Obituaries
Frances Swingley Coeur d’Alene
Visitation for Frances Mildred Swingley, 90, will be Saturday from 1 to 5 p.m. at Yates Funeral Home in Coeur d’Alene. Graveside service will be Monday at 11 a.m. at Evergreen Cemetery in Post Falls.
Mrs. Swingley, who was born in Gaston, Ind., died Wednesday.
She graduated from high school in Indiana and in 1927 married Rev. Charles Swingley.
Mrs. Swingley and her husband spent 45 years in Christian ministry in Indiana before retiring and moving to Cataldo, Idaho, in 1978.
Her husband died in 1985, and she moved to Coeur d’Alene in 1990.
Survivors include a son, Charles Swingley of Cataldo; seven grandchildren, 11 great-grandchildren and one great-great-granddaughter.
Memorials may be made to Coeur d’Alene Bible Church, 5350 N. Fourth, Coeur d’Alene, ID 83814.
Gale Ayars Kirkland, Wash.
No service will be held for Gale C. Ayars, 95. Green Funeral Home in Kirkland is in charge of arrangements.
A longtime former Spokane resident, Mr. Ayars died Feb. 1. He was born on the family farm near Rice, Wash.
He worked as a teacher and administrator for Washington State public schools in Pingston Creek, Reardan, Selah and Dayton.
Mr. Ayars later was the manager of the Washington Electric Co. Store in Spokane.
He also owned and operated the water systems serving the Spokane Valley. He retired in the early 1960s and sold the company to Washington Water Power.
Mr. Ayars moved to Kirkland in 1998.
He was a member and past president of the Northside Kiwanis Club. He also was a member of Manito Methodist Church and the Manito Garden Club.
His wife of 48 years, Ella, died in 1989.
Survivors include a son, Jeffrey Ayars of Bremerton; a daughter, Sandra Houston of Seattle; and four grandchildren.
Howard Thompson Farmington, Wash.
Memorial service for L. Howard Thompson, 83, will be at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at the United Church of Christ in Tekoa, Wash. Kramer Funeral Home in Tekoa is in charge of arrangements.
A lifetime Farmington resident, Mr. Thompson died Monday.
He graduated from Tekoa High School in 1934 and served in the Army Air Corps during World War II.
After the war he returned to Farmington and farmed in the area.
Survivors include his wife of 40 years, Jackie; four daughters, Dorothy, Jane, Carla and Amy; two brothers, Carl and Hugh Thompson; a sister, Jean Dellwo; nine grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Erling `Swede’ Carlson Spokane
Visitation for Erling “Swede” Carlson, 81, will be from 2 to 8 p.m. today at Hazen and Jaeger Valley Funeral Home. Service will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at Christ Lutheran Church. Burial will follow at the Fairview Cemetery in Rockford.
Mr. Carlson, who died Tuesday, was born in Halstad, Minn.
He was a 49-year Spokane resident, and owned and operated Carlson Machine Works for 22 years.
Survivors include his wife, Isabel; three sons, Stephen Carlson of Veradale, Mark Carlson of Rochester, Wash., and Timothy Carlson of Port Orchard, Wash.; a brother, Burdeen Carlson of Ada, Minn.; a sister, Helen Lee of Hayfield, Minn.; six grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
Carl Johanson Spokane
No service will be held for Carl Frederick Johanson, 94, at his request. The Cremation Society of Washington is in charge of arrangements.
A 75-year Spokane resident, Mr. Johanson died Tuesday. He was born in Kaslo, British Columbia.
He moved to Spokane at the age of 20 and later served in the Air Force.
In 1940 he began working as a mail clerk for Burlington Northern Railroad and retired in 1970.
Mr. Johanson was a member of the Shriners and Masons.
He is survived by two nieces, Gail Johanson of Spokane and Carole Johanson of Tennessee.
