Obituaries
Robert Crowe St. Maries
No service will be held for Robert Marion Crowe, 74, at his request. Thornhill Valley Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Crowe, who was born in Spokane, died Friday.
He graduated from North Central High School in 1943 and served with the Army Engineers in the South Pacific during World War II. He also served in the Korean War.
Mr. Crowe worked as a salesman for Frito Lay in Redding, Calif., for several years before moving to Eugene, Ore., where he owned and operated various restaurants from 1971 to 1988.
In 1988 he retired to St. Maries.
He was a member of the American Association of Retired Persons and served on the board of directors for the Benewah County Senior Citizens.
Survivors include his wife of 52 years, Marjorie; a son, Leroy Crowe of Redding, Calif.; two daughters, Susan Reed of Orland, Calif., and Kathleen McConnell of Anderson, Calif.; and four grandchildren.
Arne Savage Spokane
Memorial service for Arne M. Savage, 77, will be at 1 p.m. today at Riplinger Funeral Home.
Mr. Savage, who was born in Spokane, died Sunday.
He graduated from Sandpoint High School and served in the U.S. Air Force as a B-17 ball turret gunner during World War II, flying 31 successful missions over Germany.
Mr. Savage returned to Spokane in 1959 and worked as a foreman in the construction industry, including Vern Johnson Construction.
He was a member of the Laborers Union 238, Moose Lodge, American Association of Retired Persons and the Downriver Golf Course Men’s Club.
Survivors include his wife, Lillian; two daughters, Karen Stewart of Priest River, Idaho, and Connie Rhodes of Spokane; two sons, Curtis Sturm of San Diego and Daniel Savage of Priest River; a sister, Iris Schedler of Coeur d’Alene; seven grandchildren and several great-grandchildren.
Joanne Vennema Holland, Mich.
Funeral for Joanne S. Vennema, 77, will be today in Holland. Burial will be in Aurora, Ill. Notier-Ver Lee Langeland Funeral Home in Holland is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Vennema, who was born in Illinois, died Saturday.
She attended Duke University before graduating from the University of Southern California, where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and was a lifetime member of the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority.
Mrs. Vennema moved to Spokane in 1947 and taught school for several years.
She served as a volunteer and president of the Spokane area League of Women Voters and the Parent Teacher Association. She was also a state officer for both organizations.
Mrs. Vennema was a member of the Spokane Planning and Zoning Commission and received several civic and educational awards, including being appointed honorary chairperson for the UNICEF Celebration Day for the State of Washington.
She was also a 37-year member of Manito Presbyterian Church and a founding member of the Terrace Garden Club.
Mrs. Vennema spent her summers at the family home on Lake Coeur d’Alene. She moved to Holland in 1989.
Survivors include her husband of 56 years, John; a son, John Vennema Stephens of Kalispell, Mont.; two daughters, Katherine McLellan of Leesburg, Va., and Anne Charney of New York City; and 10 grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the League of Women Voters Educational Fund.
John Buza Sr. Coeur d’Alene
Memorial service for John Buza Sr., 74, will be Thursday at 3 p.m. at English Funeral Chapel in Coeur d’Alene. Mr. Buza, who was born in Connecticut, died Saturday.
He served as vice president of Alleghany Steel in Dunkirk, N.Y., and moved to Post Falls in 1994 from Connecticut.
Mr. Buza was a member of the Masonic Lodge in Connecticut.
Survivors include a son, John Buza Jr. of California; two daughters, Bonnie Davis of New York and Debbie Michalak of Hayden Lake, Idaho; a sister, Freida Opdahl of Arizona; and six grandchildren.
Jerry Williams Chandler, Ariz.
Memorial service for Jerry Ralph Williams, 75, will be at 3 p.m. Saturday at the Unity Church, 29th and Bernard. Wyman Cremation and Burial Chapel in Mesa, Ariz., is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Williams, who was born in Spokane, died Dec. 31.
He graduated from North Central High School in 1942 and served in the U.S. Air Force during World War II.
Mr. Williams was a former football coach at the college level and later became a coach in the National Football League.
He was a member of the National Football League Players Association, the Washington State University Athletic Hall of Fame and the Inland Empire Hall of Fame.
Mr. Williams was also a lifetime member of the Elks Club in Spokane He had been living in Chandler, Ariz., for about 10 years.
Survivors include his wife, Marian; two daughters, Becky Paradee and Julie Williams; three sons, Jerry, Todd and Tyler Williams; a sister, Arva Coffey; a brother, Bill Williams; and nine grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the North Central High School Athletics Department, 1600 N. Howard, Spokane, WA 99205.
Mary (Wilkinson) Connors Spokane
Memorial service for Mary Lorraine (Wilkinson) Connors, 72, will be at 2 p.m. today at Spokane Valley United Methodist Church. Thornhill Valley Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Connors, who was born in Spokane, died Dec. 29.
She graduated from Rogers High School in 1944 and from Kelsey Baird Secretarial School in 1946.
Mrs. Connors worked for the Department of the Navy during World War II and later in various positions in accounting and retail. She retired from the postal service in 1978.
She was a member of Spokane Valley United Methodist Church, Beta Sigma Phi, Retreads Motorcycle Club, American Association of Retired Persons, National Association of Retired Federal Employees, and the Good Sam Camping Club.
Mrs. Connors served as president of the United Methodist Women at her church from 1970 to 1972 and was a past chairman of the Rebekkah and Koinonian fellowships.
She was also past worthy adviser of Jewell Assembly 52, International Order of Rainbow Girls, and was past grand representative to Nebraska. She was given the order’s Grand Cross of Color in 1944.
Mrs. Connors was also the leader of Girl Scout Troop 325 and was part of the original administrative group that started Meals on Wheels in Spokane.
