Obituaries
Geneva E. Foss Spokane
Funeral for Geneva E. Foss, 95, will be at 8 a.m. today at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Lourdes. Burial will be at Holy Cross Cemetery. Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Miss Foss, who was born and raised in Mullan, Idaho, died Tuesday.
She attended high schools in Tekoa, Wash., and Ferdinand, Idaho, before graduating with a bachelor of arts degree in journalism from the University of Montana. She received her master’s degree from the University of Oregon and went on to postgraduate work at the University of Missouri, Columbia University, University of California at Berkeley and Eastern Washington and Washington State universities.
She came to Spokane in 1929 and taught at Havermale Junior High School for 17 years. She was the adviser to the school newspaper and founder of the Havermale News.
In 1946 Miss Foss joined the faculty at Eastern Washington University and in 1949 began teaching journalism at Washington State University. Later that year she returned to Spokane where she became the administrator of journalism and publications for School District 81. She retired in 1968.
Miss Foss was an award-winning journalist who wrote and edited many articles. She was the co-author of a book titled, “Springboard to Journalism,” and was the author of the “Newspaper Stylebook.” She also spent many summers as an editor at the Spokane Chronicle.
She was very active with Women in Communications Inc., in which she served as secretary and president of the Spokane Alumnae Chapter. She was also active with the Spokane Press Club, serving as an adviser to the Junior Press Club, and was a member of the Columbia Scholastic Press Advisors Association at Columbia University, where she received the Golden Crown Certificate and a Gold Key.
Miss Foss was a member of the PEO, a 75-year member and Diamond Award winner in the Delta Zeta sorority and a member of Delta Kappa Gamma and the Deaconess Hospital Auxiliary. She was a member and very active with the National and Spokane Retired Teacher associations and was listed in the Who’s Who in the West, Who’s Who of American Women, Who’s Who in American Education and the Dictionary of International Biography.
Miss Foss served on the steering committee of the Sister City Committee, serving as coordinator for the Japanese American Teacher Program.
Over the years Miss Foss had traveled to more than 40 countries, from Argentina to Zambia.
She lived in the Cooper George Retirement Apartments for 15 years before moving to Rockwood Manor a year ago.
Survivors include a nephew, John Foss of Petaluma, Calif., several other nieces and nephews and numerous great-nieces and nephews.
Albert Poesy Spokane
Memorial service for Albert D. Poesy, 51, will be at 3 p.m. Saturday at Heritage Funeral Home.
A 14-year Spokane resident, Mr. Poesy died May 12. He was born in Moscow, Idaho.
He married Sumiko in Tokyo in 1967.
Mr. Poesy began his 10-year career with the Army during the Vietnam War and went on to serve as a drill sergeant and later as a recruiter.
He was a member of the Disabled American Veterans and the Safari Club.
Survivors include his wife; five sisters, Wanda, Patty, Gloria, Daisy and Debbie; and numerous foster brothers and sister.
Allen Forgey Jr. Mead
Memorial gathering for Allen L. Forgey Jr., a 20-year Spokane area resident, will be at 1 p.m. Saturday at a private residence in Elk. Riplinger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Forgey, who was born in Chewelah, Wash., died Monday. He was 56.
He worked for Acme Construction in Spokane for 20 years. He was a member of Teamsters Union Local 690.
Survivors include his wife, Gwynne; a daughter, Kim Duffy, and a son, Kelly Foust, both of Spokane; his father, Allen Forgey Sr., of Spokane; a brother, Pat Forgey of Seattle; a sister, Sharon Hollinberger of Puyallup, Wash.; and one grandson.
Memorial contributions may be made to the United Cerebral Palsy Association, or ARC of Spokane.
Frances Weber Spokane
Funeral Mass for Frances Weber, 99, will be at 7 p.m. today at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church. Graveside service is planned for 1 p.m. Saturday at the Ferdinand (Idaho) Cemetery. Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Weber, who was born in Keuterville, Idaho, died Wednesday.
She was an Idaho resident for 21 years before moving to the Spokane area several years ago.
Mrs. Weber was a homemaker and a member of St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Spokane, the Ferdinand Grange and the Christian Mothers.
Survivors include five daughters, Marjorie Rose of Grangeville, Idaho, and Marie Weber, Dolores Fuchs, Ruth Snyder and Phyllis Sattler, all of Spokane; a son, Donald Weber of Spokane; a brother, Bernard Uhlenkott of Lewiston; a sister, Georgine Finlayson of Seattle; 22 grandchildren, 27 great-grandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Sisters of St. Joseph Carondelt, 11999 Chalon Road, Los Angeles, CA 90049.