Evelyn (Thurlow) McNearney Sandpoint
Memorial service for Evelyn (Thurlow) McNearney, 72, will be Monday at 2 p.m. at Coffelt’s Funeral Service in Sandpoint.
Mrs. McNearney, who was born in Sandpoint, died Sunday.
She grew up in Sandpoint and graduated from Sandpoint High School in 1945. She married Phil McNearney in 1948.
Mrs. McNearney had worked as a school bus driver for the Bonner County school district for more than 27 years and also was a seamstress at Modern Cleaners in Sandpoint.
She was involved in 4-H as sewing leader and had bowled on the Thursday Afternoon Bowling League.
She was preceded in death by her husband.
Survivors include three daughters, Susan Smith of Post Falls, Joyce Broadsword of Sagle, Idaho, and Lynda Ehrsam of Coeur d’Alene; a son, Phillip McNearney of Sandpoint; three sisters, Shirley Gerken of Richland, Beverly Paul of Libby, Mont., and Donna Collinson of Tacoma; a brother, Gene Thurlow of Sandpoint; eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Amelia Gepford Medical Lake
Service for Amelia R. Gepford, 90, will be at 11 a.m. today at St. John Lutheran Church in Medical Lake. Burial will be at Greenwood Memorial Terrace. Ball and Dodd Funeral Home-South is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Gepford, who was born in South Dakota, died Wednesday.
She married Clifford Gepford in 1937, and they moved to Moran Prairie in 1941.
Mrs. Gepford worked as a cook at Adams Elementary School from 1949 to 1955 and worked at Lakeland Village from 1955 to 1964.
She moved to Medical Lake in 1959.
She was a member of St. John Lutheran Church, the American Legion Auxiliary and the Espanola Grange.
Her husband died in 1974.
Survivors include a son, Kenneth Gepford of Medical Lake; a brother, Edmond Eisenbraun of Stillwater, Okla.; four sisters, Agnes Hochhalter of Sea Tac, Wash., Madeline Cunningham of Princeton, Minn., Rosina Brown of Largo, Fla., and Kay Sheldon of Harlingen, Texas; two grandchildren and one great-granddaughter.
Richard Zeller Spokane
Visitation for Richard W. “Dick” Zeller, 85, will be from 9 to 10:30 a.m. today at Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home. Service will follow at 11 a.m. at the funeral home. Private committal service will be at Spokane Memorial Gardens.
A 67-year Spokane resident, Mr. Zeller died Tuesday. He was born in McCall, Wash., near Ritzville.
He served in the Navy with the Sea Bees during World War II, and worked as a long haul truck driver for 47 years. He retired from PIE Trucking.
He was a member of the Lutheran faith and Hillyard Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1474. He also was a member of American Legion Post 51 in Ritzville and Teamsters Union Local 690.
Survivors include his wife of 50 years, Ella; a daughter, Arlene Plyler of Spokane; a brother, Otto Zeller of Ritzville; two sisters, Helen Carmack of Spokane and Elsie Shroll of Cheney; three granddaughters and three great-granddaughters.
Walter Fitchner Spokane
Vigil service for Walter H. Fitchner, 94, will be at 7 p.m. today at St. Francis of Assisi Roman Catholic Church. Funeral Mass will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at the church. Burial will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery. Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Fitchner, who was born in Coeur d’Alene, died Tuesday.
He had worked for the Ohio Match Co., U.S. Forest Service and the Dalton Gardens (Idaho) Highway District.
A 23-year Spokane resident, he was a member of St. Thomas More Catholic Church, St. Pius X in Coeur d’Alene and St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church.
Survivors include his wife of 59 years, Margaret; two daughters, Ann Fitchner and Betty Soucy, both of Spokane; and four grandchildren.
Perry Hastings Spokane
Visitation for Perry W. Hastings, 81, will be from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. today at Heritage Funeral Home. Service will be at 4 p.m. at the funeral home. Burial will follow at Fairmount Memorial Park.
