, P.O. Box 1453, Spokane, WA 99210-1453.
Gary Rader Colville, Wash.
Funeral for Gary B. Rader, 57, will be at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Colville United Methodist Church. Danekas Funeral Home in Colville is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Rader, who was born in Wabasha, Minn., died Tuesday.
He moved with his family to the Spokane area at an early age and attended North Central High School.
Mr. Rader worked for his uncle at A & A Sewer Service in Spokane for a few years and then worked as a bartender at various taverns.
He operated the Carabu Inn on Trent and Argonne Road for two years.
In 1967 Mr. Rader married Janna Depew, and in 1968 moved to the Colville area where he was the operator of the Logger Tavern. He also operated Grumpy’s Tavern in Ione, Wash., from 1990 until 1996.
Survivors include his wife, Janna; a daughter, Kim Moorhead, and a son, Chris Rader, both of Colville; and a brother, Don Rader of Veradale.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Stevens County Ambulance Fund, P.O. Box 186, Colville, WA.
Andrew Standifur Coeur d’Alene
Graveside memorial service for Andrew J. Standifur, 89, will be Wednesday at 11 a.m. at Forest Cemetery in Coeur d’Alene. Yates Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Standifur, who was born in Kentucky, died Monday.
He married Mabel Schaffer in 1935, and they lived in Phillipsburg, Mont., and Missoula.
Mr. Standifur served the Navy during World War II and after his military service moved to Pullman. He later owned Standifur Refrigeration for 20 years before retiring. He moved to Coeur d’Alene in 1975.
His wife died in 1995.
Survivors include two stepdaughters, M. Cherry Williams of Spokane and Lorene Schibel of Odessa, Wash.; three grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Genevieve Daniel Spokane
Funeral for Genevieve Daniel, 85, will be at 2 p.m. today at Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home. Burial will be at Fairmount Memorial Park.
A 35-year Spokane resident, Mrs. Daniel died Monday. She was born in Bethel, Ohio.
Mrs. Daniel was a homemaker, and was a volunteer and member of the Salvation Army for many years.
Her husband, James, died in 1973.
Survivors include a son, Edwin Phelps of Greenacres; a daughter, Peggy Watson of Spokane; eight grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren.
Lucille Grammatica Coeur d’Alene
No service will be held for Lucille B. Grammatica at her request. English Funeral Chapel in Coeur d’Alene is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Grammatica, 83, died Monday.
Born in Portal, N.D., she moved to Coeur d’Alene in 1940.
Mrs. Grammatica was a homemaker and was a former member of the Eagles Auxiliary No. 486 in Washington.
Survivors include a daughter, Arlene Dickinson of Spokane; five grandsons and five great-grandchildren.
Veva Arnold Spokane
Private service will be held for Veva J. Arnold. Spokane Cremation and Burial Service is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Arnold, a lifetime Spokane resident, died Tuesday. She was 60.
She graduated from North Central High School and Kinman Business University.
Survivors include her husband, William Arnold Jr.; two sons, Allen Arnold of Spokane and Matthew Arnold of Ohio; and a daughter, Kim Perdue of Spokane.