Obituaries

Wanda Richards Spokane

Service for Wanda Alberta Richards, 89, will be at 10 a.m. today at Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home. Burial will follow at Riverside Memorial Park.

Mrs. Richards, who was born in Athens, Ind., died Monday.

Her family moved to Spokane in 1915.

She was a homemaker and a member of the Church of Religious Science. She also was a member and past president of the Eagles Lodge Auxiliary. Mrs. Richards was a member of an organization that raised money to fund Valley Mission Park.

Her husband of 53 years, Harry, died in 1982.

Survivors include two daughters, Virla Steffen of Deer Park and Nancy Manny of Tapps Lake, Wash.; a son, Jack Richards of Lacey, Wash.; 12 grandchildren, 24 great-grandchildren and eight great-great-grandchildren.

Lenore (O’Neil) Williams Spokane

Funeral Mass for Lenore Ruth (O’Neil) Williams, 78, will be at 10 a.m. today at Assumption Roman Catholic Church. Burial will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery. HennesseySmith Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Born in Massachusetts, Mrs. Williams died Wednesday.

She was a 27-year Spokane resident. Mrs. Williams was a homemaker and active in the Mater Dei Institute.

She was a member of Assumption Church and the Irish Sister City Club.

Survivors include her husband of 53 years, Wilfred; three daughters, Alice Moravec of Spokane, Cathleen Goodrich of Shoreline, Wash., and Mary Williams of Mountain View, Calif.; a sister, Evelyn Courtney of Cambria, Calif.; and eight grandchildren.

Robert Muhs Kellogg

Memorial service for Robert Anton Muhs, 73, will be at 1 p.m. today at St. Rita’s Catholic Church in Kellogg. Spokane Cremation and Burial Service is in charge of arrangements.

Mr. Muhs, who was born in Dresden, N.D., died last Saturday.

He graduated from St. Alphonsus Catholic School in Langdon, N.D.

In 1945 he enlisted in the Army and served with the artillery division. He served in communication while stationed in Japan. He was discharged in 1946.

Mr. Muhs came to Kellogg in 1949 and worked summers there while attending the University of North Dakota. He received a bachelor’s degree in mining engineering from the university in 1951 and then returned to Kellogg and worked for the Silver Valley Mine, and then the Bunker Hill Mine until it closed in 1981. He then worked for the Bureau of Mines in Spokane.

While his family stayed in Kellogg he went to work for the Callahan Mining Co. at the Rope Gold Mine in Michigan. He retired in 1989 and returned to Kellogg.

He was a member of the National Ski Patrol for more than 30 years. He patrolled at Lookout Pass, Idaho, and at a ski resort in Kellogg that later became Silverhorn. He was also a Red Cross first aid instructor for the volunteer ski patrol at Lookout Pass.

Mr. Muhs was a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Jaycees, Elks Lodge, Knights of Columbus and the Association of International Mining Engineers.

Survivors include his wife of 33 years, April; a son, Erik Muhs of Stateline, Idaho; a daughter, Sara Yarbro of Moses Lake; a brother, Francis Muhs of Langdon; and four grandchildren.

Leslie `Bus’ Downing Spokane

Memorial service for Leslie E.A. “Bus” Downing, 94, will be at 11 a.m. Monday at Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home.

A lifetime Spokane resident, Mr. Downing died Wednesday.

He was born in Peaceful Valley and graduated in 1922 from Hillyard High School.

Mr. Downing began working as a conductor for the Great Northern Railroad in 1935. He was injured in a train derailment in 1968 and retired.

He was a member and general chairman of the Brotherhood of Railway Trainman and the Order of Railway Conductors and Breakmen.

His wife of 61 years, Minerva “Bess,” died 1988.

Survivors include a daughter, Carol Mitcham of Endicott, Wash.; two sons, Dick Downing of Spokane and Patrick Downing of Veradale; a brother, James Downing of California; 12 grandchildren, 23 great-grandchildren and five great-great-grandchildren.

