Obituaries

Ralph `Butch’ Smith Mullan, Idaho

Memorial service for Ralph M. “Butch” Smith, 80, will be at 1 p.m. today at the Wallace Elks Lodge. Shoshone Funeral Service is in charge of arrangements.

Mr. Smith, who was born in Valier, Mont., died Christmas Day in Kellogg.

He lived most of his life in Mullan and graduated from Mullan High School.

Mr. Smith served in the Army Air Corps in the South Pacific during World War II.

He married Gladys Dunn in 1946. She died in 1972.

Mr. Smith worked as a chief ropeman in several Silver Valley mines owned by ASARCO.

In 1974 he married Evelyn (Dixon) Keppner in Coeur d’Alene.

He was a member of the Osburn (Idaho) Veterans of Foreign Wars Post, the Wallace Elks Lodge and the Mullan Masonic Lodge.

He is survived by his wife; a daughter, Cynthia Moore of Pinehurst, Idaho; a son, Keith Smith of Murrieta, Calif.; a stepdaughter, Kaye Williams of Portland; a stepson, Blaine Keppner of Mullan; a sister, Margie Gipson of Mullan; four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Harry Ross Hayden, Idaho

Visitation for Harry Ross, 84, will be from 5 to 8 p.m. today at Yates Funeral Home in Coeur d’Alene. Service will be at 3 p.m. Friday at the funeral home.

Mr. Ross, who was born in Berlin, Pa., died Sunday.

He graduated from Berlin High School and enlisted in the Army shortly after graduation.

In 1946 he married Velma Smiley at Fort Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska.

After 25 years of service in the Army, he retired in 1960 as a major in the Adjutant General Corps.

He then worked for Bennion Oil Co. in Coeur d’Alene, and later worked as resident manager of the Coeur d’Alene Town Center, where he worked there until his death.

His memberships include 50-years with the Masons and Scottish Rite organizations. He also was a member of the Shriners.

Mr. Ross is survived by his wife; a son, Sam Ross of Hayden; two daughters, Cathy Sprouse of Post Falls and Sue Reid of Front Royal, Va.; several grandchildren and a great-granddaughter.

Alfred Byfuglien Coeur d’Alene

Funeral for Alfred Byfuglien, 100, will be at 10:30 a.m. Friday at English Funeral Chapel, Coeur d’Alene. Burial will follow at Forest Cemetery in the Riverview Addition.

Mr. Byfuglien, who was born in Etnedal, Valdres, Norway, died Friday.

He grew up in Etnedal where he was known for ski jumping and took many first place honors.

Before being inducted in the Norwegian Army in 1920 he worked as a car mechanic in Fagernes.

In 1924 he moved to Montreal and worked as a steam plant operator, farmer, blacksmith and carpenter.

In 1929 he immigrated to the United States and became a resident in 1938. He worked at Fort Peck Dam in Montana, helped build army barracks in Alaska during World War II, worked as a carpenter at Farragut Naval Training Station in 1942 and served in the U.S. Army during World War II.

He worked as a carpenter after the war.

He married Ingeborg Sveen in 1951, and they moved to Coeur d’Alene in 1952.

Mr. Byfuglien was a member of Trinity Lutheran Church.

Survivors include his wife; two daughters, Solveig Price of Coeur d’Alene and Ina Bressler of Hayden Lake, Idaho; a son, Ed Byfuglien of Hayden Lake; and seven grandchildren.

Janice Reynolds Priest River, Idaho

Service for Janice A. Reynolds, 64, will be at 1 p.m. Saturday at Assembly of God Church in Newport, Wash. Burial will follow at Evergreen Cemetery in Priest River. Sherman-Knapp Funeral Home in Newport is in charge of arrangements.

A lifetime Priest River resident, Mrs. Reynolds died Saturday.

She graduated from Priest River High School in 1954 and married Lloyd Reynolds in 1955.

