Obituaries
Florence Van Riel Coeur d’Alene
Memorial service for Florence Van Riel, 80, will be Saturday at 2 p.m. at the Coeur d’Alene City Park. Yates Funeral Home in Coeur d’Alene is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Van Riel, who was born in Kansas City, Kan., died Sunday.
She grew up and graduated from high school in Kansas City. In 1938 she married Clifford Simmons and moved to Southern California. Mr. Simmons died in 1966.
Mrs. Van Riel married Tony Van Riel in 1972 and moved to Coeur d’Alene in 1990.
Survivors include her husband; a son, Robert Simmons of Coeur d’Alene; a sister, Wanda Lou Fike; and one grandson, Gabriel.
Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of North Idaho, 280 W. Prairie Ave., Coeur d’Alene, ID 83815.
Ina Tascher Hayden, Idaho
Private service for Ina May Tascher, 87, will be at a later date. Yates Funeral Home in Coeur d’Alene is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Tascher, who died Wednesday, was born in South Dakota.
She grew up in Ekalaka, Mont., and later attended what is now Eastern Montana College in Billings.
Mrs. Tascher worked with the state engineer’s office in Helena, and then worked for the Federal Bureau of Reclamation and the Federal Bureau of Indian Affairs on the Blackfeet Reservation in Browning, Mont.
She formed various art groups on the reservation and organized exhibits at the Indian Institute at the University of Montana.
She married Harold Tascher in 1956. They lived in Missoula and she attended the University of Montana, where she received a bachelor’s degree in literature at the age of 49.
She moved to Hayden in 1984.
She was preceded in death by her husband.
Mrs. Tascher is survived by three daughters, Sharon Seitz, Mary Joan Wallace and Barbara Lynch; a brother, Hugh Armstrong; a sister, Deanne LaCasse; eight grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Kootenai Humane Society, PO Box 1005, Hayden Lake, ID 83835.
Dorothy Penman Post Falls
Private service for Dorothy E. Penman, 69, will be held at a later date. English Funeral Chapel in Post Falls is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Penman, who was born in Spokane, died Tuesday.
She married Sidney Penman in 1968 and lived in the Post Falls area for many years.
Survivors include her husband; a brother, Lyle Sweitzer of California; four children; six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of North Idaho, 280 W. Prairie Ave., Coeur d’Alene, ID 83815.
Dix Bissell Spokane
Graveside service for Dix Bissell, 84, will be at 11 a.m. Monday at Greenwood Memorial Terrace. Ball and Dodd Funeral Home - South is in charge of arrangements.
A lifetime Spokane resident, Mr. Bissell died Monday.
He graduated from Lewis and Clark High School in 1932.
Mr. Bissell was in the Navy for 20 years, serving during World War II and the Korean War. He retired as a chief mechanic’s mate in 1963.
Survivors include a brother-in-law, Larry Johnson of Spokane; and eight nieces and nephews.
John `Big John’ Smithson Hayden, Idaho
A celebration of life for John Jacob “Big John” Smithson, 65, will be at 11 a.m. today at Yates Funeral Home, Hayden Chapel. A reception will follow at the Coeur d’Alene Eagles Lodge.
Mr. Smithson, who was born in Malta, Mont., died Sunday.
He grew up and attended schools in Spokane.
He married Marilyn Kyle in 1958 and became a chicken farmer in Athol, Idaho.
Mr. Smithson later moved to Spokane and owned a small engine repair shop. He moved to the Hayden area and taught classes in motorcycle mechanics at North Idaho College from 1971 to 1988.
In 1978 he opened the family business, Smithson Towing Service. He retired in 1995.
Mr. Smithson played Santa Claus as a community volunteer and was active with the Boy Scouts of America, Toys for Tots, D.A.R.E., N.Y.P.U.M., American Bikers Aiming Toward Education and T.O.W.E.D.
