Obituaries
Aloysius Tomko Spokane
Funeral Mass for Aloysius Ambrose “Al” Tomko, 84, will be at 9:30 a.m. today at St. John Vianney Roman Catholic Church. Graveside service will follow at 1:30 p.m. at Metaline (Wash.) Cemetery. Sherman-Knapp Funeral Home in Newport, Wash., is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Tomko, who was born in Nanticoke, Pa., died Monday.
He rode cross-country on a freight train to Washington and enlisted in the Army at Fort George Wright in 1933. He was discharged in 1937.
He worked as a miner in California and in the Pend Oreille Mines near Metaline Falls, Wash., starting in 1939. He also worked in the Wilverton Mines in Butte, Mont. Mr. Tomko was a hard-rock miner and was involved in the building of Boundary, Coulee and Albeni Falls dams.
During World War II he was a driller for Morrison-Knudson and built bases for the allied forces. He was captured by Japanese troops and was held as a prisoner of war in Japan from Dec. 23, 1941 to Sept. 2, 1945. For his POW status he received an honorable discharge from the Navy, though he never served in the Navy. He also received the World War II Victory Medal, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal and the American Campaign Medal from the Navy.
Mr. Tomko moved to Metaline and in 1948 married Ruby Riddell in Lewiston.
He returned to mining and in between mining jobs worked for Eastern State Hospital. After two leg injuries he took a job as a safety supervisor for Boundary Dam. He returned to mining in 1968 and worked at the Pend Oreille Mines until 1977 when it closed.
Mr. Tomko later worked as a bus driver for seniors in Metaline Falls.
He moved to Spokane in 1982 and served as handyman in the apartment complex he lived in and at St. John’s Catholic Church and school.
Mr. Tomko was a member of the exPOW Association of Spokane, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1435, Disabled American Veterans and the American Legion. He also was a member, usher and deacon at St. John Vianney Catholic Church.
His wife died in 1986.
Survivors include a daughter, Daydra Perry of Post Falls; two brothers, Don and Steve Tomko, both of Nanticoke; three half-brothers, Ambrose and Cyril Tomko, both of Nanticoke, and Joseph Tomko of Neshanic, N.J.; three half-sisters, Helen Crykas of Nanticoke, Agnes Hardocker of Avenel, N.J., and Theresa Kubasek of Wilmington, Del.; three grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Pend Oreille Ministry Youth Work Program in care of Curtis and Ann Frisque, PO Box 142, Usk, WA 99180.
Maurice Bailey Post Falls
Burial service for Maurice J. Bailey, 89, was held. Coeur d’Alene Memorial Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Bailey, who was born in Montana, died Jan. 21.
He was a previous longtime Spokane resident and worked at area lumber mills and also in the construction industry.
Mr. Bailey moved to Post Falls in the early 1990s.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Rose.
Survivors include six sisters, Nellie Averill and Clella Daniels, both of Spokane, Ruth Bailey and Alma Lock, both of Los Angeles, Lennie Boe of Helena and Dorothy Edgeington of Seattle; and two grandchildren.
George Freeman Twin Falls, Idaho
Memorial service for George C. Freeman, 91, will be held in July in Concordia, Kan. White Mortuary in Twin Falls was in charge of cremation. Mr. Freeman, a former Spokane and Moscow, Idaho, resident, died Jan. 24. He was born in Kirwin, Kan.
He graduated from high school in Kansas in 1926 and attended Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kan. He graduated from Fort Hays State College in Kansas with a bachelor’s degree in education in 1938 and taught school for one year.
In 1940 Mr. Freeman married Ila Martin, and they lived in various areas of Kansas before settling in Wichita, where he worked in the experimental division of Beach Aircraft until 1945.
In 1946 he began his teaching career as an industrial arts/woodworking instructor at Concordia Junior-Senior High School. In 1966 he received a master’s degree in education from Emporia State University in Kansas.
