Obituaries
FOR THE RECORD: February 18, 2000: Date wrong: An obituary in Thursday’s paper reported the wrong funeral date. Memorial services for Robert “Bob” McAllister, of Silverton, Idaho, took place earlier this week.
LaVerne McNearney Spokane
Vigil service for LaVerne Lorraine McNearney, 83, will be at 7 p.m. today at Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home. Funeral Mass will be at 10 a.m. Friday at St. Thomas More Roman Catholic Church. Burial will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery.
Born in Red Lodge, Mont., Mrs. McNearney died Saturday.
She moved to Spokane in 1956 and was a homemaker.
Her husband of 15 years, Mac, died in 1964.
Survivors include two sons, Lyal and Don Sagendorf, both of Spokane; two daughters, Sherry McNearney and Delores English, both of Spokane; two sisters, Doris Arthun and Cleo Clark, both of Spokane; two brothers, Charles Brown of Spokane and Lester Brown of Battle Mountain, Nev.; 13 grandchildren, 26 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Ronald McDonald House.
Clayton Calvin Almira, Wash.
Service for Clayton W. Calvin, 72, will be at 11 a.m. Friday at Almira Community Church. Burial will follow at Almira Cemetery. Strate Funeral Home in Wilbur, Wash., is in charge of arrangements.
Born in Meadow, S.D., Mr. Calvin died Monday.
He served in the Navy during World War II and later worked as a drapery installer.
He moved to Almira 10 years ago from California.
Mr. Calvin was a member of Almira Community Church and Grand Coulee Eagles Lodge.
Survivors include his wife, Juanita; a son, James Calvin of Stockton, Calif.; three stepchildren, Michael and Roberta Zobel, both of Florida, and Donna Zobel of Iowa; two brothers, George Calvin of Roy, Wash., and Cecil Calvin of Port Orchard, Wash.; three sisters, Marge Evans of Almira, Florence Green of Roy and Pearl Nugent of Milwaukee, Ore.; six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Lincoln County Chapter of the American Cancer Society, Davenport, WA 99122.
Robert `Bob’ McAllister Silverton, Idaho
Memorial service for Robert Eugene “Bob” McAllister, 76, will be at 11 a.m. today at Silver Wood Good Samaritan Center Chapel in Silverton. Inurnment will be held at a later date at Eureka (Mont.) Cemetery. Shoshone Funeral Service in Kellogg is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. McAllister, who was born in Kalispell, Mont., died Saturday.
He grew up and attended schools in Libby and Eureka, and served in the Navy during World War II.
Mr. McAllister returned to Montana after his military service. He moved to the Silver Valley in the late 1950s, where he worked as a logger until he was disabled in a logging accident.
In the mid-1990s he worked as a courier making deliveries for The Spokesman-Review in Coeur d’Alene and Spokane.
He was a member of the American Association of Retired Persons and the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
Survivors include his close friend, Nancy of Smelterville, Idaho; four daughters, Serina Colby of Gig Harbor, Wash., Claudia Tritle of Ephrata, Wash., Kathy Ellis of Challis, Idaho, and Sherrie Staley of Ottawa, Kan.; three sons, Chris McAllister of Smelterville, Deryle McAllister of New Jersey and Butch Griffith of Eureka; a brother, Sam McAllister of Montana; and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Silver Wood Good Samaritan Center, Silverton, ID 83867; or the World War II Veterans Memorial of Washington D.C.
Delbert Marquardsen Spokane
No service will be held for Delbert O. Marquardsen, 65, at his request. Heritage Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
A 25-year Spokane resident, Mr. Marquardsen died Sunday. He was born in Ruthton, Minn.
He served in the Army in Germany during the 1970s.
Mr. Marquardsen worked for a construction company in Sioux Falls, S.D. After moving to Spokane he worked for Barstone Fuel.
Survivors include a daughter, Sonny Kirschner of California; four sisters, Gladys Poole of Redding, Calif., Sharon Boele of Ukiah, Calif., DeLores Dissing of Sioux Falls and Bonnie Retzlaff of Milaca, Minn.; and three grandchildren.
Glendola (Curtis) Arrasmith Palouse, Wash.
Service for Glendola (Curtis) Arrasmith, 76, will be at 1 p.m. today at Kramer Funeral Home in Palouse. Burial will follow at the Greenwood Cemetery in Palouse.
Mrs. Arrasmith, who was born in Potlatch, Idaho, died Sunday.
She graduated from Palouse High School in 1942.
Mrs. Arrasmith worked as an operator for the telephone company in Palouse and later worked as a receptionist for Dr. Holabach in Palouse.
In 1950 she married Aden Arrasmith and was a homemaker.
She was a member of the Christian faith and the Palouse Senior Citizens and Grange.
Her husband died in 1987.
Survivors include a son, Marc Arrasmith of Palouse; three daughters, Linda Burnett of Palouse, Cindy Meyer of Dixie, Wash., and Kristi Arrasmith of Kapolei, Hawaii; a sister, Eleanore Moore of Lacrosse, Wash.; and five grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Palouse Viking Booster Club, P.O. Box 212, Palouse, WA 99161, or the Palouse Emergency Medical Technicians, in care of the Bank of Latah, Palouse, WA 99161.
Allen Harrison Didsbury, Alberta
Memorial service for Allen Albert Harrison, 76, will be at 6 p.m. today at Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Spokane. Mountain View Funeral Chapel in Olds, Alberta, is in charge of arrangements.
A former Spokane resident, Mr. Harrison died Feb. 9. He was born in Airdrie, Alberta.
In 1945 his family moved to Four Lakes, Wash.
Mr. Harrison worked as an excavator and heavy-equipment operator for 40 years.
After his wife of 37 years, Inez, died in 1984 he returned to Canada.