Survivors include his wife; two daughters, Debbie Wereley of Harrison, Idaho, and Sheryl Evans of Coeur d’Alene; three sons, John Smithson of Hayden, Shawn Smithson of Deer Park and Brandon Smithson of Portland; three foster children, Charlie Stevens of Athol, Scott Yancy of Long Lake, Wash., and Eva Beamish of Portland; 10 grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of North Idaho, 280 W. Prairie Ave., Coeur d’Alene, ID 83815.
Larry Swanson Hayden Lake, Idaho
Memorial service for Larry Swanson, 86, will be Thursday at 11 a.m. at English Funeral Chapel in Coeur d’Alene.
Mr. Swanson, who was born in Davenport, Wash., died Thursday.
He grew up in Hood River, Ore., and then lived in Portland before moving to Coeur d’Alene in 1937.
Mr. Swanson moved to California in 1969 and worked there in the research department at Kaiser Aluminum. He retired and moved to Hayden Lake in 1977.
He was a member of the National Rifle Association, the Coeur d’Alene Eagles Lodge, and the International Order of Odd Fellows-Rebekah Lodge. He was a former member of First Christian Church.
Survivors include his wife of 45 years, Arlene; a daughter, Nancy Howell of Coeur d’Alene; two stepsons, Don Atwood of Post Falls and David Atwood of Hayden Lake; a stepdaughter, Jeanne Venturino of Hayden Lake; two brothers, Mearle Swanson of Texas and Ervin Swanson of Oregon; three sisters, Opal Hutchins of Coeur d’Alene, and Gertrude Combs and June Tyler, both of Oregon; 11 grandchildren, 18 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.
Glen Long Hayden Lake, Idaho
Memorial service for Glen H. Long, 84, will be held at a later date. English Funeral Chapel in Coeur d’Alene is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Long, who was born in Oklahoma, died Friday. He lived in New York until moving to Coeur d’Alene in 1957. He settled in Hayden Lake in 1960.
Mr. Long was an Army veteran.
Survivors include his wife of 51 years, Herta; two sons, Thomas Long of Zambia and Jerry Long of Hayden, Idaho; two daughters, Gleta Hagarman of Alaska and Glendy Callison of Oklahoma; a brother, Robert Long of California; six grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
Mary Brammer Kellogg
No service will be held for Mary N. Brammer, 96, at her request. Burial will take place at Portland Cemetery and Mausoleum. Shoshone Funeral Service in Kellogg is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Brammer, who was born in Superior, Wis., died Thursday.
She married Albert Brammer in 1924 and lived in Roseburg, Ore. She was a mother and homemaker.
She moved to the Silver Valley in 1991.
Her husband died in 1966.
Survivors include a daughter, Marjorie Deahn of Kellogg; three grandchildren, Nancy, Rick and Steve; and six great-grandchildren.
Marian Wyman Coeur d’Alene
Graveside service for Marian Marie Wyman, 87, was Friday at Forest Cemetery, Riverview Section, in Coeur d’Alene.
Mrs. Wyman, who was born in Decatur, Mich., died Wednesday.
She moved to the Coeur d’Alene area in the 1920s from Michigan and was a homemaker.
In 1929 she married Albert Wyman. He died in 1981.
Survivors include a daughter, Patricia Kammeyer of Westport, Wash.; four grandchildren, Sherry, John, James and Shelly and six great-grandchildren.
Sharon Land Moses Lake
Visitation for Sharon Lavonne Land, 54, will be from 9 a.m. to noon Monday at Yates Funeral Home, Hayden (Idaho) Chapel. Service will be Monday at 1 p.m. at the chapel with a gathering to follow at the Hayden Chapel Gathering Center.
Mrs. Land, who was born in Tillamook, Ore., died Wednesday.
She attended high school in California and then began a career in electronics.
She moved to Coeur d’Alene in 1978.
In 1994 she married Rocky Land. They lived in the Coeur d’Alene area until moving to Moses Lake a year and a half ago.
