Obituaries
Clifton Schenck Bonners Ferry, Idaho
Service for Clifton George Schenck, 58, will be today at 11 a.m. at St. Ann’s Catholic Church in Bonners Ferry. Burial will be at Grandview Cemetery in Bonners Ferry. Bonners Ferry Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Schenck, who was born in Helena, died Tuesday.
He grew up in Bonners Ferry and graduated from high school there in 1958. He attended North Idaho College for one year.
In 1962 he married Audrey Bennett. He worked at local lumber mills for 36 years, including Zordel, Thompson’s Lumber Co., Bonners Ferry Lumber Co., Pack River Lumber Co., Crown Pacific and W.I. Forest Products.
He was active in the Army National Guard from 1957 to 1964 and received advanced emergency medical technician training while working for Boundary Ambulance.
Mr. Schenck was a a knife maker and a member of the National Rifle Association and the Knife Makers Guild.
Survivors include his wife; four children, Christopher Schenck of Twin Falls, Idaho, Darren Schenck of Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, Connie Perez of Bonners Ferry and Sharon Cramer of Fairbanks, Alaska; a sister, Donna Worley of Bonners Ferry; and eight grandchildren.
Louis Johnston Priest River, Idaho
Funeral service for Louis Edward Johnston, 87, will be at 2 p.m. today at Priest River Community Congregational Church. Burial will follow at Evergreen Cemetery in Priest River. Sherman-Knapp Funeral Home in Newport, Wash., is in charge of arrangements.
A 59-year Priest River resident, Mr. Johnston, died Tuesday. He was born in Mead.
Mr. Johnston worked as a dispatcher for the Spokane branch of Union Sand and Gravel and completed fuel delivery for Union 76 out of Newport. He also farmed and worked for the railroad and the Bonner County road crew.
He owned and operated Lou’s Place Tavern in Priest River in 1946 and 1947.
In 1954 he married Norma Kobloth. She preceded him in death.
Survivors include a son, Fred Johnston of Priest River; two stepsons, Ron Kobloth of Spokane and Gary Kobloth of Eureka, Calif.; two daughters, Carol Mullaley of Post Falls and Sandy Blinn of Priest River; and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Jessica Haller Rathdrum, Idaho
Memorial service for Jessica Nicole Haller, 18, will be held at a later date. The Cremation Society of Washington is in charge of arrangements.
Miss Haller, who was born in Spokane, died March 13 in an automobile accident in Bonner County.
She moved to Rathdrum in 1984 and attended John Brown Elementary School and Lakeland Junior and Senior high schools.
Miss Haller had recently completed her senior year and was scheduled to graduate in June.
She was a member of the Prairie Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Rathdrum.
Survivors include her parents, Deborah and Russell Wiemers of Rathdrum; two sisters, Mandy Haller of Coeur d’Alene and Amber Haller, at home; a brother, Adam Wiemers of San Diego; her grandparents, June and Donald Olson, Billie Haller, Cathy Haller, and Lloyd and Gail Wiemers; and her great-grandmother, Hazel Hill.
Dolores Keith Rathdrum, Idaho
No service will be held for Dolores O. Keith, 67, at her request. Coeur d’Alene Memorial Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Keith, who was born in Seattle, died Wednesday.
She moved to Rathdrum 36 years ago and had served as the coordinator for the Rathdrum Area Chamber of Commerce.
Mrs. Keith was named the 1998 Rathdrum Citizen of the Year and was active with the Rathdrum City Council and the Planning and Zoning Commission.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Wilfred.
Survivors include three daughters, Jeanne Byrne and Sherrill Felsman, both of Phoenix, and Jeannette Heinemeyer of Rathdrum; four sons, Eric Keith of Everett, Tim Keith of Spokane, Mark Keith of Boise and Jeff Keith of North Idaho; 14 grandchildren, eight stepgrandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of North Idaho, 280 W. Prairie Ave., Coeur d’Alene, ID 83815, or the Kootenai County Humane Society.
Nathan `Al’ Wenberg Emida, Idaho
A gathering for family and friends of Nathan “Al” Wenberg, 46, will be Sunday at 3 p.m. at the Emida Cafe. Yates-Hodge Funeral Home in St. Maries is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Wenberg, who was born in Joliet, Ill., died Wednesday.
He graduated from high school in Joliet in 1970. He attended Southern Illinois University and received a degree in carpentry.
Mr. Wenberg was a self-employed carpenter for 28 years and moved to Emida six years ago.
Survivors include his wife, Dianne; a daughter, Ashley Wenberg at home; and four sisters, Pat Hanlan, Laura Wright and Linda Stofan, all of Illinois, and Barbara Spriwger of Florida.
Lila Peters Post Falls
Private service for Lila Valentine Peters, 85, will be Saturday. English Funeral Chapel in Coeur d’Alene is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Peters, who was born in Worley, Idaho, died Wednesday.
She lived in Sandpoint before moving to Coeur d’Alene in 1955. She worked as a bookkeeper for a service station before retiring in 1969.
Survivors include her husband of 65 years, James; a son, Jimmie Peters of Post Falls; two sisters, Lola Staley of Aberdeen, Wash., and Frannie Stokes of Spokane; five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of North Idaho, 280 W. Prairie Ave., Coeur d’Alene, ID 83815.
Earl Fisher Spokane
Memorial Mass for Earl Fisher, 73, will be at 10 a.m. today at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Lourdes. The Cremation Society of Washington is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Fisher, who was born in St. Paul, Minn., died Thursday.
He served with the Navy during World War II.
In 1963 he moved to Spokane and operated the office of the Immigration and Naturalization Service for Eastern Washington, Idaho and Montana for 12 years.