Mr. Freeman was involved in numerous school activities and taught evening adult classes in furniture refinishing and upholstering. He also had worked in the cabinetry and furniture industry, including owning Freeman’s Sew and Knit Center until 1960. He retired 1973.
After retiring Mr. Freeman worked in sewing machine servicing and repair, doll-making and wood projects.
He and his wife moved to Moscow, Idaho, in 1987 to be near family and then moved to Spokane in 1995. He recently moved to Twin Falls. Mr. Freeman was a third degree Mason and a member of the Order of Eastern Star and the United Methodist Church in Concordia, Moscow, and Spokane. He was involved with youth fellowship programs and church boards, and served as an usher and Sunday school teacher.
He was preceded in death by his wife.
Survivors include a daughter, Meuriel Nystrom of Twin Falls; a son, John Freeman of Spokane; his sister, Ruth Doak of Concordia; three grandsons and two great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be sent to the First United Methodist churches of Concordia or Moscow; or to Manito United Methodist Church in Spokane.
Nancy Koopsen Hayden Lake, Idaho
Memorial service for Nancy R. Koopsen, 78, will be noon Sunday at The Church of Truth, in Coeur d’Alene. English Funeral Chapel in Post Falls is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Koopsen, who was born in Chicago, died Jan. 28.
She lived in Bonners Ferry, Idaho, before moving to Kalamazoo, Mich., for several years. She settled in Hayden Lake 28 years ago.
Mrs. Koopsen worked as a private practice medical assistant.
She was a member of The Church of Truth.
She was preceded in death by her former husband, Gary Koopsen.
Survivors include two sons, Jay Koopsen of Spokane and Mark Koopsen of Hamilton, Wash.; four grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
Edward Garrison Spokane
Private memorial service will be held for Edward E. Garrison, 91, at a later date. Burial will be at Fairmount Memorial Park. Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
A lifetime Spokane resident, Mr. Garrison died Sunday.
He worked as a lumberman for area lumber mills.
His wife, Mary, died in 1972.
Survivors include two sons, Lee Garrison of Colbert and William Garrison of Aberdeen, Wash.; six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Lloyd Karnes Porthill, Idaho
Service for Lloyd William Karnes, 82, will be at 11 a.m. today at Bonners Ferry (Idaho) United Methodist Church. Burial will follow at Grandview Cemetery in Bonners Ferry. Bonners Ferry Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Karnes, who died Monday, was born in Minnesota.
He moved to the Bonners Ferry area as a child and attended Boundary County schools. He worked in the shipyards in Longview and Vancouver, Wash.
In 1942 Mr. Karnes married Bonnie Collins. They settled in the Copeland, Idaho, area in 1943 and established the LBK Ranch, where they raised dairy cows and registered polled Hereford cattle.
He also worked for the Boundary County Road and Bridge Department as an equipment and ferry operator for 17 years. He retired in 1980.
Survivors include his wife; a son, Michael Karnes of Camas, Wash.; two sisters, Marion Melior of Bonners Ferry and Mabel Yardley of Yacolt, Wash.; a brother, Jim Karnes of Kelso, Wash.; three granddaughters and five great-grandchildren.
Mary (Calistro) Zalik Spokane
Memorial service for Mary Frances (Calistro) Zalik, 83, will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church in Otis Orchards. Hazen and Jaeger Valley Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
An 82-year Spokane resident, Mrs. Zalik died Jan. 28. She was born in Priest River, Idaho.
She graduated from Otis Orchards High School.
Mrs. Zalik worked at Sacred Heart Hospital and retired from Medical Service Corporation.
Survivors include her husband, Stanley; a brother, John Calistro of Renton, Wash.; and six sisters, Julia Costello and Madeline Yeager, both of Spokane, Anita Pirello of Veradale, Mary Wallace of Greenacres, Josephine Maurer of Newman Lake and Leona Harris of Post Falls.
Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Spokane; or to Pat and Renee Schierman’s Adult Care Center, 5718 N. Malta, Newman Lake, WA 99016.