Virginia (Albert) Leaf Spokane
Funeral for Virginia Dare (Albert) Leaf, 77, will be at 10 a.m. today at Ball and Dodd Funeral Home-North. Burial will be at Fairmount Memorial Park.
Mrs. Leaf, who was born in Eccles, W.Va., died Tuesday.
She graduated from Mark Twain High School in West Virginia. She moved to the Spokane area from Baltimore in 1951.
Mrs. Leaf worked as a care-giver for the elderly in her own home for many years.
She was a homemaker and a 10-year member of the Life Center Church.
She is survived by two sons, Wes Albert of Rathdrum, Idaho, and Mark Albert of Spokane; two daughters, Dawn Chavez and Laura Ponsness, both of Spokane; three brothers, Charles Hall of West Virginia, James Hall of California and Robert Hall of Washington, D.C.; two sisters, Peg Newland of California and Betty Neal of West Virginia; 10 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Agnes (Douglas) Jackson Seattle
Visitation for Agnes A. (Douglas) Jackson, 89, will be from 4 to 8 p.m. today at Strate Funeral Home in Wilbur, Wash. Graveside service is planned for 11 a.m. Saturday at the LaFollette Cemetery north of Almira, Wash.
Mrs. Jackson, who was born near Almira, died Sunday.
She graduated from Almira High School in 1927, from Washington State College in 1931 and from St. Luke’s Memorial Hospital School of Nursing in 1935. She earned her master’s degree in education from Whitworth College in 1964.
Mrs. Jackson retired as the curriculum coordinator at Deaconess Hospital in 1975.
After her retirement she became an avid astrology student.
She moved to Seattle a short time ago to be near family.
Survivors include a son, Douglas Jackson of Cupertino, Calif.; a daughter, Judi Kuehn of Seattle; two brothers, Edgar and Paul Douglas, both of Almira; and three grandsons.
Doris Block Spokane
Memorial service for Doris Block, 75, will be at 10 a.m. today at Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witness, 2405 E. 57th. The Cremation Society of Washington is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Block, who was born and raised in Pratt, Kan., died Tuesday.
She married Peter Block, and they moved to Spokane in 1945.
Mrs. Block was a homemaker and a member of Jehovah’s Witness.
Survivors include two sons, Richard and Steven Block, both of Spokane; four sisters, Marjorie Bryant and Shirley Tumlinson, both of Spokane, Maurine Dienes of Moses Lake and Peggy Jenness of Oakdale, Calif.; a brother, Dick Atherton of Sacramento, Calif.; six grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
Beatrice Bayless Spokane
Funeral for Beatrice Bernice Bayless, a longtime Spokane resident, will be at 1 p.m. Saturday at HennesseySmith Funeral Home. Private burial will be at Fairmount Memorial Park.
Mrs. Bayless, who was born in Milner, N.D., died May 21. She was 84.
She worked as a property manager in the real estate industry for several years.
Survivors include her husband of 51 years, Russell; a daughter, Deanna Ahlstrand; a brother, John Jones; three grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Ethel Dodson Spokane
Funeral for Ethel L. Dodson, 81, will be at 11 a.m. today at Thornhill Valley Funeral Home.
Born in Latah, Mrs. Dodson, died Tuesday.
She graduated from high school in 1936 and attended Eastern Washington University for two years.
In 1939 she married Albert Schultz.
In 1947 she married Wilbur Dodson. He preceded her in death.
Mrs. Dodson worked for Armour and Co. in Spokane for 26 years.
Survivors include three sons, Gerald Schultz and Wayne Dodson, both of Spokane, and Dale Schultz of Santa Rosa, Calif.; a sister, Vivian Doty; six grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Mission Ridge Resident Council Fund, 12903 E. Mission, Spokane, WA 99216.
Royce Thornburg Port Ludlow, Wash.
No service will be held for Royce Walter Thornburg, 77, at his request. Burial will be at a later date at Spokane Memorial Gardens. Poulsbo (Wash.) Mortuary is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Thornburg, who was born in Merino, Colo., died Sunday.
He served with the 802nd Army Engineers from 1940 until his honorable discharge in 1945.
Mr. Thornburg moved to Spokane that same year and joined the Spokane Police Department as a motorcycle officer. He retired in 1973.
He was a member of the North Hill Masonic Lodge 210 and the Spokane Police Department Footprinters.
