Obituaries

Edwin Byrum Tekoa, Wash.

Service for Edwin A. Byrum, 54, will be at 2 p.m. Thursday at the Oakesdale (Wash.) First Baptist Church. Burial will follow at the Oakesdale Cemetery.

Mr. Byrum, who was born in Spokane, died Sunday.

His family later moved to Moscow, Idaho, and in 1959 to Oakesdale. He graduated from Oakesdale High School in 1963.

He served in the Navy from 1963 to 1967. He served in the USS Holland and received the National Defense Service Medal.

Mr. Byrum married Nancy Preuninger in 1973.

He worked for Stateline Processors in Tekoa from 1967 to 1993. He later worked as a warehouseman for Cooperative Agricultural Products Inc., based in Rosalia, Wash. He worked at its branches in Fairfield and Waverly and retired in 1999.

Mr. Byrum was a member of the Kaiser Fishing Team at Fairfield.

Survivors include his wife; three daughters, Beth, Rebecca and Amanda Byrum, all of Tekoa; two brothers, Dennis Byrum of Tekoa and Don Byrum of Farmington, Wash.; two sisters, Barbara Byrum of Spokane and Sharon Siders of Mishicot, Wis.; and three grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to Oakesdale First Baptist Church, Oakesdale, WA 99158; Tekoa Slippery Gulch Children’s Fishing Derby, Tekoa, WA 99033; or the Whitman Home Health and Hospice, Colfax, WA 99111.

Norma Jantz Odessa, Wash.

Service for Norma M. Jantz, 72, was held Monday at Zion Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Odessa. Burial will follow at the Odessa Cemetery. Strate Funeral Home in Davenport, Wash., was in charge of arrangements.

A lifetime Odessa resident, Mrs. Jantz died Wednesday.

She graduated from Odessa High School and married Merlin Jantz in 1951.

Mrs. Jantz was a homemaker and was a member of Zion Emmanuel Lutheran Church, the Women’s Guild and the Odessa Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary.

Survivors include her husband; two sons, Melvin Jantz of Odessa and Steve Jantz of Davenport; two daughters, Paul Charlton of Harrington, Wash., and Sue Schuh of Coeur d’Alene; two brothers, Melvin Carlson of Lamont, Wash., and Lloyd Carlson of Colville, Wash.; nine grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Zion Emmanuel Lutheran Women’s Guild, Odessa, WA 99159.

Louie Curley Spokane

Funeral Mass for Louie Aloysius Curley, 97, will be at 10 a.m. today at St. Aloysius Roman Catholic Church. Burial will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery. Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

A 74-year Spokane resident, Mr. Curley died Saturday. He was born in St. Ignatius, Mont.

Mr. Curley worked at Safeway. He also owned racehorses off and on through the years.

He was a member of the Flathead Indians in St. Ignatius and in 1992 his family held an Honor Dance at the powwow in Arlee, Mont.

His wife of 71 years, Susan, died Jan. 6.

Survivors include a daughter, Dolores “Dee Dee” Morris of Spokane; eight grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.

Richard Birr Colfax, Wash.

Memorial mass for Richard John Birr, 78, was held Tuesday at St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church in Colfax. Burial will be at the Pullman City Cemetery. Kimball Funeral Home in Pullman was in charge of arrangements.

Mr. Birr, who was born in Toledo, Ohio, died Saturday.

He moved to Pullman in 1940 and worked with the Civilian Conservation Corps and on various farms.

Mr. Birr later moved to the Seattle area and worked with the merchant marine.

He married Anna Mercer in 1948, and they moved to Pullman in 1950.

Mr. Birr worked for the Milky Way Dairy and in 1958 became a private route contractor for Arden Farms Inc.

He worked as a clerk for the Postal Service in Pullman from 1967 until 1990, when he moved to Colfax.

He was a member of Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church in Pullman and St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Colfax.