Her husband, Max, died in 1992.
Survivors include two daughters, Susan Connors of Spokane and Linda Combs of Bothell, Wash.; and a brother, William Wilkinson of Spokane.
Gladys Kendall Dover, Idaho
Private service for Gladys Eloise Kendall, 89, will be held at a later date. Coffelt Funeral Service in Sandpoint is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Kendall, who was born in Belvidere, Ill., died Sunday.
She graduated from high school in Belvidere from Rockford Hospital School of Nursing as a registered nurse in 1931.
Mrs. Kendall worked as a nurse in Illinois and Wisconsin. While working in Bayfield County in Wisconsin, she also was involved with the introduction of home health care.
She retired in 1972 and moved to Dover in 1974. She was a member of the International Society of Poets.
Her husband of 60 years, Milo, died in 1994.
Survivors include a daughter, Kaethe Anderson of Salem, Ore.; two sons, Jerry Kendall of Kamiah, Idaho, and Barry Kendall of Dover; a brother, Gale Webber of Belvidere; seven grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Memorials may be made to Bonner Community Hospice, P.O. Box 1448, Sandpoint, ID 83864.
Alene Parsons Spokane
Visitation for Alene Parsons, 83, will be from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. today at Thornhill Valley Funeral Home. Bible service will follow at 7 p.m. at the funeral home. Funeral Mass is planned for 11 a.m. Thursday at St. Michael’s Catholic Church in Worley, Idaho. Private entombment will be at the Pines Cemetery Mausoleum.
Mrs. Parsons, who was born in Lewiston, died Sunday.
She was raised near Edmonton, Alberta.
In 1935 she married Willard Parsons and they moved to Worley that same year. She was a homemaker.
Mrs. Parsons had been a Spokane resident for the past 64 years.
Survivors include her husband; two daughters, Dixie Parsons of Spokane and Vaeva Payne of Worley; two grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Irene Yake Spokane
Memorial service for Irene Olsen Yake, 75, is planned for 2 p.m. Thursday at Hamblen Park Presbyterian Church. Private burial will be at Riverside Memorial Park. Heritage Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
A lifetime Spokane resident, Mrs. Yake died Thursday.
She graduated from North Central High School and later attended the University of Idaho.
Mrs. Yake worked as an administrator at Baxter General Hospital during World War II.
She was a volunteer at Hutton Settlement, Booth Memorial Hospital and with the Adams Grade School Parent Teacher Association.
Mrs. Yake was also a member of the Inland Empire Girl Scout Council and the Glenrose Women’s Club. She served as president of the Spokane Women of Rotary.
Survivors include her husband of 53 years, Glen; two daughters, Anita Williams of Spokane and Charlotte Jenkins of Bothell, Wash.; a son, Daniel Yake of El Cerrito, Calif.; seven grandchildren and four greatgrandchildren.
Charles Strong Sandpoint
Memorial service for Charles E. Strong, 71, will be today at 11 a.m. at Coffelt Funeral Service in Sandpoint. Mr. Strong, who was born in Concord, Mass., died Saturday.
He served with the Marine Corps during the Korean War and retired from the military in 1964 after 20 years.
Mr. Strong later worked for the state of California for 10 years as a highway inspector before moving to Sandpoint in 1976.
Survivors include two daughters, Wanda Miner of Hayden Lake, Idaho, and Sheila Hardman of Memphis, Tenn.; and two grandchildren, Jason and Steffanie.
Memorials may be made to North Idaho Cancer Center, 700 Ironwood Drive, Coeur d’Alene, ID 83814.
Jessie Harding Kellogg
Service for Jessie Marie Harding, 97, will be Friday at 11 a.m. at the Kellogg Funeral Chapel. Burial will take place at Greenwood Cemetery in Kellogg.
Mrs. Harding, who was born in South Dakota, died Saturday.
She lived in North Dakota before moving to the Silver Valley in 1958. She was a homemaker.
Mrs. Harding was a member of the Plymouth Circle and the United Church in Kellogg.
Her husband of 57 years, George, died in 1978.
Survivors include three sisters, Vonda Aamodt and Glenda Gravelle, both of Kellogg, and Joyce Aamodt of Wardner, Idaho; 24 grandchildren, 47 great-grandchildren, 20 great-great-grandchildren and numerous stepgrandchildren.
Memorials may be made to Greenwood Cemetery, 323 Main St., or Shoshone Medical Center Extended Care, Jacobs Gulch, both of Kellogg, ID 83837.
Gerald `Jerry’ Orr Dalton Gardens, Idaho
Service for Gerald Ivan “Jerry” Orr, 70, will be at 2 p.m. Thursday at St. Pius Catholic Church in Coeur d’Alene. Burial will follow at Forest Cemetery in Coeur d’Alene. English Funeral Chapel in Coeur d’Alene is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Orr, who was born in Spokane, died Sunday.
He moved to Coeur d’Alene in 1931 and graduated from Immaculate Heart of Mary High School in 1946. He attended North Idaho College and the University of Idaho.
Mr. Orr served with the Air Force from 1950 until 1954 and then returned to the Coeur d’Alene area and worked as a lumber grader for Potlatch.
He was a member of St. Pius Catholic Church and the Coeur d’Alene Elks Lodge.
Survivors include his wife of 39 years, June; a son, Jack Orr of Woodinville, Wash.; two daughters, Jeanne Standal of North Carolina and Julie Hudson of Coeur d’Alene; two brothers, Robert and Jack Orr, both of Coeur d’Alene; and three grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Lung Association, 1111 S. Orchard, Suite 245, Boise, ID 83705-1201, or Kootenai Medical Center, 2003 Lincoln Way, Coeur d’Alene, ID 83814.