Obituaries

Benny Mellenberger Kettle Falls, Wash.

Service for Benny Mellenberger will be at 11 a.m. today at Danekas Funeral Chapel in Colville, Wash. Burial will follow at the Mountain View Park Cemetery.

Mr. Mellenberger, 91, died Saturday.

He was born in Clarno, Wis., and his family moved to Kettle Falls in 1909.

Mr. Mellenberger married Betty Rupp in 1952.

He farmed in the Kettle Falls area.

Survivors include his wife; a son, Danny Mellenberger of Cashmere, Wash.; a sister, Alma Mellenberger of Kettle Falls; and three grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Aladdin Adult Home Memorial Fund.

Raymond Olsen Spokane

Private inurnment for Raymond O. Olsen, 74, will be held at a later date. Hazen and Jaeger Valley Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Mr. Olsen, who was born in Lake Campbell, Wash., died Friday.

He graduated from Anacortes (Wash.) High School, and served in the Army during World War II in the Pacific theater. He moved to Spokane in 1947.

He owned Two Swabbies for more than 45 years.

He was a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1435.

Survivors include his wife of 50 years, Winnifred; a son, Greg Olsen of Burlington, Wash.; a sister, Anna Ballsmider, and a brother, Arnold Olsen, both of Anacortes; and four grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Spokane.

Emabel Robison Colville, Wash.

Service for Emabel Robison, 87, will be at 11 a.m. Thursday at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Second Ward, in Colville. Burial will follow at the Loon Lake (Wash.) Cemetery. Danekas Funeral Chapel in Colville is in charge of arrangements.

Mrs. Robison, who was born in Snowflake, Ariz., died Saturday.

She married Theodore Robison in 1949 and they lived in Willow Ranch, Calif.

They moved to Chewelah in 1954, where they owned and operated the Chewelah Motel. In the 1960s they moved to Colville and operated the former Kings Row Motel. They retired in 1970. Her husband died in 1971.

In 1980 Mrs. Robison moved to Issaquah, Wash. She moved back to Colville in 1994.

Mrs. Robison was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers.

Survivors include three sons, Benn Robison of Deer Park, Tedd Robison of Loon Lake and Alson Oglethrope of Silver Creek, Wash.; two daughters, Loretta Davis of Colville and Vivian Rogers of Greece; two sisters, Theda Sherwood of Taylor, Ariz., and Margaret Hamblin of Snowflake; a brother, Van Willis of Mancos, Colo.; 19 grandchildren and 37 great-grandchildren.

Vivian Brookman Spokane

Funeral Mass for Vivian Dolph Wegner Brookman, 81, will be at 1 p.m. Friday at St. Francis of Assisi Roman Catholic Church. A wake will follow. Cremation Society Northwest in Lynnwood, Wash., is in charge of arrangements.

Mrs. Brookman, who was born in Craigmont, Idaho, died Nov. 2.

She was a 52-year Spokane resident and worked as a financial services technician for the Department of Social and Health Services. She retired in 1982.

She was a member of the League of Women Voters and St. Francis Assisi Women’s Guild.

She traveled extensively and climbed the Great Wall of China when she was in her 70s.

Her husband, Bill, died in 1980.

Survivors include a son, John Brookman of Seattle; two daughters, Virginia Massett and Karen Harmon, both of Seattle; and five grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Union Gospel Mission.

John O’Leary Seattle

Funeral Mass for John Robert “Bob” O’Leary, 86, will be at 10 a.m. today at St. Thomas More Roman Catholic Church in Spokane. Burial will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery. Ball and Dodd Funeral Home-South is in charge of arrangements.

Mr. O’Leary, who was born in Spokane died Sunday.

He graduated from Gonzaga Preparatory School in 1931, and in 1935 married Elizabeth Morton.

He worked at Kaiser Aluminum before serving in the Army during World War II as a master sergeant.

Mr. O’Leary later worked as a salesman for Jensen Byrd and Acme Fast Freight. He also was a real estate agent for George Nichols and Chuck Stoltz realties. After retiring, he and his wife ran the Kaniksu Resort on Priest Lake, Idaho.

He moved to Seattle 10 months ago.

Mr. O’Leary was a member of St. Thomas More Catholic Church.

His wife died in 1998.