Survivors include his wife; four sons, Richard Jr. and Christopher Birr, both of Spokane, Stephen Birr of Pullman and Robert Birr of Oregon City; three brothers, Clarence Birr of Colfax, and Tom and Ray Birr, both of Toledo; a sister, June of Toledo; 10 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to the American Heart Association or the American Cancer Society.

Laura Tucker Chattaroy, Wash.

Memorial service for Laura A. Tucker, 47, will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at Ball and Dodd Funeral Home-North.

Mrs. Tucker, who was born in Spokane, died Jan. 8.

She worked as a sales clerk in retail sales and most recently at Lamonts.

Mrs. Tucker moved to Chattaroy two years ago.

Survivors include two sons, Ross and Ryan Anderson, both of Chattaroy; her mother and stepfather, Evelyn Pyne of Spokane; three brothers, Dan Mitchell of Spokane, Steve Mitchell of Colbert and John Mitchell of Auburn, Wash.; four sisters, Renet Wellbrink, Gaye Robinson, Lynn Strahl and Anita Foxley, all of Spokane; and one granddaughter.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Michelle Higgins Endowment Fund in care of Executive Office of Spokane Mental Health, 107 S. Division, Spokane, WA 99202.

Florence Carlson Spokane

Memorial service for Florence Eddy Carlson will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at Central Baptist Church. Inurnment will be at Fairmount Memorial Park. Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Mrs. Carlson, 85, died Friday.

She was born in Youngstown, Alberta, and her family moved to Spokane when she was an infant.

Mrs. Carlson was a homemaker and a member of Central Baptist Church.

Her husband, Alvin Eddy, preceded her in death.

Survivors include a son, Dennis Eddy of Palm Springs, Calif.; two daughters, Barbara Smith of Spokane and Helen Jakubas of Jackson, Mich.; six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Union Gospel Mission.

Erma Agee Endicott, Wash.

Memorial service for Erma (Bruce) Lust Agee, 89, will be at 1:30 p.m. today at Trinity Lutheran Church in Endicott. Inurnment will be held at a later date at the Endicott Cemetery. Bruning Funeral Home in Colfax, Wash., is in charge of arrangements.

A 20-year Endicott resident, Mrs. Agee died Saturday. She was born in Dayton, Wash.

She graduated from Winona (Wash.) High School In 1928 she married David Lust, and they lived in Endicott. He died in 1948.

She later married Kelly Agee, and they lived in California.

After her second husband’s death, she returned to Endicott.

Mrs. Agee was a homemaker and a member of Trinity Lutheran Church and Elizabeth Church Circle.

Survivors include three sons, Dennis Lust of Gaston, Ore., and Dave and Robert Lust, both of Carmichael, Calif.; a daughter, Joan Schmick of Endicott; a brother, Bob Bruce of Sunnyvale, Calif.; nine grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to Trinity Lutheran Church or the Endicott Cemetery, Endicott, WA 99125.

Grace (Gross) Pierce St. John, Wash.

Memorial service for Grace Annar (Gross) Pierce, 89, will be at 11 a.m. today at the St. John Community Building. Thornhill Valley Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

A 69-year St. John resident, Mrs. Pierce died Saturday. She was born in Fairbury, Neb.

Her family moved to Spokane when she was a child.

She graduated from Lewis and Clark High School in 1929 and Cheney Normal School in 1931.

Mrs. Pierce taught for one year in Nine Mile Falls in a one-room schoolhouse. The next year she taught elementary school students and music at Ewan Grace School until 1938.

She married Harry Pierce in 1936, and they farmed in the St. John area.

Mrs. Pierce was a homemaker Her husband died in 1996.

Survivors include four daughters, Pat McKinley and Jane March, both of Cheney, Barbara Pierce of St. John, and Bev O’Laughlin of Walla Walla; eight grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to the St. John Fire Department, P.O. Box 221, St. John, WA 99171.

