Obituaries

Helen Jacobson Spokane

Visitation for Helen Elizabeth Jacobson, 81, will be from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. today at Riplinger Funeral Home. Graveside service is planned for 11 a.m. Thursday at Mountain View Park in Colville, Wash.

A lifetime Spokane-area resident, Mrs. Jacobson died Sunday. She was born in Cheney.

She graduated from Colville High School and Whitworth College.

She worked as a dietician for 18 years at Hawthorne Manor.

Mrs. Jacobson was a past president of the Health Education Foundation.

Her husband, Oscar, died in 1983.

Survivors include two daughters, Darlienie Boyn-ton of Spokane and Norma Hughes of Deer Park; five sisters, Norma Nasburg and Elva Mote, both of Spokane, Elaine Windsor of Mead, Jeannie Hole of Colville and Wilma Blenz of Kettle Falls, Wash.; nine grandchildren and several great-grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Northwest Kidney Foundation, P.O. Box 3035, Seattle, WA 98114-9906.

Marie (Pratt) Lee Deer Park

Memorial service for Marie (Pratt) Lee, 97, was Tuesday at United Methodist Church in Rockford.

A former 91-year Rockford resident, Mrs. Lee died Thursday. She was born in Lee’s Summit, Mo.

Mrs. Lee was a homemaker and a member of Rockford United Methodist Church, Rockford Women’s Club and the Rockford Garden Club.

Her husband, Oren, died in 1981.

Mrs. Lee moved to Deer Park in 1997.

Survivors include a son, Glenn Lee of Chattaroy; three grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Rockford-Fairview Cemetery or Ronald McDonald House.

Howard Holmquist Spokane

No service will be held for Howard Holmquist, 85, at his request. Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Mr. Holmquist, who was born in Aberdeen, Wash., died Saturday. He moved with his family to Cheney as a child.

He graduated from Cheney Normal School and was a teacher and principal in Rosalia, Wash.

In 1940 he married Jean Malott.

He played in dance bands throughout the Inland Northwest in the 1940s.

Mr. Holmquist later worked for the State Employment Services employing workers for Grand Coulee Dam. He then served in the Army during World War II and was stationed in New Guinea.

After serving in the military, Mr. Holmquist owned HW Holmquist Mortgage Co. in Spokane for a few years, working with John Hancock and Sparkman McClean. He later went back to work for the state, before retiring in 1979.

He was a member of the Southside Senior Activity Center and the Lewis and Clark High School Minstrel Show.

His wife died in 1996.

Survivors include three daughters, Francesca Cameron of Spokane, Mia Emerson of Clear Lake and Molly McClelland of San Diego; and four grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Spokane.

Gwen Nichols Spokane

No services will be held for Gwen M. Nichols at her request. Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

A lifetime Spokane resident, Mrs. Nichols died Thursday. She was 76.

She graduated from North Central High School and later from Kelsey Baird Secretarial School in Spokane.

Mrs. Nichols worked as a stenographer in the psychology department of Lakeland Village for 23 years and retired in 1985.

Survivors include her husband of 52 years, Frank Nichols Sr.; a son, Frank Nichols of Spokane; and a granddaughter.

Minnie Decker Spokane

Vigil service for Minnie B. Decker, 86, will be at 7 p.m. today at St. Mary’s Presentation Catholic Church in Deer Park. Funeral Mass is planned for 10 a.m. Thursday at the church. Burial will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery. Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

A 55-year Spokane resident, Mrs. Decker, died Sunday. She was born in Dickinson, N.D.

She was a homemaker and a member of St. Mary’s Presentation Catholic Church.

Her husband, Ralph, died in 1991.

Survivors include a son, Wayne Decker of Spokane; a daughter, Kathleen Gregory of Freeland, Wash.; a brother, Frank Kostelecky of Dickinson; three sisters, Frances Ridle and Emma Herman, both of Dickinson, and Mary Kuyln of South Heart, N.D.; eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to Catholic Charities.

Evelyn Nelson Coeur d’Alene

Memorial service for Henrietta Evelyn Nelson will be today at 10 a.m. at Yates Funeral Home in Coeur d’Alene.

Mrs. Nelson, who was born in Lynchburg, Va., died Sunday. She was 74.

She married Jim Nelson in Baltimore in 1941, and they moved to Tonasket, Wash., in 1947 and to Republic, Wash., in 1948. They lived in Republic for 48 years.

Her husband died in 1996 and Mrs. Nelson moved to Coeur d’Alene in 1997.

Survivors include four sons, Robert Nelson of Las Vegas, Daniel Nelson of Orange, Calif., Mike Nelson of Penticton, British Columbia, and Gary Nelson of Mead; nine daughters, Barbara Fawcett of Juneau, Alaska, Roberta Guttronson of Dalton Gardens, Idaho, Frani Roberts of Colville, Wash., Suzanne Randolph of La Palma, Calif., Vicki Porter of Lake Stevens, Wash., Mary Gabriel of Edmonton, Alberta, Cyndee Gramps of Camano, Wash., June Eneas of Penticton, British Columbia, and Deanna Nelson of Spokane; a brother, Julian Bryant of Maryland; two sisters, Macie Elliot and Preston Dawson, both of Maryland; 30 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.