Mr. Fisher was a member of the Disabled American Veterans.
Survivors include his wife, Sharon, a son, Steven; three daughters, Leslie, Joan and Amy; three stepchildren, Kenneth, Tona and Tamra; two sisters, two brothers and 20 grandchildren.
Michael Hunter Bristol, R.I.
Private service will be held for Michael Shane Hunter, at a later date. The Cremation Society of Rhode Island is in charge of arrangements.
A former Spokane resident, Mr. Hunter, 41, died Sunday.
Born in Bonners Ferry, Idaho, he moved to Spokane with his family in 1959 and graduated from Mead High School in 1976.
In 1982 he moved to Seattle where he worked as a chef at Ray’s Boathouse and the Space Needle restaurant. He also was a chef in Spokane.
He moved to Bristol three years ago and worked as a chef.
Survivors include his wife, Margaret; two children, Christopher and Melissa at home; his mother, Peggy Hunter of Olympia; four brothers, Patrick and Tye Hunter of Kent, Wash., Kim Hunter of Gig Harbor, Wash., and Burton Hunter of Mendham, N.J.; and a sister, Judy Sherrill of Rochester, Wash.
Sandra Oberst Spokane
Memorial service for Sandra L. “Sandi” Oberst, 48, will be at 1 p.m. today at Moran Prairie United Methodist Church. Private burial will be at Spokane Memorial Gardens. Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
A 40-year Spokane resident, Mrs. Oberst died last Sunday. She was born in Tacoma.
She graduated from Ferris High School and from Eastern Washington University with a bachelor’s degree in education.
Mrs. Oberst taught school for three years and then became a homemaker. She also was a Camp Fire leader.
She is survived by her husband, Jerry; a son, Cory Oberst of Spokane; a daughter, Michelle Oberst of Spokane; a stepdaughter, Gretchen Wiedmer of Reardan, Wash.; her mother, Lorraine Milne of Spokane; a brother, Rick Milne of Olympia; and a stepgranddaughter.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Spokane Food Bank or the Spokane Humane Society.
Marian Boyle Sandpoint
Service for Marian Elizabeth Boyle, 85, will be held at a later date in La Mesa, Calif., with burial to be in San Diego. Coffelt Funeral Service in Sandpoint is in charge of local arrangements.
Mrs. Boyle, who was born in Denver, Colo., died Thursday.
She lived in San Diego County for 75 years and was a homemaker.
She moved to Sandpoint several years ago and was a member of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church.
Mrs. Boyle had been a 50-year volunteer at the Catholic diocese thrift shop in La Mesa.
Survivors include a son, Bob Boyle of Sandpoint; two daughters, Kathy Linnehan and Melanie Rogers, both of New Jersey; nine grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Frances Osthues Sandpoint
Memorial service for Frances Margaret Osthues, 92, will be held at a later date. Coffelt Funeral Service in Sandpoint is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Osthues, who was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., died Thursday.
She lived in New York until moving to Greenwich, Conn., in 1960 and then to Michigan in 1968.
Mrs. Osthues settled in Tucson, Ariz., in 1984, until moving to Sandpoint in 1991.
She was a longtime member of the Order of Eastern Star.
Her husband of 30 years, Rudolph, died in 1989.
Survivors include a son, Harold Davidson II of Sandpoint; three grandsons, Michael, Robert and Peter; and three great-grandchildren.
Doris Gustafson Spokane
Memorial service for Doris Helen Gustafson, 86, will be at 2 p.m. today at Holman Gardens Retirement Home. Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
A 15-year Spokane resident, Mrs. Gustafson, died Tuesday. She was born in Kandiyohi, Minn.
She was a homemaker and a member of Zion Lutheran Church.
Her husband of 60 years, Elmer, died in 1990.
Survivors include a son, Robert Gustafson of Spokane; four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Seniors Homes Foundation of Eastern Washington.
Conway McDonald Spokane
Visitation for Conway McDonald, 79, will be from noon to 5 p.m. today and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday at Thornhill Valley Funeral Home. Funeral service is planned for 1 p.m. Monday at the funeral home. Burial will follow at Mt. Hope (Wash.) Cemetery
Mr. McDonald, who was born in the farming community of Mt. Hope, died Wednesday.
He graduated from Otis Orchards High School in 1937.
In 1965 he was named Latah-Rock Creek Conservation Farmer of the Year. He also received an honorary life membership from the Spokane County Crop Improvement Association in 1988.
Mr. McDonald retired from farming after several years of working on the family farm in Rockford. He was currently living at the Waterford in Spokane.
Mr. McDonald was a member of Rockford United Methodist Church.
Survivors include his wife of 56 years, Genevieve; a son, Myron McDonald of Mt. Hope; a daughter, Launa Boyle of Kent, Wash.; two brothers, John McDonald of Mt. Hope and Desmond McDonald of Missoula; four grandchildren and a great-grandson.
Memorial contributions may be made to Mt. Hope Cemetery, Rt. 1 Box 24, Fairfield, WA 99012; Rockford United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 37, Rockford, WA 99030 or Hospice of Spokane.
Frances Blott Spokane
Memorial service for Frances R. Blott, 80, was Feb. 27 at Millwood Presbyterian Church. Burial was March 1 at Riverview Heights Cemetery in Kennewick. A 38-year Spokane resident, Mrs. Blott, died Feb. 23.
Born in Spokane, she graduated from high school in Kennewick and in 1941 married Perry Blott.
She was a homemaker and a member of Phi Sigma Alpha and Millwood Presbyterian Church.
Survivors include her husband; three sons, Bruce and Larry Blott, both of Spokane, and Paul Blott of Rio Rancho, N.M.; and eight grandchildren.