Obituaries

Leo Baldwin Medical Lake

Funeral Mass for Leo A. Baldwin, 69, will be at 11 a.m. today at St. Anne Catholic Church in Medical Lake. Private inurnment will be at Holy Cross Cemetery. Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Mr. Baldwin, who was born in Wolf Point, Mont., died Wednesday.

He was a carpenter in the construction industry and a member and past president of the Spokane Carpenters Union.

Mr. Baldwin served on the pastorial council and building committee at St. Anne Catholic Church in Medical Lake.

His first wife of 35 years, Ruth, preceded him in death.

Survivors include his second wife, Mary Ellen Peper-Baldwin; two sons, Geo Belcher of Spokane and Reed Belcher of Portland; a stepson, William Peper of Anaheim, Calif.; a stepdaughter, Kathleen Bourassa of Vacaville, Calif.; a sister, Mary Nolen of Roseburg, Ore.; three grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Memoria contributions may be made to the St. Anne Building Fund, P.O. Box 125, Medical Lake WA 99022.

Veneta (Irick) Sampson Cheney

Funeral for Veneta Ethel (Irick) Sampson, 88, will be at 1:30 p.m. today at Heritage Funeral Home.

Mrs. Sampson, who was born in Spokane, died Friday.

She married Hoover Sampson in 1928, and they operated a live bait business for several years.

Her husband died in 1979, and she continued to operate the business until 1996.

Mrs. Sampson was an avid fly fisher and tied numerous popular flies, such as the Royal Coachman and the Mudler Minnow.

Survivors include two sons, Murrell and Larry Sampson, both of Spokane; two daughters, Nancy Hautala of Otis Orchards and Lora Sampson of Shirley Polack of Cheney; 16 grandchildren and 27 great-grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Amazing Grace Church Jubilee Fund, 416 Betz Road, Cheney, WA 99004.

Sylvia James Spokane

No service will be held for Sylvia Lora James. Hazen and Jaeger Valley Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Mrs. James, who was born in St. Louis, died Friday. She was 87.

She worked as a waitress in Spokane for many years.

Survivors include a daughter, Paulette Roberts of Coeur d’Alene; five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

Glendon Robbins Greenacres

No service will be held for Glendon P. Robbins. Hazen and Jaeger Valley Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Mr. Robbins, who was born in Coleraine, Minn., died Wednesday. He was 81.

He served in the Army and later worked as a machinist at Kaiser Aluminum in Trentwood for 29 years.

Mr. Robbins was a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

Survivors include his wife, Bette; two daughters, Sharon Scheffer of Spokane and Penny Geravis of Los Angeles; two sons, Michael Driver of Spokane and Gary Robbins of Los Angeles; two brothers, Wayne Robbins of Sequim, Wash., and Gerald Robbins of Boston; numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Robert Colness Spokane

Private service for Robert S. Colness, 89, will be held in Montana at a later date. Thornhill Valley Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Mr. Colness, who was born in Minnesota, died Tuesday.

He moved to Forsyth, Mont., where he worked as a manager with Sawyers Store Inc., a grocery store chain in Montana and Wyoming, for 30 years.

In 1936 he married Dorothy Meredith.

He moved to Spokane in 1957 and went to work for the Postal Service, where he worked for 16 years before retiring.

Survivors include his wife; a son, Jerry Colness of Aurora, Colo.; a sister, Margaret Guthrie of Billings, Mont.; four grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

Ara Woodhurst Spokane

Graveside service for Ara H. Woodhurst, 83, will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday at Riverside Memorial Park. Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

An 80-year Spokane resident, Mr. Woodhurst died Wednesday. He was born in Moscow, Idaho.

Mr. Woodhurst was bus driver for Spokane Transit and was a member of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1015.

Survivors include his wife of 64 years, Amy; two sons, Dennis and Stanley Woodhurst, both of Spokane; two daughters, Shirley Christiansen and Janet Short, both of Spokane; 12 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to the American Heart Association.

Wayne Nuernberger Spokane

Memorial service for Wayne R. Nuernberger, 60, was Sunday at Central Seventh-day Adventist Church. Burial will be at Pines Cemetery. Born in Tacoma, Mr. Nuernberger died Tuesday.

He was a 35-year Spokane resident and worked as a laborer.

Survivors include his wife, Linda; a son, Robert Nuernberger, and three daughters, Shannon Morris, and Mary and Martha Nuernberger, all of Spokane; two sisters, Karen Shumaker of Deer Park and Sheila Watkins of Spokane; a brother, Howard Nuernberger of Ravalli, Mont.; and two grandchildren.

LaLaunie Williams Spokane

Private memorial service for LaLaunie Williams, 59, will be held at a later date. Thornhill Valley Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

A 10-year Spokane resident, Mrs. Williams died Thursday. She was born in Edmonds, Wash.

Mrs. Williams worked as a cook at various restaurants.

She is survived by her husband, Will.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Hospice of Spokane.

Shaun Johnson Spokane

Funeral for Shaun J. Johnson, 17, will be at 3 p.m. Tuesday at Heritage Funeral Home.

Johnson, who was born in Spokane, died Wednesday.

He was a student at West Valley High School.

Survivors include his parents, Gerald and Victoria Johnson of Spokane; a brother, Jeff Johnson of Spokane; and his grandparents, Julian and Francis Johnson of Spokane and Richard Thom of Coeur d’Alene.

Richard Miller Spokane

Visitation for Richard E. “Dick” Miller, 77, will be from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. today at Riplinger Funeral Home. Funeral is planned for 10 a.m. Tuesday at the funeral home. Burial will follow with full military honors at Greenwood Memorial Terrace.

A lifetime Spokane resident, Mr. Miller died Thursday.

He graduated from North Central High School and served in the Air Force during World War II in the European Theater. He retired as a lieutenant colonel from the Washington Air National Guard after 26 years.

Mr. Miller also served with the Spokane Police Department from 1949 until his retirement in 1974.

Survivors include a daughter, Deborah Haynes of Swanton, Ohio; a son, Jon Miller of Cusick, Wash.; a sister, Joyce Upham of Mead; and numerous grandchildren.