Mrs. Reynolds worked for a local restaurant until she began working as a bank teller for Idaho First National Bank in 1966. She retired in 1994.

Survivors include her husband; three daughters, Debbie Porch, Kathy Eldenburg and Kris Hoepfer; a son, Karl Reynolds; her mother, Audrey Mitchell; a sister, Sharon Graham; two brothers, Wally and Jerry Mitchell, all of Priest River; 14 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

Harold Manning Kellogg

No service will be held for Harold William Manning, 80, at his request. Viewing is set for 9 a.m. to noon today at Kellogg Shoshone Funeral Service.

Mr. Manning, who was born in Bandon, Ore., died Monday in Kellogg.

In the early 1970s he moved from Southern Idaho to the Silver Valley.

Mr. Manning worked at the crusher plant at Bunker Hill Mine until retiring in 1981.

In 1963 he married Eloise Boegdter in Madras, Ore.

Survivors include two sons, Richard Manning of Coeur d’Alene and Alan Johnson of Page, Idaho; a brother, Carl Manning, and a sister, Thelma Manning, both of Portland; and four grandchildren.

Ruth (Grubbs) Cleveland Spokane

Memorial service for Ruth (Grubbs) Cleveland, 81, will be at 2 p.m. today at Spokane Valley United Methodist Church. Thornhill Valley Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Mrs. Cleveland, who was born in Twin City, Ga., died Saturday.

She married William Cleveland in 1945.

She was a 55-year Spokane resident and was a homemaker.

Mrs. Cleveland was a member of the Teamsters Retirees which she served on the Sunshine Committee this past year.

Survivors include her husband; three sons, Jerry Cleveland of Spokane, Ron Cleveland of Bellevue, Wash., and Don Cleveland of Sutherlin, Ore.; two daughters, Denise Anderson of Spokane and Deanna Mack of Post Falls; a sister, Letha Taylor of Jacksonville, Fla; 14 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Arva `Jeanne’ Bebee Osburn, Idaho

Memorial service for Arva “Jeanne” Bebee, 54, will be at 11 a.m. Friday at United Church of Kellogg. Burial will be at Osburn Cemetery.

She graduated from Bonners Ferry High School and in 1964 married Jerry Bebee in Coeur d’Alene.

In 1967 she moved from Naples to the Silver Valley.

Mrs. Bebee was a special education teachers’ aide at Kellogg High School. She also taught for the Head Start Program for 10 years.

Survivors include her husband; a son, Jerry Bebee, and a daughter, Melanie Bebee, both of Osburn; two brothers, Earl Grantham of Littleton, Colo., and Danny Grantham of Spokane; and three grandchildren.

Emma Cook Spokane

Graveside service for Emma Cook, 94, was Saturday at the Three Pine Cemetery in Elk River, Idaho.

Mrs. Cook, who was born in Warden, Wash., died Dec. 19.

In 1923 she moved to Elk River and married John Cook.

She lived in Elk River for 50 years until moving to Spokane in 1976.

Mrs. Cook was a homemaker.

Her husband preceded her in death.

Survivors include three daughters, Jean Southworth of Spokane, Norma Ohlson of St. Maries and Marilyn Boles of Troy, Idaho; seven grandchildren, 11 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.

Trathen Hanna Rathdrum, Idaho

Private service will be held for infant Trathen Edward Markus Hanna. Coeur d’Alene Memorial Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

He was born Friday to Mark and Kimberly Hanna at Kootenai Medical Center. He died the same day.

Survivors include his parents; grandparents, Kathy Francis of Athol, Idaho, Ed Hanna of Spirit Lake, Idaho, and James and Pam Nelson of Hauser Lake, Idaho.

Phyllis Hayes Spokane

Visitation for Phyllis B. Hayes, 83, will be from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. today at Hazen and Jaeger Valley Funeral Home. Graveside service is planned for 1 p.m. Friday at Greenwood Memorial Terrace.

Mrs. Hayes, who was born in Minnesota, died Monday.

