Obituaries
Otto Penna, M.D. Spokane
Funeral Mass for Otto John Penna, M.D., will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday at St. Aloysius Catholic Church. Burial will be at Holy Cross Cemetery. Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Dr. Penna, who was born in Spokane, died Thursday. He was 80.
He attended Sacred Heart Grade School and graduated from Gonzaga Prep, where he made all-city with the football team.
Dr. Penna graduated from Gonzaga University and received his medical degree from Northwestern University Medical School.
He served his internship and surgical residency at Evanston (Ill.) Hospital before serving with the Army in Seattle for two years.
Mr. Penna moved to Spokane in 1948, where he practiced general surgery for 36 years.
During his medical career he was president of the staff at Sacred Heart Medical Center and was co-founder of the hospital’s Kidney Center. He also served as president of the Spokane Surgical Society.
Dr. Penna was a member of the Spokane Country Club and the LaPalma Country Club in Tucson, Ariz., where he and his wife of 55 years, Mary, spent their winters. He also was a member of the American Italian Club, Knights of Columbus and Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church.
Survivors include his wife; three sons, James Penna of Carmel, Calif., Daniel, and Richard Penna, all of Spokane; and two daughters, Jean E. Penna and Patty Penna-White, both of Spokane.
Memorial contributions may be made to Sacred Heart Hospital’s Organ Donation Fund.
John McFall Spokane
Funeral for John Harold McFall, 92, will be at 11 a.m. today at Sherman-Knapp Funeral Home in Priest River, Idaho. Burial will follow at Evergreen Cemetery in Priest River.
A longtime Spokane resident, Mr. McFall died Thursday.
Born in Twin Falls, Idaho, he moved to the Priest River area in 1926 and worked in local logging camps before working with Trues Oil.
In 1928 he married Anita Larson. They moved to Yakima in the early 1930s.
In 1954 he moved to Spokane, where he retired as a district sales manager for Standard Oil Co. of Indiana in 1968.
He was a member of the Masonic Lodge and a past president of the Eagles Lodge. He was a member of the Spokane County Sheriff’s Posse, serving as captain for many years.
Survivors include his wife; three daughters, Bonita McCormick and Nellie Ebel, both of Spokane, and Marie Sanderson of Yakima; a son, James McFall of Spokane; a sister, Bell Larson of Priest River; 12 grandchildren and 20 great-grandchildren.
Wilma Costello Sweet Home, Ore.
Memorial service for Wilma Effie Costello, 85, was Thursday at Workman and Steckly Funeral Home in Sweet Home.
Mrs. Costello, who was born in Elk Horn, Wis., died Feb. 23.
She married Clifford Costello in 1930, and they lived in Wisconsin until 1948 when they moved to Spokane.
Her husband died in 1965.
Mrs. Costello worked as tailor for many years.
She moved to Sweet Home in 1980.
Survivors include a daughter Patricia Malby of Sweet Home; a sister, Lillian Beatty of Spokane; three brothers, Frank Gall of Spokane, Carl Gall of Strasburg, Va., and Ted Gall of Virginia; seven grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren and six great-great-grandchildren.
Ethel Rosenboom Sandpoint
Visitation for Ethel Rosenboom, 88, will be today from noon to 7 p.m. at Coffelt Funeral Service in Sandpoint. Service will be Tuesday at 11 a.m. at First Lutheran Church in Sandpoint. Burial will be at Pinecrest Memorial Park in Sandpoint.
Mrs. Rosenboom, who was born in Nebraska, died Wednesday.
She grew up and attended school in Nebraska, and married Steve Rosenboom in 1930.
Mrs. Rosenboom moved to Sandpoint in 1948 and operated a dairy farm. She later grew and sold strawberries.
She was the caretaker and member of First Lutheran Church for many years, and was a homemaker and gardner.
Mrs. Rosenboom was preceded in death by her husband.
