Obituaries
Carter Decker Spokane
Graveside service for Carter F. Decker, 73, will be at 2 p.m. today at Spokane Memorial Gardens. Memorial service is planned for 11 a.m. Saturday at St. Andrews Episcopal Church. Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Decker, who was born in Bloomington, Ind., died Friday.
He served in the Washington Air National Guard for 10 years.
Mr. Decker was a 55-year Spokane resident and worked as a produce salesman.
He was a member of St. Andrews Episcopal Church, Hillyard Masonic Lodge 133, York Rite Masons, El Katif Shrine and the Shrine patrol.
Survivors include his wife of 51 years, Marie; a daughter, Mynette Schmidt of Spokane; a sister, Leota Gainey; three grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to Shriners Hospital for Children.
Janetta Smith Spokane
Visitation for Janetta Pearl Smith, 77, will be from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. today at Heritage Funeral Home. Service is planned for 2 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home. Burial will follow at Spokane Memorial Gardens.
A 40-year Spokane resident, Mrs. Smith died Wednesday. She was born in Cleveland, Ark.
She worked as a unit manager for the Children’s Home Society for 22 years.
Survivors include her husband, Norris Jr.; two daughters, Mary Smith of Spokane and Janetta Nelson of Tacoma; a brother, James McKuin of Plummer, Idaho; a sister, Norma White of Sacramento, Calif.; six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Dorothy Edgar Spokane
Memorial service for Dorothy Plumb Edgar, 85, will be at 10 a.m. today in the Pines Mausoleum Chapel at the Pines Cemetery. Hazen and Jaeger Valley Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
A lifetime Spokane resident, Mrs. Edgar died Friday.
She graduated from North Central High school in 1932 and was a homemaker.
She was a member of the Central Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Her husband, William, died in 1972.
Survivors include two daughters, Susan Patterson of Spokane and Linda Plevrites of New York City; a son, Daniel Edgar of Nampa, Idaho; six grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Seventh-day Adventist Missionary Outreach, 828 W. Spofford, Spokane, WA 99205.
R. James Miller Spokane
Memorial gathering for R. James “Jim” Miller will be from 4 to 6 p.m. today at the family home. Thornhill Valley Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Miller, 75, died Friday.
He was born in Salamanca, N.Y., and graduated from high school there.
During World War II he served in the Army Air Corps in the Pacific Theater.
Mr. Miller worked as a truck driver for the Union Oil Co. for more than 20 years and then worked for the Central Valley School District for 10 years. He retired in 1986.
He was a member of the Eagles and Moose lodges and the Brotherhood of Friends.
Survivors include his wife of 56 years, Marget; two sons, Matthew and Mark Miller, both of Spokane; and five grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Hospice of Spokane.
Ermit Holderby Davenport, Wash.
Service for Ermit P. Holderby, 70, will be at 11 a.m. today at First Presbyterian Church in Davenport. Burial will follow at Mount View Cemetery in Davenport. Strate Funeral Home in Davenport is in charge of arrangements.
A lifetime Davenport resident, Mr. Holderby died Friday.
He graduated from Davenport High School in 1947, and was a wheat farmer in the Davenport area.
He was a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Davenport, the Odessa (Wash.) and Davenport Union warehouses and the Washington Horse Breeders Association.
Survivors include his wife, Lorraine; a daughter, Trudy Holderby of Davenport; two sons, Steve Holderby of Spokane and Jeff Holderby of Davenport; two sisters, Jessie Willey and Florence Hattemer, both of Davenport; and four grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Davenport Boosters Club in care of Ken Carpenter, P.O. Box 249, Davenport, WA 99122.
Mabel Shields Spokane
Graveside service for Mabel Shields, 94, will be at 11 a.m. today at Greenwood Memorial Terrace. Memorial service will follow at 1:30 p.m. at Riverview Terrace. Ball and Dodd Funeral Home-South is in charge of arrangements.
A 54-year Spokane resident, Mrs. Shields died Thursday. She was born in New Richland, Minn.
She married Harland Shields in 1944, and was a homemaker and a member of Emmanuel Lutheran Church.
Her husband died in 1992.