Avis Shoaf Lake Oswego, Ore.

Memorial service for Avis L. Shoaf, 82, is planned for 1 p.m. Friday at Pilgrim Lutheran Church in Spokane. Inurnment will follow at Spokane Memorial Gardens. Wilhelm Funeral Home in Portland is in charge of arrangements.

A former 78-year Spokane resident, Mrs. Shoaf died Wednesday. She was born in Castor, Alberta.

In 1940 she married Clarence Shoaf. He died in 1971.

Mrs. Schoaf worked for the Soil Conservation Service for 17 years before retiring in 1982.

She was a member of Pilgrim Lutheran Church in Spokane.

She moved to Lake Oswego in 1997.

She is survived by two sons, Loyd Shoaf of Tacoma and John Shoaf of Lake Oswego; a brother, Wayne Anderson of Moscow, Idaho; a sister, Elaine Lust of Spokane; four granddaughters and two great-grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to Pilgrim Lutheran Church.

John Buscher Spokane

No service will be held for John Ernest Buscher, 92. Private burial will be at Fairmount Memorial Park. Riplinger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Born in Tekoa, Wash., Mr. Buscher died Saturday.

Mr. Buscher served in the Army during World War II.

He was a 59-year Spokane resident and owned Buscher Produce Co. for more than 40 years, selling wholesale food to grocers and restaurants.

His wife, Alma, died in 1987.

Survivors include a sister, Ramona Hochstatter of Moses Lake, and a brother, Lester Buscher of Spokane.

France Blakeney Spokane

No services will be held for France Lee Blakeney, 64. Spokane Cremation and Burial is in charge of arrangements.

A 26-year Spokane resident, Mr. Blakeney died Saturday. He was born in Winston-Salem, N.C.

He retired from the Air Force at Fairchild Air Force Base in 1975. Mr. Blakeney later worked as a paint shop supervisor at Lakeland Village. He retired in 1990.

Survivors include his wife, Leona; a son, Don Good of Corona, Calif.; two daughters, Joanne Spencer of Richland and Sharon Banks of Detroit; two sisters and seven grandchildren.

Clifford Williams Kellogg

Private memorial service will be held for Clifford A. Williams, 83, at a later date. His ashes will be sprinkled into the Pacific Ocean by the Coast Guard. Hazen and Jaeger Valley Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Mr. Williams, who was born in Lewiston, died Aug. 21.

He graduated from high school in Lewiston and from Lewiston Normal School.

He taught in Worley, Kingston and Kellogg schools before volunteering to serve in World War II. He served as an executive officer for three years on an Army freight and supply ship stationed in the South Pacific. He was discharged in 1946 and went to work at Bunker Hill as a weighmaster.

Mr. Williams later received a bachelor’s degree from Eastern Washington University and a master’s degree from the University of Kansas. He returned to the Pacific Northwest to teach and served as an administrator until retiring.

His first wife, Frances Parrott died in 1983.

Survivors include his wife, Rachel; a son, Norman of Washington, D.C.; several stepchildren; three sisters, Enid Langbehn and Margaret Ballack, both of Spokane, and Mary Jane Blair of Lewiston; two brothers, Robert Williams of Albany, Ore., and Kenneth White of Twin Lakes, Idaho.

Memorial contributions may be made to a local food bank.

Russell Greenfield Post Falls

Memorial service for Russell Fred Greenfield, 70, will be Friday at 10 a.m. at English Funeral Chapel in Post Falls.

Born in Livingston, Mont., Mr. Greenfield died Monday.

Mr. Greenfield graduated from Rathdrum (Idaho) High School and served in the Army during the Korean War.

He worked as an electrical engineer for the Bureau of Land Management and a freelance photographer for KREM-TV in Spokane.

Survivors include a son, Douglas Greenfield of Kent, Wash.; two daughters, Linda James of Woodinville, Wash., and Cindy Grabenstein of Spokane; two close friends, Dorothy Clark of Post Falls and Ray Hanson of Hayden Lake, Idaho.

Coralie (Nitkey) Wylie Spokane

Memorial graveside service will be held for Coralie (Nitkey) Wylie, 83, at 10 a.m. Sept. 9 at Coeur d’Alene Memorial Gardens. Riplinger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

A 55-year Spokane resident, Mrs. Wylie died Thursday. She was born in Lane, Idaho.

She worked as an office manager for several years at Boyd, Conley and Cost Trading.

She Wylie was a member of Eagles Lodge No. 2.

Her husband, Dellis, died in 1970.

Survivors include a son, Ron Lehtola of Sacramento, Calif.; a sister, Marge Graham of Lee’s Summit, Mo., and two grandchildren.