Obituaries
Eleanore Fleckten Coeur d’Alene
No service will be held for Eleanore Fleckten, 86. Burial was at Coeur d’Alene Memorial Gardens. English Funeral Chapel in Coeur d’Alene was in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Fleckten, who was born in North Dakota, died Monday.
She moved to Coeur d’Alene in 1949 and taught special education in the Coeur d’Alene School District at Olaf Bustad School.
Her husband of 52 years, Ernest, died in 1982.
Survivors include a daughter, Sharon Ostrom of Coeur d’Alene; four grandchildren, Michele, Lee, Steve and Jennifer; and five great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, North Idaho Chapter, 1916 Lakewood Drive, Coeur d’Alene, ID 83814.
Melvin Benzel Ritzville, Wash.
Visitation for Melvin C. Benzel, 74, will be from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. today at Danekas Funeral Chapel in Ritzville. Memorial service will follow at 2 p.m. at Zion Congregational Church in Ritzville.
Mr. Benzel, who was born in Marcellus, near Ritzville, died Wednesday.
He joined the Army in 1945 and was discharged in 1946.
Mr. Benzel returned to Ritzville where he farmed for more than 40 years and was also in the fertilizer business for 39 years.
He married Joy Jantz in 1954. She died in 1991. In 1997 he married his second wife, Dell.
Mr. Benzel was a member of Zion Congregational Church in Ritzville, the Washington Wheat Growers Association, American Legion C.J. Newland Post 51 and the Ritzville Junior Chamber of Commerce.
Survivors include his wife; a son, Monte Benzel of Ritzville; three daughters, Dorothy Eckhardt and Shirley Klein, both of Ritzville and Ilene Ellsworth of Indianapolis; three stepdaughters, Anita Walli of Ritzville, Bonita Dixon of Greenleaf, Idaho, and Sue Westergard of Walla Walla; two brothers, Lawrence Benzel of Ritzville and Everett Benzel of Colorado Springs, Colo.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Union Gospel Mission or Shriners Hospital for Children.
Maurice Berg Spokane
Visitation for Maurice Challgren Berg, 88, will be from noon to 8 p.m. Monday at Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home. Funeral is planned for 2 p.m. Tuesday at Manito Presbyterian Church. Entombment will be at Greenwood Memorial Terrace.
A 60-year Spokane resident, Mr. Berg died Dec. 29. He was born in Coeur d’Alene.
He attended the University of Idaho, where he was a member of Phi Gamma Delta. He graduated from Harvard College.
Mr. Berg served as a lieutenant in the Navy during World War II and later worked as a mortgage broker for an insurance company.
He was a longtime member of Manito Presbyterian Church.
His wife, Margaret, died in 1996.
He is survived by a daughter, Catherine Berg of Spokane.
Memorial contributions may be made to Manito Presbyterian Church, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, 1100 Fairview Ave., N., P.O. Box 19024, Seattle WA 98104, or the American Heart Association.
Frank `Del’ McBride Spokane
Memorial service for Frank D. “Del” McBride, 80, will be at 10 a.m. Monday at Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home.
A lifetime Spokane resident, Mr. McBride died Thursday.
He attended North Central High School and worked for Broadview Dairy, the Spokane Fish Market and later in the wholesale department at P.M. Jacoy.
In the 1950s Mr. McBride founded Del McBride Wholesale Tobacco and Candy. He retired in 1984.
His wife of 24 years, Rita, died in 1995.
Survivors include a son, Michael McBride of Rancho Cordova, Calif.; a stepson, Bob Gallagher of Spokane; a stepdaughter, Diane Haight of Gig Harbor, Wash.; four grandchildren and one great-grandson.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Sister Peter Claver Fund, in care of Sacred Heart Medical Center, P.O. Box 2555, Spokane WA 99220-2555.
William Sanders, Jr. Spokane
Memorial service for William Chester “Bill” Sanders, Jr., 67, will be at 11 a.m. today at Westside Nazarene Church. Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Born in Spokane, Mr. Sanders died Wednesday.
He graduated from North Central High School in 1949 and received his bachelor of arts degree in education from Eastern Washington University in 1956.
Mr. Sanders served two tours of duty in the Navy during the Korean War and later worked as a high school shop teacher in California and Oregon for several years before moving to Spokane.
He also worked as a service provider for the mentally disabled and as a Santa Claus during the holiday season.
Mr. Sanders was a member of the Westside Nazarene Church and the Get Along Sams RV Club.
Survivors include his wife of five years, Dell; two sons, William Sanders III of Portland and Norman Sanders of Vancouver, Wash.; two daughters, Kimberly Towle of Mount Vernon, Wash., and Katherine Skinner of Chesapeake, Va.; numerous stepchildren; five grandchildren and numerous stepgrandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Westside Nazarene Church.
Terry Rothwell Grand Coulee, Wash.
Funeral for Terry D. Rothwell, 51, will be at 1 p.m. today at Ball and Dodd Funeral Home-North. Burial will be at Fairmount Memorial Park.
Mr. Rothwell, who was born in Moscow, Idaho, died Tuesday.
He graduated from Shadle Park High School in Spokane in 1966 and served as a communications specialist in the Navy during the Vietnam War.
Mr. Rothwell later attended Eastern Washington University for two years and graduated with a degree in electrical engineering from Washington State University.
He had been working as an electrical engineer for the Bureau of Reclamation at Grand Coulee Dam for the last 24 years.
Survivors include his father, Samuel Rothwell of Spokane; three sisters, Sandy Rabe of Spokane, Karen Pizelo of San Diego and Beverly Burk of Forks, Wash.
Richard Hunt Spokane
Visitation for Richard D. “Dick” Hunt, 65, will be from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday and from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday at Thornhill Valley Funeral Home. Funeral is planned for 2 p.m. Tuesday at Pines Cemetery Mausoleum. Burial will follow at the cemetery.
Mr. Hunt, who was born in Spokane, died Tuesday.
He attended the New Hope Training Center and was affiliated with Career Connections for 20 years, retiring in 1995.
Survivors include three sisters, Delora Jewett and Nancy Hays, both of Spokane, and Susan Stumbough of Veradale; and a brother, Ronald Hunt of San Francisco.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Austism Society of America, 7910 Woodmont Ave., Suite 650, Bethesda, MD, 20814-3015.
Gerald Williams Spokane
Memorial gathering for Gerald F. Williams, 54, will be at 1 p.m. today at 1010 E. 39th. Ball and Dodd Funeral Home-South is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Williams, who was born in Tacoma, died Monday.
He graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in Tacoma and served as a cook in the Army from 1963 to 1966.
Mr. Williams worked as a brake operator for Haskins Steel in Spokane for the past 20 years.
He was a member of the CB Radio Club, which he also served as treasurer, and was a member of the Unity Church. Mr. Williams also was a Boy Scout leader.
Survivors include his wife of 25 years, Linda; two sons, Robert Williams of Spokane and David Williams of New Jersey; his mother, Elizabeth Williams of Tacoma; two brothers, Dennis Williams of Portland and Jim Williams of Seattle.