Survivors include two sons, Patrick O’Leary of Spokane and Dennis O’Leary of Seattle; a brother, James O’Leary of Westport, Wash.; four granddaughters and two great-grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Heritage House at the Market, 1533 Western Ave., Seattle, WA 98101.

Peter Palek Chewelah, Wash.

Service for Peter Palek, 81, will be at 11 a.m. today at Schanzenbach Funeral Home in Chewelah. Burial will follow at Chewelah Memorial Park.

Born in Grand Forks, British Columbia, Mr. Palek died Friday.

He moved to Chewelah in 1943 and worked at the Chewelah train depot and at the Valley train depot until the early 1960s.

He later worked at the Kettle Falls (Wash.) train deport until 1970.

Mr. Palek was a member of St. Mary of the Rosary Roman Catholic Church in Chewelah.

He is survived by a brother-in-law, Fred MacDonald of Chewelah.

Christine O’Leary Spokane

Memorial Mass for Christina H. O’Leary, 89, will be at 2 p.m. Friday at St. Augustine Roman Catholic Church. The Cremation Society of Washington is in charge of arrangements.

Mrs. O’Leary, who was born in Cherokee, Kan., died Sunday.

She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in education from Pittsburgh State Teachers College.

Before marring Carl O’Leary, Mrs. O’Leary taught English and Latin.

She moved to Spokane in 1980. She was a homemaker and a volunteer teacher at the Barton School for Adult Literacy.

Mrs. O’Leary was a member of St. Augustine Catholic Church and the P.E.O.

Her husband preceded her in death.

Survivors include a son, Mont O’Leary of Dallas; a daughter, Bridget Piper of Spokane; a brother, R. Price Hays of Kansas City, Kan.; and three granddaughters.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Spokane Symphony or to Interplayers.

Lila Kriz Redmond, Wash.

Graveside service for Lila E. Kriz, a former Spokane resident, will be at 2 p.m. Saturday at Riverside Memorial Park in Spokane. Heritage Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Mrs. Kriz, who was born near New England, N.D., died Nov. 1. She was 82.

She moved to Spokane in 1936 and to Eugene, Ore., in 1965.

Mrs. Kriz and her family moved back to Spokane in 1976.

She was a homemaker and a member of the Spokane Valley Methodist Church.

She moved to Seattle in 1996.

Her husband, Leo, preceded her in death.

Survivors include a daughter, Lori Ziegler of San Diego; two sons, Marc Kriz of Newcastle, Wash., and Gary Gorremans of Woodinville, Wash.; a sister, Frances Johnson of Spokane; seven grandchildren and five greatgrandchildren.

Delores (Massengale) Brannon Colfax, Wash.

Service for Delores J. (Massengale) Brannon, 72, will be at 1:30 p.m. Friday at First Baptist Church in Colfax. Burial will follow at the Colfax Cemetery.

Mrs. Brannon, who died Saturday, was born in Rosalia, Wash.

She graduated from Colfax High School in 1945, and in 1952, married Berle Brannon and settled in Hay, Wash.

Mrs. Brannon worked as a secretary for the Army Corps of Engineers and as a certified nurses assistant. She also worked in various banks.

The couple moved into Colfax in 1998.

She was a member of the First Baptist Church in Colfax, the Country Bible Church near Dusty, Wash., and various ladies clubs in Hay.

Her husband died in June.

Survivors include two daughters, Kathy Stueckle of Caldwell, Idaho, and Margaret Sapp of Delaware City, Del.; a son, Keith Brannon of Colfax; a sister, Betty Butterfield of Spokane; 10 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Colfax First Baptist Church, Colfax, WA 99111, or the Country Bible Church, LaCrosse, WA 99143.

Helen (Rayburn) Thompson Spokane

Memorial service for Helen M. (Rayburn) Thompson, 80, is planned for 11 a.m. Friday at Sunset Chapel at Fairmount Memorial Park. Heritage Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

A 14-year Spokane resident, Mrs. Thompson died Nov. 2. She was born in Starbuck, Wash.

She was a member of the Evergreen Club.

Survivors include a son, Verne Sutton of Spokane; two daughters, Florence Latting of Spokane and Lavone Thomas of California; a sister, Hazel McRayde of Yakima; seven grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren.

Loyal `Buzz’ Lincoln Jr. Clarkston, Wash.

No service will be held for Loyal E. “Buzz” Lincoln Jr., 77. Vassar-Rawls Funeral Home in Lewiston is in charge of arrangements.

