Obituaries
Jessie Thwaites Hayden Lake, Idaho
Memorial service for Jessie M. Thwaites, 76, will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday at Opportunity Christian Church. Private burial will be at Greenwood Memorial Terrace. Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Thwaites, who was born in Spokane, died Sunday.
She graduated from North Central High School in 1940, and spent 20 years in Alaska as a volunteer for Alaska Crippled Children and the Alaska Natives Services.
Mrs. Thwaites returned to the Spokane area several years ago and later moved to Hayden Lake.
Survivors include her husband, Dick; three sons, Richard Thwaites Jr., of Anchorage, Alaska, Thomas Thwaites of Sumner, Wash., and Scott Thwaites of Fresno, Calif.; a brother, William Effertz of Post Falls; two sisters, Mary Ann Thiemann of Spokane and Johanna Effertz of Carbonado, Wash.; and seven grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association Idaho Chapter, 1916 Lakewood Drive, Coeur d’Alene, ID 83814.
Arnold Shaffer Lucy `Pearl’ (Bird) Shaffer Yuma, Ariz. <, Funeral for Arnold Shaffer, 88, and Lucy “Pearl” (Bird) Shaffer, 87, is planned for 1 p.m. Wednesday at the Freeze Church, north of Potlatch, Idaho. Burial will be at the Freeze Cemetery. Kramer Funeral Home in Palouse, Wash., is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Shaffer, who was born in Potlatch, died Friday. Mrs. Shaffer, who was born in Princeton, Idaho, died Feb. 15.
They were married in 1929 and made their home in Potlatch, where Mr. Shaffer worked for the Potlatch Lumber Co. and Mrs. Shaffer was a homemaker.
In 1942 they moved to Spokane, where he worked as a mechanic and service manager for Clay Bleck, who ran Dodge City. He retired in 1980.
Mrs. Shaffer helped place the Freeze Church and Cemetery on the National Historic Registry.
In 1989 the couple moved to Yuma, Ariz.
Survivors include three daughters, Betty Berg of Milwaukie, Ore., Peggy Norman of San Diego and Jody Steel of Yuma; nine grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of the Palouse.
Paul Negovan Spokane
Funeral for Paul B. Negovan, 87, will be at 11 a.m. today at Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home. Burial will be at Fairmount Memorial Park.
Mr. Negovan, who was born in St. Maries, died Feb. 16.
He retired from working as a wholesale hardware salesman.
Mr. Negovan was active in the Spokane Moose Lodge, enrolling in Lodge 161 in 1961 and the Moose Legion 165 in 1962.
He was elected governor of the Lodge in 1961 and under his guidance, Spokane Moose 161 was relocated to its present location on Division Street.
Mr. Negovan received his Fellowship Degree within the Lodge in 1966 and received the highest honor, the Pilgrim Degree, in 1983. He was also active with the Moose Gleeman and was a member of the Spokane Elks Lodge 228 and the Serbian Lodge.
Survivors include a son, Rod Negovan; and a sister, Millie Simpson.
Rilda `Vicky’ (Dotson) Wallenhaupt Wardner, Idaho
Service for Rilda Laura “Vicky” (Dotson) Wallenhaupt, 75, will be Wednesday at 2 p.m. at Kellogg Funeral Chapel. Burial will be at Greenwoood Cemetery in Kellogg.
Mrs. Wallenhaupt, who was born in Missoula, died Friday.
She worked as a logger and cook/waitress as a young woman and married Harvey Wallenhaupt in 1968. She lived in Wardner for the past 30 years.
Survivors include her husband; a sister, Audrey Juhnke of Spirit Lake, Idaho; a brother, Arnold Dotson of Hagerman, Idaho; three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Guy `Bish’ Loper Dalton Gardens, Idaho
Visitation for Guy A. “Bish” Loper, 70, will be Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Coeur d’Alene Memorial Funeral Home. Service will be Thursday at 1 p.m. at the funeral home.
Mr. Loper, who was born in Las Vegas, died Saturday.