Collie Davis Spokane

Private memorial service for Collie Cooper Davis, 89, will be held at a later date. Burial will be at Holy Cross Cemetery. Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Mrs. Davis, who was born near Buena Vista, Ohio, died Saturday.

She moved to the Pacific Northwest in 1927 and to Spokane in 1948.

Mrs. Davis was a homemaker and a member of Centenary United Methodist Church.

Her husband preceded her in death.

Survivors include a son, Edward Gill; a daughter, Betty Condon; four grandchildren and one great-grandson.

Shirley Dompier Spokane

Memorial service for Shirley Ruth Dompier, 70, will be at 3 p.m. Saturday at Heritage Funeral Home.

Mrs. Dompier, who was born in Alfalfa, Wash., died Jan. 27. She was a longtime Spokane resident She was a homemaker and a member of the Manito Golf and Country Club.

Survivors include her husband, Neil; two sons, Dean Koontz and Doug Dompier; two daughters, Darralyn Hite and Lorrie Dompier; four stepsons, Jim, John and Tim Dompier and Terry Nelson; a brother, Jerry Lord; a sister, Pat Plank; 20 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Wishing Star Foundation.

Thelma Atwood La Grande, Ore.

Service for Thelma Marie Atwood, 96, will be at 1 p.m. today at Heritage Funeral Home in Spokane. Burial will follow at Spokane Memorial Gardens. Daniels Chapel of the Valley in La Grande is in charge of arrangements.

A former Colville, Wash., resident, Mrs. Atwood died last Wednesday. She was born in Morgan, Minn.

She married Henry Atwood in 1925, and they lived in Colville from 1947 to 1977, when they moved to La Grande.

Mrs. Atwood was a homemaker and a member of the First Baptist Church in La Grande.

Her husband died in 1991.

Survivors include three sons, John Atwood of La Grande, Jesse Atwood of Orinda, Calif., and Henry Atwood of Rainier, Ore.; four daughters, Maxine Wise of Spokane, Ruth Regnier and Sally Barrow, both of La Grande, and Laura McMinn of Holland; a sister, Twylah Kiplinger of Spokane; 29 grandchildren, 40 great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to GRH Home Care Services in care of Daniels Chapel of the Valley, 1502 Seventh St., La Grande, OR 97850.

Adele Ballinger Vancouver, Wash.

Graveside service for Adele L. Ballinger, 85, will be at 2 p.m. Friday in the mausoleum chapel at Holy Cross Cemetery. Memorial Gardens Funeral Chapel in Vancouver is in charge of arrangements.

Born in Bantry, N.D., Mrs. Ballinger died Sunday.

She worked as a checker at Safeway in Tacoma for 20 years. She later moved to Alaska and worked at First National Bank.

Mrs. Ballinger lived in Spokane for 13 years before moving to Vancouver six years ago.

She was a member of St. Thomas More Roman Catholic Church in Spokane and Our Lady of Lourdes Roman Catholic Church in Vancouver. She also was a member of the Grandmas Club in Spokane and Vancouver.

Her husband of 55 years, Charles, died in 1989.

Survivors include two sons, Charles Ballinger of Yakima and Albert Ballinger of Fairfield, Calif.; a daughter, Adele Rheinauer of Vancouver; nine grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice Southwest, P.O. Box 1600, Vancouver, WA 98668.

Hazel Hall Spokane

Service for Hazel M. Hall, 86, will be at Thursday at 2 p.m. at Heritage Funeral Home. Burial will follow at Greenwood Memorial Terrace.

Born in La Plata, Mo., Mrs. Hall died Sunday.

She was a 55-year Spokane resident.

Mrs. Hall was a homemaker and a member of the Order of Eastern Star.

Her husband, Erwill, died in 1996.

Survivors include six sisters, Colleen Mills and Lois Voss, both of Spokane, Shirley Jennings of Kennewick, Evelyn Nelson of Lewistown, Mont., Ethel Jennings of Great Falls, Mont., and Marjory Dailey of Hamilton, Mont.