A 75-year Spokane resident, Mr. Hastings died Tuesday. He was born in Northport, Wash.
He graduated from North Central High School and worked as a telephone repairman for Pacific Northwest Bell for 42 years.
He was a member of the Telephone Pioneers, the Happy Wheels Camper Club and the North Central Alumni Lunch Club.
Survivors include his wife of 50 years, Wilma; two sons, Bob White of Seattle and Gary Hastings of Lynden, Wash.; two daughters, Linda Hastings of Spokane and Julie Hastings of Greenacres; two brothers, Donald Hastings of Spokane and Ivan Hastings of Pasco; and six grandchildren.
Susan Ross Spokane
No service will be held for Susan C. Ross, 39. Heritage Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Miss Ross, who was born in Vancouver, Wash., died last Feb. 10.
Her family moved to Spokane when she was a child.
She was a member of Four Square Community Church.
Survivors include her parents, George and Myrna Ross of Spokane; two brothers, Scott Ross of Golden, Colo., and Stephen Ross of Laguna Hills, Calif.; a stepbrother, Darren Sprunk of Altus, Okla.; and a stepsister, Holly Greenfield of Poulsbo, Wash.
Dana Cromer Spokane
Service for Dana Jo Cromer, 64, will be held Feb. 26 at Mobile (Ala.) Memorial Gardens. Riplinger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Cromer, who was born in Evansville, Ind., died Tuesday.
She was an elementary school teacher for the government at various military bases.
She moved to Spokane in 1974 and became a homemaker.
Survivors include her husband, James; a daughter, Liana Cromer of Gig Harbor, Wash.; and four stepchildren.
Edwin Luce Spokane
Visitation for Edwin Leroy Luce, 79, will be from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. today at Riplinger Funeral Home and from noon to 12:50 p.m. Saturday at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 4444 E. 43rd. Service will be at 1 p.m. at the church. Burial will follow at Fairmount Memorial Park. A 69-year Spokane resident, Mr. Luce died Monday. He was born in Weiser, Idaho.
He graduated from Lewis and Clark High School in 1939 and served in the Navy during World War II as a quartermaster. He received the Victory Medal and the Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal.
He worked as a job analyst for the Washington State Employment Security Department.
Mr. Luce was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Survivors include his wife, Louise; three sons, Jerold and Lonnie Luce, both of Spokane, and Ken Elliot of Phoenix; two daughters, Judy Elliot of Spokane and Sandra Simon of Coeur d’Alene; a brother, Al Luce of Bandera, Texas; six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Mary (Favre) Payton Spokane
Vigil service for Mary R. (Favre) Payton, 80, will be at 7:30 p.m. today at Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home. Funeral Mass will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at St. Anthony’s Roman Catholic Church. Burial will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery.
A lifetime Spokane resident, Mrs. Payton died Tuesday.
She graduated from Kinman Business College, and worked as a secretary for Union Oil, Railway Express and Burlington Northern Railroad. She had also taught at Kinman Business College.
She was a member of St. Anthony’s Catholic Church.
Survivors include her husband of 53 years, Louis; a son, Michael Payton of Spokane; a sister, Natalie Kumbera of Bellingham; six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Norman Rutter Creston, Wash.
Memorial service for Norman E. Rutter, 61, will be at 2 p.m. Saturday at Strate Funeral Home in Davenport, Wash.
Mr. Rutter, who was born in Davenport, died Sunday.
He served in the Navy from 1946 to 1950, and moved to Creston in 1963.
He worked in the lumber industry for more than 29 years, and had spent the last 25 years as a truck driver. He retired in January from Boise Cascade.
He was a member of the Wilbur Veterans of Foreign Wars and was a volunteer for the Creston Fire Department.
Survivors include his wife, Sharon; a son, Todd Rutter of Davenport; a daughter, Cheryl Powers of Germany; and three grandchildren.