He lived in Nevada and moved to Montana in 1948, where he was a rancher and horse trainer. Mr. Loper moved to Kellogg in 1953 and worked for the Bunker Hill Mining Co. for 29 years.
He later moved to Dalton Gardens and returned to ranching after his retirement.
His first wife, Birdie, died in 1977.
Survivors include his wife of 21 years, Janie; four children, Carolyn, Don, Gerri and Rita, all of Coeur d’Alene; two stepchildren, Debbie of Nebraska and Terri of Coeur d’Alene; three brothers, Ken Loper of Montana, Rich Loper of Nevada and Vern Loper of Osburn, Idaho; two sisters, Clara and Boots both of Nevada; six grandchildren, three stepgrandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Barbara Clerc Spokane
Memorial service for Barbara G. Clerc, 56, was Monday at Sunset Mausoleum Chapel at Fairmount Memorial Park.
Mrs. Clerc, who was born in Spokane, died Feb. 17.
She was a homemaker.
Survivors include a son, Shaun Mueller of Fort Edwards, N.Y.; a daughter, Maria Smith of Spokane; her mother, Lavern Gutierez of Kellogg; and a brother, Greg Clerc of Spokane.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Wishing Star Foundation, 915 W. Second, Suite 3, Spokane, WA 99204.
Teresa Ressa Spokane
Vigil service for Teresa Elma Ressa, 74, will be at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home. Funeral Mass is planned for 10 a.m. Thursday at St. Anthony Catholic Church. Burial will be at Holy Cross Cemetery.
Mrs. Ressa, who was born in South Dakota, died Saturday.
She graduated from St. Luke’s Nursing School in Aberdeen, S.D., and moved to Spokane, where she worked as a registered nurse.
Survivors include her husband of 48 years, John; six sons, Bruce, Gregory and David Ressa, all of Spokane, Leo Ressa of Pullman, Neal Ressa of Van Nuys, Calif., and Jeffrey Ressa of Snohomish, Wash.; two brothers, Barney Hauck of Sioux Falls, S.D., and Fritz Hauck of Omaha, Neb.; a sister, Marian Unkrur of Tacoma; and 10 grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to American Diabetes Association or to St. Anthony Trinity School, 2320 N. Cedar, Spokane, WA 99205.
Verne Lewis St. Maries
Service for Verne Lewis, 84, will be held at a later date in Athena, Ore. Yates-Hodge Funeral Home in St. Maries is in charge of local arrangements.
Mr. Lewis, who was born in Myrtle Creek, Ore., died Sunday.
He grew up in the Eugene, Ore., area and graduated from Cottage Grove High School.
In 1939 he married Annabel Payne. They lived in Hillsboro, Ore., and he worked as a photographer for the Portland Oregonian.
He retired in 1981 and moved to St. Maries in 1996.
Survivors include his wife; six sons, James, Gerald, Charles, Lowell and David Lewis, all of Oregon, and Jesse Lewis of California; three daughters, Nita Dole of Oregon and L.G. “Lola” Senelly and Nancy Malensky, both of St. Maries; 19 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren.
Oscar Johnson Spokane
Visitation for Oscar H. Johnson, 86, will be from 1 to 2 p.m. Wednesday at Yates Funeral Home, Hayden Chapel, in Hayden, Idaho. Service will be at 2 p.m. at the chapel. Burial will follow at Coeur d’Alene Memorial Gardens.
Mr. Johnson, who was born in St. Paul, Minn., died Saturday.
He grew up in Saskatchewan and worked at the smelter in Trail, B.C., before moving to Spokane to work at Kaiser Aluminum during World War II.
Mr. Johnson retired from Kaiser in 1969 and moved to Bull Lake, Mont., in 1970 where he lived for 14 years before moving to Post Falls.
Mr. Johnson later moved to the Sullivan Care Center in Spokane.
He was a member of the Eagles Lodge.
