Obituaries

Thomas Carter Spokane

Memorial service for Thomas William Carter, 86, will be at 2 p.m. today at Ball and Dodd Funeral Home-North. Inurnment will be at Calvary Cemetery in Ronan, Mont.

Mr. Carter, who was born in Osage, Iowa, died Wednesday.

He moved to the Spokane area in 1929, graduating from North Central High School in 1932.

Mr. Carter served in the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s and in the Navy during World War II in the Pacific Theater. He was discharged in 1945.

He married Hazel Ebel in 1950.

In 1953 he graduated from Washington State University with a degree in sociology.

Mr. Carter was a case worker for Social Services of Washington state from 1953 until his retirement in 1967.

He was a member of Washington State Retired Employees and the Eagles Lodge. He also was a Boy Scout Leader.

His wife died in 1983.

Survivors include a son, Patrick Priddy of Mead; a daughter, Cheran Clough of Deer Park; two sisters, Joyce Slade and Natalie Gardner, both of Spokane; eight grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

Harvey Rose Ritzville, Wash.

Memorial service for Harvey F. Rose, 77, will be at 1 p.m. May 15 at the Valleyford Community Church. Private inurnment will be at the Rose Family Cemetery in South Dakota at a later date. Thornhill Valley Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Mr. Rose, who died Wednesday, was born in Dowling, S.D., and raised in Rapid City, S.D.

He married Gladys Morgenstern in 1945.

Mr. Rose worked for Boeing in Renton, Wash., during World War II.

He later worked as a driller and powderman in road construction in St. Maries. He moved to Valleyford from St. Maries in 1951. He continued working in the road construction industry for 25 years before retiring in 1977.

Mr. Rose also owned a small farm in the Valleyford area for 41 years. He moved to Ritzville in 1992.

Survivors include his wife; a son, Albert Rose, and two daughters, Nancy Wolfrum and Dee Knight, all of Spokane; a sister, Alma Hoist of Midland, Texas; and four grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be to the Union Gospel Mission.

Reubin Els Ephrata, Wash.

Memorial service for Reubin Els, 87, will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday at Christ Lutheran Church in Odessa, Wash. Strate Funeral Home in Davenport, Wash., is in charge of arrangements.

Mr. Els, who was born in Odessa, died Wednesday.

He was a longtime wheat farmer, a 50-year member of the American Legion Post 105 and a member of Christ Lutheran Church.

Survivors include a son, Dennis Els of Soap Lake, Wash.; a daughter, Nedra Hazenberg of Moses Lake; a brother, Dee Els of Odessa; three sisters, Marie Roloff, Viola Schrag and Esther Schorzman, all of Odessa; and two grandchildren.

Clifford Pollestad St. Maries

A celebration of life for Clifford Pollestad, 84, will be held May 22 at 2 p.m. at Woodlawn Cemetery in St. Maries. Yates-Hodge Funeral Home in St. Maries is in charge of arrangements.

Mr. Pollestad, who was born in North Dakota, died April 23.

He moved to St. Maries in 1920 and attended school there before working for the St. Maries Lumber Co.

Mr. Pollestad worked for Regulus Stud Mill in St. Maries until retiring.

He was a member of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in St. Maries.

Survivors include two nephews, Owen Sather of St. Maries and Clarence Sather of Spokane; and two nieces, Pearl Black of California and Helen Patterson of Spokane.

Ann Miller Spokane

Memorial service for Ann D. Miller, 99, will be at 10 a.m. today at Heritage Funeral Home. Inurnment will be at Riverside Memorial Park.

Born in Expanse, Saskatchewan, Mrs. Miller died Wednesday.

She was a 50-year Spokane resident, a homemaker and had worked at the Spokane Hotel and The Bon Marche as a cashier.

She was a member of Shadle Park Presbyterian Church.

Her husband, William, preceded her in death.

Mrs. Miller is survived by a daughter, Joyce Clark of Spokane; a sister, Robina Kite of Winnipeg, Manitoba; four grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

Gerald Geschke Cheney

Funeral for Gerald L. “Jerry” Geschke, 60, will be at 2 p.m. today at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Cheney, where he had been a longtime member. Burial will follow at Spokane Memorial Gardens. Cheney Funeral Chapel is in charge of arrangements.

Mr. Geschke, who was born in Spokane, died Thursday.

He graduated from Cheney High School in 1957. In 1962 he married Claudia Helm.

Mr. Geschke worked in the construction industry.

Survivors include his wife, Claudia; two sons, Randy and Keith Geschke, both of Cheney; a daughter, Ronda Swanson of Omaha, Neb.; two brothers, Ernest and William Geschke, both of Cheney; and four grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to the American Heart Association.

Florence Welch Spokane

Graveside service for Florence M. Welch, 89, will be at 10 a.m. today at Holy Cross Cemetery. HennesseySmith Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

A 53-year Spokane resident, Mrs. Welch died Thursday. She was born in New Rockford, N.D.

She worked as a registered nurse at St. James Hospital in James, N.D., and at Bonners Ferry (Idaho) General Hospital for several years.

She was a member of Assumption Catholic Church in Spokane.

Her husband, Joseph Welch, died in 1968.

Survivors include a son, Michael Welch of Jupiter, Fla.; two daughters. Sister Jacqueline Welch and Donna Whitacre, both of Spokane; two sisters, Francis Welch of Spokane and Mary Harris of Portland; nine grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

Elda Freeman Chewelah, Wash.

Memorial service for Elda M. Freeman, 98, will be at 11 a.m. today at the Chewelah Free Methodist Church. Schanzenbach Funeral Home in Chewelah is in charge of arrangements.

Mrs. Freeman, who was born in Rockford died Friday.

She came to the Chewelah Creek area in 1941, moving into Chewelah in 1952.

Mrs. Freeman was a member of the Chewelah Creek Association and the Chewelah Free Methodist Church, where she taught Sunday school for 20 years.

She moved to a long-term care center in Chewelah in 1993.

Survivors include a son, Buzz Freeman, and a sister, Ethel Wilcher, both of Spokane; 13 grandchildren and 22 great-grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to the church.

Mariam (Gill) DeCann Kalamazoo, Mich.

Memorial service for Miriam Elmina (Gill) McCann, 88, will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday at Centenary United Methodist Church in Spokane. Ball and Dodd Funeral Home-South is in charge of arrangements.

Mrs. DeCann, who was born in Spokane, died April 11.

She graduated from Lewis and Clark High School and attended Eastern Washington University for two years.

Mrs. DeCann worked for the phone company for several years, where she was a member of the labor union and once helped lead a walkout. She eventually moved into a supervisory position and was in charge of the switchboard operation.

She later attended Washington State University and during World War II she began nurses training. She married Ron DeCann during this time.

Mrs. DeCann participated in the Parent Teacher Associations at her children’s schools and was a band parent.

She returned to work as a bake cook for Spokane Public Schools, where she retired as a manager of the school lunch program in the 1970s.

Mrs. DeCann was a member of Park Methodist Church in Spokane, where she taught Sunday school and was active with the Women’s Society, and served as a representative at the Women’s Annual Conference for several years. She later became a member of Centenary Untied Methodist Church in Spokane, where she has been active with various missionary work.

She was also a member of the Letter Carriers Auxiliary.

After her husband died in 1993, she moved to Kalamazoo.

Survivors include a son, Wayne DeCann of Spokane; a daughter, Ruth Caputo of Portage, Mich.; seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.