Survivors include four sons, David Rosenboom of Port Angeles, Wash., Larry Rosenboom of Sandpoint, Arthur Rosenboom of Colorado and Leland Rosenboom of California; a daughter, Patricia Leen of Chewelah, Wash.; two sisters, Olive Healea of Sandpoint and Norma Erickson of Nebraska; 15 grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; and three great-great-grandchildren.
Memorials may be made to First Lutheran Church, P.O. Box 397, Sandpoint, ID 83864.
Edward Demkowich Sr. Medical Lake
Memorial service for Edward Demkowich Sr., 77, will be at 1 p.m. Wednesday at St. Anne’s Catholic Church in Medical Lake. Ball and Dodd Funeral Home-South is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Demkowich, who was born in Scranton, Pa., died Thursday.
He grew up in Scranton and worked in the coal mines before serving with the Navy during World War II in the South Pacific.
After the war he joined the Air Force, serving in Washington, D.C., North Africa and North Dakota. He retired from Fairchild Air Force Base in Spokane in 1969.
Mr. Demkowich worked as an attendant counselor at Lakeland Village in Medical Lake until retiring in 1984.
He married Frances Krashak in 1947, and in 1984 married Novella Roundy.
Survivors include his second wife; a son, Edward Demkowich Jr.; two daughters, Sharon Anne and Donna Maria, and three stepsons; two sisters, Jeanie and Mary; a brother, Anthony; and three grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Medical Lake Ambulance Fund.
Richard Lindell Cheney
Memorial service for Richard E. Lindell, 63, will be held at a later date.
Mr. Lindell, who was born in St. Paul, Minn., died Tuesday.
He grew up in St. Paul, and served with the Navy after graduating from high school.
After leaving the Navy, he joined the Air Force and worked as a medic in base hospitals. In the mid-1960s he was sent to Vietnam.
He moved to Spokane in 1968 and attended the Deaconess Hospital School of Nursing and became a registered nurse.
Mr. Lindell worked at area hospitals and nursing homes before retiring in 1994.
Survivors include his wife of 28 years, Nancy; four sons, Marty and Leif Lindell, both of Boise, Eric Lindell of St. Paul and Kirk Lindell of St. Louis, Mo.; three stepchildren, Terry Parker of Cheney, Elizabeth Parker of Seattle and Lori Parker of Houston; a brother, Allan Lindell of St. Paul; six grandchildren and two stepgrandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Cheney.
Richard Banks Spokane
Funeral Mass for Richard Banks, 78, will be at 11 a.m. today at Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church. Burial will be at Spokane Memorial Gardens. Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Banks, who was born in Fernie, British Columbia, died Wednesday.
He married his wife, Mary, in 1941 in Cranbrook, British Columbia, and they moved to the United States in 1952.
Mr. Banks had been a resident of Spokane since 1956 and had worked in various jobs, including in Christmas tree sales, as a miner, at service stations, taverns, in yard care and the making of model trains. He also owned a restaurant.
He was a member of Our Lady of Fatima Parish.
His wife died in 1994.
Survivors include two daughters, Diane Stueckle and Sharon Elliot, both of Spokane; and three grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Heart Association.
Valmore Strange Spokane
Private graveside service for Valmore F. “Val” Strange, 86, will be at Fairmount Memorial Park. Riplinger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
A 60-year Spokane resident, Mr. Strange died Thursday. He was born in Tacoma.
Mr. Strange worked as a radio engineer announcer at KGA-Radio for 22 years and later at KHQ-TV for nine years.
He was a Master Gardener, and a member of the Nature Conservancy and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.
Survivors include his wife of 59 years, Hazel; two daughters, Anita Colvin of Spokane and Ellen McKelvey of Anchorage, Alaska; and two granddaughters.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Nature Conservancy of Washington, 217 Pine St., No. 1100, Seattle, WA 98101-1572, or Dishman Hills Natural Area Association, P.O. Box 14141, Spokane, WA 99214-0141.
Violet Phinney Spokane
Memorial service for Violet H. Phinney, 94, will be at 1:30 p.m. today at Spokane Valley United Methodist Church. Private inurnment will be at Pines Cemetery. Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
A 54-year Spokane resident, Mrs. Phinney died Thursday. She was born in Moscow, Idaho.