Bruno Cardone Spokane

Memorial service for Bruno Anacleto Cardone, 78, will be at 10 a.m. today at Heritage Funeral Home.

Mr. Cardone died Wednesday.

He was born in Imperia, Italy, and came to the United States when he was 18 years old with only one dollar in his pocket and unable to speak English.

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

He was a 49-year Spokane resident and had worked as an elevator operator for The Spokesman-Review, and as a painter for Spitzer Painting Co. He had also owned and operated the Cedar Village Motel, the Orchard Park Apartments and various rental properties in the area.

Survivors include his wife of 43 years, Alice; six daughters, Anita Robinson, Lynda Turner, Rose Cardone and JoDean Bunney, all of Spokane, Kathy Cardone of Yakima and Celia Johnsen of Arlington, Wash.; a brother, Stefano Gollo, and a sister, Caterina Ricchi, both of Italy; 10 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Russell Palmer Sagle, Idaho

Memorial service for Russell Wayne Palmer, 50, will be at 6 p.m. today at 1494 Beers-Humbird Road in Sagle, followed by a potluck dinner. Coffelt Funeral Service in Sandpoint is in charge of arrangements.

Born in Pawnee, Okla., Mr. Palmer died Wednesday.

He graduated from high school in Chimacum, Wash.

Mr. Palmer worked as a logger on the Olympic Peninsula, and in 1977 went to work for a telephone utility company in shipping and dispatch. He later moved to Denver. He retired in 1999.

After retiring he moved from Denver to the Sagle area.

He participated in the annual Mountain Man Rendezvous and historical re-enactments for many years. He was a member of the Back Country Horsemen of North Idaho.

Survivors include his parents, Paul and Alpha Palmer of Chimacum; a brother, Aubrey Palmer of Chimacum; three sisters, Paula Palmer of Seattle, Colleen Miller of Bellingham and Rachel Palmer of Chimacum; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Mary Walls Spokane

Visitation for Mary Ann Walls, 95, will be from noon to 5 p.m. Sunday at Thornhill Valley Funeral Home. Service is planned for 10 a.m. Monday at St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church. Burial will follow at St. Joseph Cemetery.

Born in Pierz, Minn., Mrs. Walls died Tuesday.

She moved to Spokane in 1952.

Mrs. Walls owned a day-care center from 1977 to 1983. She was a member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church.

Her husband of 48 years, Raymond, died in 1977.

Survivors include a son, Armand Walls of Veradale; a brother, Werner Schneppenheime of Spokane; two sisters, Amanda Poulson and Lucy Baker, both of Onamia, Minn.; four grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

Harley Smith Spokane

No service will be held for Harley E. Smith, 77, at his request. Private inurnment will be held at a later date in Preston, Wash. Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

A 48-year Spokane resident, Mr. Smith died Tuesday. He was born in Grandview, Wash.

He served in the Navy during World War II.

Mr. Smith worked as a painter for the Spokane County Courthouse. He retired in 1984.

Survivors include his wife, Louise; two daughters, Linda Burger and Vicki Krels, and a son, Frank Smith all of Spokane; two brothers, Roy Smith of Colbert and Frank Smith of Tacoma; two sisters, Helen Olson of Sacramento, Calif., and Pat Moon of Spring Creek, Nev.; five grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Linda Coffey Spokane

Memorial service for Linda Sue Coffey, a retired West Valley teacher, will be at 1 p.m. Monday at Sunset Mausoleum Chapel at Fairmount Memorial Park. Hazen and Jaeger Valley Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Miss Coffey, 58, died Tuesday. She was born in Seligman, Ariz. In 1959 she graduated from Central Valley High School. She received a bachelor’s degree in education from Washington State University in 1963.

Miss Coffey taught English for the West Valley School District for 32 years. She retired in 1995.

She is survived by her companion, Tom Murphy of the Tri-Cities; and a sister, Melissa Simpson of Spokane.