Born in Spokane, Mr. Lincoln died Friday.

He graduated from North Central High School, and entered the Air Force in 1942. He served with the 3030th and was discharged in 1946.

In 1953 he married Jean Schuster.

Mr. Lincoln worked as an equipment operator for Kaiser Aluminum Trentwood. He moved to Clarkston in 1995.

He was a member of the Spokane Valley Elks Lodge 2328 and the Thousand Trails-Naco Travel Club.

Survivors include his wife; a son, Ed Lincoln of Coeur d’Alene; a stepson, Daniel Kenney of College Place, Wash.; and seven grandchildren.

Donald Marlow Medical Lake

Memorial service for Donald W. Marlow, 85, will be held at a later date in Seattle. Thornhill Valley Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Mr. Marlow, who was born in Tampa, Fla., died Sunday.

He served as a chief engineer in the merchant marines.

Mr. Marlow lived in Panama, Alaska, Hawaii and Seattle before moving to Medical Lake 10 years ago.

Survivors include his wife of 51 years, Frances; two sons, Allen Marlow and Donald Marlow Jr., both of Seattle; a daughter, Bonita Krause of Spokane; two brothers, John Marlow of Snohomish, Wash., and William Marlow of Wenatchee; two sisters, Doris Murray of Bothell, Wash., and Lois Herdeck of Seattle; five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Doris (Schwerdfield) Schneiter Chewelah, Wash.

Memorial service for Doris Elaine (Schwerdfield) Schneiter, 91, is planned for 3 p.m. Sunday at Chewelah Free Methodist Church. Private graveside service will be at Chewelah Memorial Park. Danekas Funeral Chapel in Colville, Wash., is in charge of arrangements.

Mrs. Schneiter, who died Friday, was born in Colville.

She received a teaching certificate from Cheney Normal School and taught elementary school in Arden, Wash., near Colville, and Meyers Falls, Wash., near Kettle Falls.

She married Oscare Schneiter in 1935, and in 1937, they moved to Bluecreek in the Colville Valley, where they farmed for more than 40 years.

Mrs. Schneiter received a bachelor’s degree from Eastern Washington University in 1964 and taught for the Chewelah School District.

She was a member of Chewelah Free Methodist church and Delta Kappa Gamma.

Her husband died in 1995.

She is survived by two daughters, Joan Scott of Chewelah and Donna Kenagy of Reedsport, Ore.; a son, Bob Schneiter of Hayden Lake, Idaho; nine grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Chewelah Free Methodist Church, P.O. Box 74, Chewelah, WA 99109.

Beth Larsen Spokane

Memorial service for Beth W. Larsen, 79, will be at 10 a.m. Monday at Plymouth Congregational Church. The Cremation Society of Washington is in charge of arrangements.

Mrs. Larsen, who was born in Hamburg, Ark., died Saturday.

She was a 40-year Spokane resident.

Mrs. Larsen was a homemaker and a volunteer at St. Luke’s and Deaconess medical centers. She received a letter from former Speaker of the House Tom Foley for her service to others.

She was a member of the Lois Guild at Plymouth Congregational Church, the Corbin and South Hill senior centers and the Spokane Bridge Center.

Her husband, Graham Larsen, died in 1969.

Survivors include a son, Jeffrey Larsen, and two daughters, Karen Robideaux and Melissa Gaetano, all of Spokane; two sisters, Phyllis Ruff of Garland, Texas, and Helen Nobles of Fayetteville, Ark.; seven grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, or Plymouth Congregational Church.

Avery Koch Walla Walla

Graveside service for Avery Silver Koch, 88, will be at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Odd Fellows Cemetery in Rosalia, Wash. Herring Funeral Home in Walla Walla is in charge of arrangements.

Mr. Koch, who was born in Garfield, Wash., died Friday.

He graduated from Garfield High School. Mr. Koch married Lucy Rogers and they farmed in Rosalia until 1978. In 1989 he moved to Walla Walla. His wife died in 1988.

In 1990 he married Illyne Brown.

Mr. Koch was a member of the Rosalia Odd Fellows Lodge, the Canton and the Rosalia Christian Church.

Survivors include his wife; a daughter, Elaine McNeil of College Place, Wash.; a son, Marvin Koch of Tumwater, Wash.; a stepdaughter, Nancy Klicker of Walla Walla; five grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society.