He moved to Western Washington several years ago.
Survivors include his wife of 44 years, Elaine; two daughters, Sandy Roullier of Spokane and Terrie Roberts of Spangle; three stepchildren, Hazel Woodworth of Garfield, Wash., Marcine Christner of Sacramento, Calif., and Erroljl Poffenroth of Bend, Ore.; a brother, Jerry Thornburg of Mina, Nev.; a sister, DeEtta Ethington of Port Ludlow; seven grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Lung Association.
Juanita Lauk Spokane
Funeral for Juanita R. Lauk, 75, is planned for 4 p.m. Saturday at Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home. Burial will be at Holy Cross Cemetery.
A Spokane resident since 1968, Mrs. Lauk died Wednesday. She was born in Arkansas City, Kan.
She graduated from Shidler (Okla.) High School in 1942.
She worked as a bookkeeper for an orthodontist for several years.
Mrs. Lauk was a member and past worthy adviser of the International Order of Rainbow Girls and served on the board of directors for the Lawai Beach Resort in Kauai, Hawaii.
Survivors include her husband, Richard; a son, Clifford Lauk of Spokane; two daughters, Lorie Oesterreicher of Seattle and Cynthia Brown of Hawaii; a brother, Dewayne Casey of Oklahoma; six grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Union Gospel Mission.
Fred McNeilly Colfax, Wash.
Funeral for lifetime Colfax resident Fred McNeilly, 91, will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday at the Colfax First Baptist Church. Burial will follow at the Colfax Cemetery. Bruning Funeral Home in Colfax is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. McNeilly died Wednesday. He was born on the family farm near Colfax.
He graduated from Colfax High School in 1925 and attended Spokane Business College.
In 1927 he married Alberta Morgan. He farmed in the Colfax area before retiring in 1979.
Mr. McNeilly was a member of Plymouth Congregational Church in Colfax and the Eagles Lodge. He also served on the Palouse Empire Fair board for several years and was a Whitman County commissioner from 1959 until 1979.
His wife died in 1989.
Survivors include six grandchildren, David, Debbie and Michael McNeilly, all of Colfax, Phyllis Wolf of Albion, Wash., and Jane Wilcox and Sue Mager, both of Richland; and seven great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to Guide Dogs for the Blind or to the Diabetes Association.
Charles Whittier Spokane
Memorial service for Charles W. “Chuck” Whittier, 87, will be at 1 p.m. Saturday at North Hill Christian Church. Ball and Dodd Funeral Home-North is in charge of arrangements.
A 58-year Spokane resident, Mr. Whittier died Tuesday. He was born in Spokane.
Mr. Whittier left Spokane with his family to live in the Kansas and Texas areas, graduating from Dalheart (Texas) High School in 1929.
From 1933 until 1936 he served with the Civilian Conservation Corps.
From 1936 until 1965, Mr. Whittier worked as a traveling salesman throughout the Pacific Northwest for the William Volker Home Furnishings Co.
He retired from working as the manager at Custom Blind in Spokane in 1977 after 10 years with that company.
After his retirement he entertained at various comedy clubs in Spokane playing instruments and telling stories.
Mr. Whittier had been a member of North Hill Christian Church since 1942 and was also a member of Project Joy.
He spent winters in Arizona for the past 21 years.
Survivors include his wife of 61 years, Dorothy; a daughter, Judi Nolden of Lake Havasu City, Ariz.; two sons, James Whittier of Steilacoom, Wash., and Art Whittier of Spokane; six grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the church.
Teresa Long Spokane
Graveside service for Teresa A. Long, 47, will be at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Peone Prairie Cemetery. Riplinger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
A lifetime Spokane resident, Miss Long died Tuesday.
Survivors include her son, Shaun Long; her father, Ira Long, and her mother, Mable Denison, all of Spokane; and three brothers, Ray and Ira Long, both of Spokane, and Jerry Long of Portland.
Dennis Porter Spokane
Memorial service for Dennis D. Porter, 42, is planned for 10 a.m. Tuesday at Riplinger Funeral Home.
A lifetime Spokane resident, Mr. Porter died Tuesday.
He worked for the city of Spokane street maintenance department for 18 years.
Survivors include his wife, Lisa; three children, Joseph Templeton and Scott and Shawna Porter, all at home; his parents, Ken and Jean Porter of Spokane; two sisters, Sandra DeQuant of San Francisco and Jeri Fletcher of Spokane; and a brother, Darrell Porter of Usk, Wash.
Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Spokane.