Survivors include his wife, Sarah; a daughter, Linda Abrams of Liberty Lake; a son, Loren Johnson of Spokane; two stepsons, Roger Duczek of Lima, Mont., and Jerry Duczek of Tonasket, Wash.; a stepdaughter, Carol Ann Besas of Spokane; six brothers, Clarence, Grant, Lloyd, Arthur, and Lynn Johnson, all of Saskatchewan, and Lawrence Johnson of British Columbia; three sisters, Ida of British Columbia, and Edith and Myrtle, both of Sprague, Wash.; 22 grandchildren, 19 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.
Walter Haspedis Spokane
Funeral Mass for Walter L. Haspedis, 77, will be at 7 p.m. today at Sacred Heart Catholic Church. Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
A 75-year Spokane resident, Mr. Haspedis died Friday. He was born in Butte, Mont.
He graduated from Lewis and Clark High School in 1939 and from Gonzaga University in 1943.
Mr. Haspedis served as a lieutenant in the Navy during World War II.
He was discharged from the Navy in 1946 and later became vice president of sales at Columbia Lighting in Spokane. He also worked at Ecolite.
Mr. Haspedis was a member of the Manito Golf and Country Club, the Spokane Club and Sacred Heart Parish.
Survivors include his wife of 50 years, Anita; three daughters, Claudia, Lynne and Barbara; a brother, the Rev. George Haspedis; and three grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to Habitat for Humanity or the Morning Star Boys Ranch.
Daniel Lawn Coeur d’Alene
No service will be held for Daniel Lawn, 45, at his request. Coeur d’Alene Memorial Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Lawn, who was born in Massachusetts, died Feb. 14. He grew up in Long Beach, Calif., and moved to Sonora, Calif., in the 1980s.
He moved to Coeur d’Alene from Sonora in April.
Survivors include his mother, Dorothy Lawn of Long Beach; two sisters, Dianne Reeves of Hayden, Idaho, and Cheryl Hernandez of California; two brothers, Robert and Joseph Lawn, both of Long Beach; and his grandmother, Catherine White of Long Beach.
Mayme Lowary Mount Hope, Wash.
Funeral for Mayme Lowary, 90, will be at 11 a.m. today at the Mount Hope Community Church. Burial will follow at Mount Hope Cemetery.
Schanzenbach Funeral Home in Fairfield is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Lowary, who was born in Mount Hope, died Thursday.
She taught for 20 years in several schools throughout northeastern Washington.
Survivors include two sons, Clifford Lowary of Elk and Leslie Lowary of Lewiston; a daughter, Zona Scalph of Tacoma; two brothers, Edward and Lester Olson, both of Mount Hope; a sister, Marguerite Olson of Fairfield; seven grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Fairfield Good Samaritan Center or the Mount Hope Cemetery.
Frances Mahoney Spokane
Funeral for Frances Edith Mahoney, 60, will be at 2 p.m. today at the Sunset Mausoleum Chapel on the grounds of Fairmount Memorial Park. Burial will follow at the park. Riplinger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
A lifetime Spokane resident, Mrs. Mahoney died Thursday.
She graduated with honors from North Central High School in 1956 and married James Mahoney that same year.
Mrs. Mahoney volunteered as a tutor for students at Lewis and Clark High School for several years and later became a caregiver for the elderly.
She also helped manage the family business in Medical Lake for the past 15 years.
Survivors include her husband; a daughter, Colleen Beier of Spokane; a son, Michael Mahoney of Hillsborough, Calif.; and two grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Heart Institute of Spokane or the Spokane Humane Society.
William Becker Eugene, Ore.
Memorial service for William G. Becker, 40, will be held at a later date. Musgrove Family Mortuary in Eugene is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Becker, who was born in Milwaukee, Wis., died Feb. 12. In 1975 he graduated from Kofa High School in Yuma, Ariz., and then moved to Spokane. He moved to Eugene two years ago.
Survivors include a son, Steven Becker, and a daughter, Michelle Becker, both of Spokane; his father, James Becker of Yuma; two brothers, Joseph Becker of Gilbert, Ariz., and John Becker of Glendale, Ariz.; four sisters, Mary Gelisse and Jean Hulst, both of Kelso, Wash., Judith Beckett of Mesa, Ariz., and Theresa Erickson of Hattiesburg, Miss.