Mrs. Land was a member of the Coeur d’Alene Eagles Auxiliary and volunteered with the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
Survivors include her husband; a son, Brante Scott of Coeur d’Alene; two daughters, Sharon Wyant of Hayden and Dea Elder of Coeur d’Alene; two stepdaughters, Benita and Gena Land, both of Oregon; her parents, Jack and Estelle Lamoyne of Texas; a sister, Dianne Forrest of California; and 10 grandchildren.
Ivy Wong Spokane
Funeral for Ivy B. Wong, 74, will be at 1 p.m. today at Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home. Burial will be at Greenwood Memorial Terrace.
Born in Canton, China, Mrs. Wong died Wednesday.
She was a partner in the Far East Restaurant in China, before moving to Hong Kong.
In 1962 she married See Bow Wong. In 1963 they moved to Spokane where she worked as a seamstress.
Survivors include her husband; and a sister, Au Wai Ho of Canton.
Leta `Betsy’ Turner Harrison, Idaho
Memorial service for Leta “Betsy” Turner, 66, will be at 11 a.m. Monday at Harrison City Park. Yates-Hodge Funeral Home in St. Maries is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Turner, who died Tuesday, was born in Missouri.
She graduated from high school in Missouri and worked as a cocktail waitress before moving to Harrison in 1968.
Mrs. Turner served as the Harrison city clerk for 11 years. She was a volunteer with Harrison Community Ambulance and was also a member of the Harrison City Council.
She was active with Alcoholics Anonymous.
Her husband, Smokey, died in 1983.
Survivors include her companion of 15 years, Dean Christensen of Harrison; three daughters, Dianne Huff of Seattle, Tammy Rowell of Spokane and Jeannie Wooley of Oregon; two stepdaughters, Lora Miller of North Carolina, and Celia Turner of Coeur d’Alene; a brother, C.D. Riley, and a sister, Virginia Wilson, both of Georgia; six grandchildren, two great-grandchildren and five step-grandchildren.
James Stowe Coeur d’Alene
Service for James Kenith Stowe, 88, will be Monday at Yates Funeral Home in Coeur d’Alene. Private burial will be held at a later date at the family plot at Squaw Bay on Lake Coeur d’Alene.
Mr. Stowe, who was born in Douglas County, Wash., died Wednesday.
He moved to the Squaw Bay area in 1919 and married Rosemond Worsfold in 1937.
He was a farmer and operated a small sawmill which expanded to become J.K. Stowe and Sons. He also was a blacksmith and carpenter.
He played the fiddle at community events for many years.
Survivors include his wife; three sons, Donald, Stanley and Grant Stowe, all of Coeur d’Alene; two daughters, Silvia Starr of Spokane and Susan Drury of Moscow, Idaho; a brother, Leland Stowe of Spirit Lake, Idaho; nine grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
E.S. `Dick’ Eugene Spokane
Funeral Mass for E.S. “Dick” Eugene, 85, will be at 10 a.m. today at St. Thomas More Catholic Church. Burial will be at Holy Cross Cemetery. Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
A lifetime Spokane resident, Mr. Eugene died Wednesday.
He graduated from North Central High School in 1931, and later from the University of Washington.
Mr. Eugene was the owner and operator of Eugene’s Flowers for many years and was a member and past president of the Spokane Florist Association.
He was also a member of St. Thomas Catholic Church, the Knights of Columbus, Spokane Valley Elks Lodge, Phi Kappa Sigma, the Rotary Club, the Exchange Club, the Spokane Area Chamber of Commerce and Score.
Survivors include his wife, Joan; a son, Michael Eugene of Spokane; two daughters, Cecelia Connolly and Patti Collins, both of Spokane; a brother, Robert Eugene of Spokane; three grandchildren and several great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to Catholic Charities or to the Bishop White Seminary, 429 E. Sharp, Spokane, WA 99202-1837.