She graduated with a degree in home economics and chemistry from Washington State University in 1929, and married Ed Phinney that same year.
Mrs. Phinney taught in high schools in the Spokane area and also worked as a credit manager for Early Dawn Dairy for 15 years.
She was a member of the Spokane Valley United Methodist Church, where she was active with the UMWO and Rachel Fellowship.
Survivors include a brother, Ray Noland of Medford, Ore.
Memorial contributions may be made to the church.
Beth (Crawford) Tollefsen Fairfield
Memorial service for Beth (Crawford) Tollefsen, 73, will be held at a later date. The Cremation Society of Washington is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Tollefsen, who was born in Monterey Park, Calif., died Wednesday.
She graduated from North Central High School and worked at Dodson’s Jewelers for several years.
Mrs. Tollefsen lived in Twin Lakes, Idaho, and Spokane for many years before moving to the Good Samaritan Center in Fairfield.
Survivors include her husband, Charles; her children, Marie Mooneyham, Allynn DeBauw, Eric, Mark and Scott Tollefsen; nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Mary Lowe Monticello, Ga.
Memorial service for Mary Evelyn Lowe, 65, was Sunday at Turner Hiull Baptist Church in Georgia.
Mrs. Lowe, who was born in North Dakota, died Thursday.
She was a homemaker and had lived in Colfax, Wash., for 11 years before moving to Georgia a few years ago.
Survivors include two sons, Tommy Lowe of Lithonia, Ga., and Mark Lowe of Pasco, Ore.; five daughters, Kathy Randal and Mary Vandervoet, both of Monticello, Angela Dixon of Tallahassee, Fla., Donna Gilstrap of Buford, Ga., and Theresa McHam of Oakwood, Ga.; 17 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
Edwin Johnson Spokane
Memorial service for Edwin Johnson, 88, will be at 11 a.m. today at Heritage Funeral Home.
A 44-year Spokane resident, Mr. Johnson died Wednesday. He was born in Sokndal, Norway.
Mr. Johnson was a sheep farmer for many years.
Survivors include his wife of 62 years, Inez; two daughters, Marlene Soltero of Spokane and Joanne Mydland-Barstad of Sokndal; two sons, David Johnson of Greenbluff and Daniel Johnson of Liberty Lake; a brother and three sisters in Sokndal; six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Wishing Star Foundation, 915 W. Second, Suite 3, Spokane, WA 99201; or the Visiting Nurses Association, 3901 E. Main Ave., Spokane, WA 99202.
Helen Moylan Spokane
Graveside service for Helen L. Moylan, 93, will be at 1 p.m. today at Fairmount Memorial Park. Ball and Dodd Funeral Home-North is in charge of arrangements.
A 73-year Spokane resident, Mrs. Moylan died Wednesday. She was born in Minneapolis.
Mrs. Moylan moved to Spokane in 1920 and worked as a janitor for the Paulsen Building from 1953 until her retirement in 1973.
She was a member of St. Brendan’s Church, where she was active with the bowling and bingo teams.
Survivors include three sons, Robert Vigil of Spokane, and Thomas and Donald Vigil, both of Seattle; two daughters, Virginia Gardner of Griffin, Calif., and Corrinne Powers of Spokane; 14 grandchildren, 17 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren.
Glen `Jerry’ Cox Spirit Lake, Idaho
Memorial gathering for Glen Gerald “Jerry” Cox, 62, was held Saturday at the Blanchard (Idaho) Tavern. Sherman-Knapp Funeral Home in Newport, Wash., is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Cox, who was born in Tacoma, died Feb. 27.
He worked in the construction industry for many years.
Mr. Cox lived in Rathdrum, Idaho, for 10 years before moving to Spirit Lake 20 years ago.
Survivors include a son, Darel Cox of Blanchard; a daughter, Sealiena Cox of Sandpoint; a brother, Richard Cox of Cordova, Alaska; and six grandchildren.