Survivors include four sons, Rod, Rob, Rick and Rawley Harrison, all of Spokane; a daughter, Nikki Tomson of Tracy, Calif.; 10 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren.
Anna Nelson Spokane
Memorial service for Anna Mae Nelson, 91, will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home.
Born in Haileyville, Okla., Mrs. Nelson died Thursday.
Her family moved to Spokane when she was an infant.
She worked as a bookkeeper for the Spokane Blood Bank and Medical Service Corp.
Survivors include a son, Dan Nelson of Gig Harbor, Wash.; two daughters, Dolores Cameron of Spokane and Janet Matthews of Cheney; a sister, Bernadine Schell of Spokane; 10 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Immaculate Heart Retreat Center.
Mary Stark Spokane
Memorial service for Mary Johanna Stark, 97, will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at Unity Church of Truth. Burial will be held in Antioch, Calif. Ball and Dodd Funeral Home-South is in charge of arrangements.
A 15-year Spokane resident, Mrs. Stark died Saturday. She was born in Knightsen, Calif.
She married Clifford Stark in 1923 and was a homemaker.
She had worked as a rancher, an insurance agent and a secretary.
She was a member of the Order of Eastern Star.
Her husband died in 1971.
Survivors include a daughter, Patricia Turner of Spokane; one grandson and two great-granddaughters.
Della (Wright) McAvoy Ellensburg
No service will be held for Della F. (Wright) McAvoy, 85. Heritage Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Born in Linneus, Mo., Mrs. McAvoy died Sunday.
Her family moved to Montana and later to Worley, Idaho, when she was a child. She graduated from high school in Worley.
She married Donald McAvoy in 1934, and they lived in Idaho and Eastern Washington before moving to Spokane.
She was a homemaker and a former Spokane resident for more than 50 years.
After her husband’s death in 1998 she moved to Ellensburg.
Survivors include a daughter, Donna Blanton of Ellensburg; a sister, Eve Mellick of Worley; a brother, Ben Wright of Elk; and two grandsons.
Memorial contributions may be made to the FISH Food Bank, P.O. Box 85, Ellensburg, WA 98926.
Herbert Overturf Spokane
Service for Herbert Overturf, 80, will be at 2:30 a.m. Saturday at the Sunset Mausoleum at Fairmount Memorial Park. Riplinger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
A 43-year Spokane resident, Mr. Overturf died Saturday. He was born in Wickes, Ark.
He served in the Army during World War II.
Mr. Overturf worked as a potman at Kaiser Aluminum Mead for more than 13 years.
He was a member of Disabled American Veterans Post 45, Veterans of Foreign War Post 1474 and United Steelworkers Union 329.
Survivors include three sons, Robert, Thomas and Peter Overturf, all of Spokane; a stepson, Fredrick Nelson of Medical Lake; three sisters, Jean and Polly, both of Oklahoma, and Inez of New Mexico; and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Mabel Falk Priest River, Idaho
Service for Mabel Lorraine (Femrite) Falk, 83, will be at 11 a.m. Friday at the Newport (Wash.) American Lutheran Church. Burial will follow at the Evergreen Cemetery in Priest River. Sherman-Knapp Funeral Home in Newport, Wash., is in charge of arrangements.
Born on the family homestead near McCabe, Minn., Mrs. Falk died Sunday.
As a child her family moved to the Texas Ridge near Deary, Idaho. She graduated from high school in Usk, Wash.
She married George Falk in 1937, and they lived in Newport until the early 1940s.
They moved to the family farm near Albeni Falls, and in 1950 sold the farm to the Albeni Falls Dam project and moved near Priest River.
During the 1970s she was selected as the Citizen of the Year in Priest River, and also worked as a nurses aide at the Pend Oreille Pines Nursing Home in Newport.
She was a homemaker, and 4-H leader for 54 years. In 1984 she received the Honorary Alumni Award from the University of Idaho.
She was a member of Newport American Lutheran Church and the Lucky Ladies Craft Club in Priest River.
Her husband died in 1989.
Survivors include four sons, Wayne Falk of Chattaroy, Dennis Falk of Moscow, Idaho, Lloyd Falk of Boise and Dean Falk of Twin Falls, Idaho; two daughters, Gail Miller of Oldtown, Idaho, and Carol Drew of Austin, Texas; a brother, Thomas Femrite of Moscow; 27 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the George and Mabel Falk Animal Science Endowment Scholarship, University of Idaho Trust and Investment Office, P.O. Box 443143, Moscow, ID 83844, or the Newport Lutheran Church, Newport, WA 99156.
Paul Burruss Sr. Post Falls
No service will be held for Paul R. Burruss Sr., 66, at his request. Yates Funeral Home in Coeur d’Alene is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Burruss, who was born in Guthrie, Okla., died Monday.
He grew up in California and served with the Navy on the USS Bushnell before returning to the Santa Cruz area, where he opened a mexican restaurant.
Mr. Burruss later worked in the construction business and was involved with building ski lifts at Squaw Valley, Calif., and Schweitzer Mountain in Sandpoint.
He moved to Boise in 1969 and Sandpoint in 1971, and continued to work in the construction industry until retiring in 1987.
Mr. Burruss settled in Post Falls in 1997.
Survivors include three sons, Paul Burruss Jr. of Post Falls, Chad Burruss of Coeur d’Alene and Craig Burruss of Spokane; three daughters, Michele and Denise Burruss, both of St. Joseph, Mich., and Carey Burruss of Post Falls; three brothers, Ben Burruss of Kentucky, Kenneth Burruss of Nevada and Russell Stevens of Arkansas; three sisters, Geneva Beck of Nevada, and Mary Edwards and Wilma Walters, both of Hawaii; five grandchildren.