She was a 70-year Spokane resident.

Mrs. Hayes worked in the treasurer’s office for the city of Spokane.

Her husband preceded her in death.

Survivors include two daughters, Carol Crouse of Spokane and Bonnie Sparlin of Grants Pass, Ore.; two sons, David Hayes of Spokane and William Hayes of Hawaii; three brothers, Harold and Joseph Usher, both of Spokane, and Donald Usher of Coeur d’Alene; a sister, Fern Pozarich of Yakima; 10 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.

Sister Melissa Cruz, SSND Mankato, Minn.

Funeral Mass for Sister M. Melissa (Dorothy Freda) Cruz, 82, was Dec. 11 in the chapel at the Good Counsel Convent in Mankato. Burial was at Good Counsel Cemetery. Memorial service will be held at a later date in Spokane. Mankato Mortuary was in charge of arrangements.

Sister Melissa, who was born in Spokane, died Dec. 7.

She graduated from North Central High School in 1936 and then from Kinman Business College.

Sister Melissa began working for the National Youth Administration in Spokane. They placed her at the Red Cross Headquarters. She was later transferred to the Girl Scout Headquarters where she worked as the secretary to the director until 1940.

In 1941 she entered the School Sisters of Notre Dame in Mankato. She professed her vows in 1943. She received a bachelor’s degree in education from Viterbo College in La Crosse, Wis., in 1948.

Sister Melissa taught for more than 50 years in Colton, Wash., Chewelah and Clarkston, Wash. She also taught in Montana, North Dakota and Minnesota.

After retiring from teaching she worked in day cares in Colton and in Moscow, Idaho.

In 1995 she moved to the Good Counsel Convent in Mankato, where she taught at the learning center.

Survivors include two sisters, Mary Frankovic of Spokane and Phyllis Pierce of Honolulu; and a brother, Henry Cruz of Spokane.

Richard Everett Portland

Service for Richard Phelps Everett, 27, will be at 11 a.m. today at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Reardan, Wash. Burial will follow at the Reardan Cemetery. Strate Funeral Home in Davenport, Wash., is in charge of arrangements.

Mr. Everett, who was born in Englewood, Colo., died Dec. 19.

His family later moved to Boise and then Reardan.

A 1991 Reardan High School graduate, he was student body president during his senior year and a member of the state champion Future Farmers of America Parliamentary Procedure Team.

Mr. Everett lived in Reardan for 10 years until moving to Sacramento, Calif. He received a bachelor’s degree in journalism from California State University-Sacramento, where he was a member of the Delta Chi fraternity.

He moved to Portland seven months ago from Sacramento. For the past six months he worked as a sales associate for Apex Marino in Portland.

Survivors include his father and stepmother, Robert and Ann Everett of Reardan; his mother and stepfather, Patricia and Andy Morgan of Sacramento; four brothers, Jake, Eric and Nick Everett, all of Reardan, and Rob Everett of Portland; and his grandparents, Virginia Everett and Perc and Betty Yates, all of Boise, Gerry Ann Stevenson of Reardan and Margaret Morgan of North Augusta, S.C.

Robert `Bud’ Vermeers Spokane

Memorial service for Robert W. “Bud” Vermeers, 87, will be at 2 p.m. today at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church. Burial will follow at the church’s columbarium. Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

A lifetime Spokane resident, Mr. Vermeers died Friday.

In 1936 he began working as a brakeman for Northern Pacific Railroad. He later worked as a conductor. He retired from Burlington Northern Railroad in 1978 after 42 years of service.

He was a past president of the Southside Senior Activities Center. He was a member of the Glastonbury Society at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church.

Survivors include his wife, Mary; two sons, Rick Vermeers of Spokane and Robert Vermeers III of Bremerton; a daughter, Kathy Habenicht of Auburn, Wash.; two sisters, Margaret Clem of Hansville, Wash., and Eunice Campbell of Bothell, Wash.; 10 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.