Mrs. Shields is survived by a sister, Linda Ramirez of Los Angeles.
Michael Sewell Spokane
Memorial service for Michael W. Sewell, 36, will be at 7 p.m. today at Heritage Funeral Home.
A lifetime Spokane resident, Mr. Sewell died Thursday from cancer.
He graduated from Mead High School in 1983, and had worked as a plumber since the age of 16. For the past 13 years he worked at Rick’s Plumbing.
Survivors include his mother, Sharon Sewell of Spokane; his father and stepmother, Gary and Mikell Sewell of Spokane; a brother, Doug Sewell of Mead; a sister, Lori Koenen of Colbert; a stepbrother, Brent Roberts of Spokane; and a stepsister, Shelli Roberts of Greenacres.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society.
Hugh Bleecker Northport, Wash.
Memorial service for Hugh H. Bleecker, 82, will be at 11 a.m. Thursday at the Northport Presbyterian Church. Danekas Funeral Chapel in Colville, Wash., is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Bleecker, who was born in Montana, died Sunday.
He grew up in Choteau, Mont., and graduated from Teton High School.
In 1940 he married Rowena Harris; they later divorced.
Mr. Bleecker worked as a maintenance man on oil drilling and pumping equipment for the Phillips Petroleum Company for 38 years in eastern Montana.
He married Marian in 1982 and they moved to Northport in 1983.
Mr. Bleecker was a member of the Northport Presbyterian Church, where he also served as an elder.
Survivors include his wife; two sons, Robert Bleecker of Conrad, Mont., and James Bleecker of Sacramento, Calif.; a stepson, Lee Bleecker, and stepdaughter, Mary Ann Readman, both of Prince George, British Columbia; a sister, Hazel Lael of Scottsdale, Ariz.; 12 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Yuen `Lucky’ Woo Spokane
Service for Yuen S. “Lucky” Woo, 73, will be at 1 p.m. today at Ball and Dodd Funeral Home-South.
A 35-year Spokane resident, Mr. Woo died Friday. He was born in Canton, China.
He served in the merchant marine during World War II.
Mr. Woo worked as a cook for a Polynesian restaurant. In 1981 he began working as a cook for Eastern State Hospital in Medical Lake and retired in 1993.
He was a member of the Hip Sing Association.
Survivors include his wife of 30 years, Sue; three sons, Troy Woo of Mead, Tom Woo of Port Angeles, Wash., and Tek Woo of Long Beach, Calif.; four grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
Claudia Corbin Spokane
Graveside service for Claudia L. (LaBarre) Corbin, 86, will be at 1 p.m. today at Fairmount Memorial Park. Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Corbin, who was born in Cashmere, Wash., died Friday.
She had been a Spokane resident for 70 years and was a homemaker.
Her husband of 45 years, Clement, died in 1996.
Survivors include two sons, Larry Corbin of Spokane and Clement Corbin of Tacoma; a daughter, Diane Kamada of Redmond, Wash.; two sisters, Edna Attwood of Colville, Wash., and Mae Lockwood of Lind, Wash.; and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Gerald Kuntz Chattaroy
Service for Gerald Marvin Kuntz, 51, will be at 11 a.m. Thursday at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Chattaroy. Burial will follow at 2:30 p.m. at Holy Cross Cemetery in Spokane. Lauer Funeral Home in Deer Park is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Kuntz, who was born in Spokane, died Saturday.
He graduated from Gonzaga Prep in 1966, and from 1968 to 1974 served in the Army Reserves.
Mr. Kuntz moved to Chattaroy in 1975.
He worked as a general contractor in commercial and residential construction.
Mr. Kuntz with his wife, Georjean, and daughter, Jennifer, currently owned and operated the Fast Break Pizza Parlor in Chattaroy.
He founded and remained active with the Riverside Amateur Athletic Union.
Survivors include his wife of 30 years; a son, Kevin Kuntz of Spokane; three daughters, Danielle Tutt and Jennifer Twenge, both of Spokane, and Melissa Kuntz at home; his father, Peter Kuntz of Spokane; four brothers, Robert, Jim and Dick Kuntz, all of Spokane, and Wayne Kuntz of Chattaroy; and two grandchildren.
Memorial Contributions may be made to the Riverside Amateur Athletic Union, 28610 N. River Estates Drive, Chattaroy, WA 99003.
Margaret Morris Spokane
Memorial service for Margaret S. Morris, 89, will be at 11 a.m. Friday at Manito Presbyterian Church. Ball and Dodd Funeral Home-South is in charge of arrangements.
Born in Walla Walla, Mrs. Morris died Thursday.
She was a 67-year Spokane resident.
Mrs. Morris worked as a cashier and office manager at Northwestern National Life Insurance Co. for 27 years.
She was a member of Manito Presbyterian Church, the Order of Eastern Star, Daughters of the Nile, Karnak Temple 6 and the HiNeighbors Dance Club.
She was preceded in death by two husbands, Hugh Wood in 1942 and Fred Morris in 1992.
Survivors include two daughters, Katherine Morris of Medical Lake and Justine Wood of Mountlake Terrace, Wash.; a son, Jerold Wood of Houston; a brother, Howard Stockton of Walla Walla; seven grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to Manito Presbyterian Church or the Hospice of Spokane.
Mildred Tanner Coeur d’Alene
Memorial service for Mildred Chargois Tanner, 93, will be held Thursday at 1 p.m. at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Coeur d’Alene. Burial will be at the Ritzville (Wash.) Cemetery. Yates Funeral Home in Coeur d’Alene is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Tanner, who was born near Odessa, Wash., died July 26.
She grew up in Ritzville and graduated from high school there. She attended Cheney Normal School and Washington State College, where she majored in music and was a member of Chi Omega Sorority and Mu Phi Epsilon. She graduated in 1930.
Mrs. Tanner moved to Seattle with her sister, Doris, and they both taught elementary school there for 11 years and traveled throughout the U.S. and Europe.
She married William Tanner in 1939 and the couple returned to the family farm near Ritzville in 1942.
Mrs. Tanner returned to teaching in the mid-1950s and taught music at the elementary school level until 1957, when they settled in the Spokane Valley.
The couple owned an apartment building in Spokane for many years. She began teaching in the Spokane public schools in 1959 and retired in 1972.
They moved to Fernan Village in Coeur d’Alene in 1976 to be near family.
Her husband died in 1983 and Mrs. Tanner moved to Lake Villa Apartments and, in 1999, to Loyalton Independent Living Community.
She was a talented piano player and was a member of the PEO Chapter AG and St. Luke’s Guild in Coeur d’Alene.
Survivors include two daughters, Mildred Andrews of Seattle and Jeanne Emerson of Coeur d’Alene; a son, John Tanner of Rancho Santa Fe,California; a sister, Doris Hahn of Ellensburg, Wash.; and six grandchildren.
Memorials may be made to the Morning Star Boys Ranch, P.O. Box8087, Spokane, WA 99203.
Dallas Johnson Elk
No service will be held for Dallas Johnson. Spokane Cremation and Burial Service is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Johnson, 82, died Saturday.
He was born in Northport, Wash., and his family moved to Spokane when he was an infant.
Mr. Johnson worked as a carpenter.
Survivors include his wife, Pauline; five sons, Donald Johnson of Spokane, Louis, Melvin and Arthur Johnson, all of Elk, and Harold Johnson of Vancouver, Wash.; a daughter, Dalene Moore of Monroe, Wis.; and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Erma (Tolf) Neu Newport, Wash.
Service for Erma Beth (Tolf) Neu, 92, was held Monday at ShermanKnapp Funeral Home in Newport. Burial will be at Montecito Memorial Park in Loma Linda, Calif., on Aug. 7.
A 22-year Newport resident, Mrs. Neu died Thursday. She was born in Dayton, Mich.
She married Frank Neu in 1933.
Mrs. Neu was a homemaker and a member of the Veterans of Foreign War Auxiliary.
Her husband died in 1975.
Survivors include two daughters, Rheta Guerra of Newport and Susan Peck of Las Vegas; a son, Ronald Neu of Clarkston, Wash.; 19 grandchildren, 27 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren.