Obituaries
Richard `Frenchy’ Serre Coeur d’Alene
Private service for Richard “Frenchy” Serre, 72, will be held later. Coeur d’Alene Memorial Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. Mr. Serre, who was born in Ontario, died Tuesday.
He moved to the Coeur d’Alene area about 30 years ago and worked for the U.S. Forest Service.
Mr. Serre was involved in the traditional cowboy lifestyle.
Survivors include two nieces, Lynda Peters of Kellogg and Lisa Hazard of Texas; two nephews, Mark Serre of Florida and Robert Isbell of Oregon; a special friend, Jean Redcrow of Dalton Gardens, Idaho; and several great-nieces and nephews.
Memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society, P.O. Box 3018, Hayden Lake, ID 83835.
Marvin Gier Sr. Pahrump, Nev.
Memorial service for Marvin Earl Gier Sr., 75, was Thursday at the Moose Lodge in Pahrump. Mr. Gier, who was born in Kelso, Wash., died Feb. 20.
He served in the Army with the 17th Airborne during World War II. He received a Purple Heart and two Oak Leaf Clusters.
Mr. Gier married Zella Mae Settle in 1944, and they moved to Spokane in 1949.
He worked as a superintendent for Postlewait Inc. He retired in 1985 and moved to Pahrump.
Mr. Gier was a member of the Moose Lodge and the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
Survivors include his wife; four sons, Marvin Gier Jr. of Spokane, Jeffry Gier of Henderson, Nev., and Roger and Ron Gier, both of Las Vegas; four daughters, Louise Welch of Spokane, Margaret Lamb of Great Falls, Mont., Evelyn Noret of Pahrump and Pat Beranek of Phoenix; two brothers, Lynn Gier of Spokane and Don Gier of Yakima; two sisters, Betty Ray and Marjorie Hiatt, both of Spokane; 13 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Christine LeBret Wellpinit, Wash.
Memorial service for Christine E. LeBret, 101, will be today at 11 a.m. at the Wellpinit Longhouse. Inurnment will follow at Wellpinit Presbyterian Cemetery. Riplinger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
A lifetime Wellpinit resident, Mrs. LeBret died Thursday.
She was one of the oldest members of the Spokane Tribe of Indians.
Survivors include five children, Art, Clarence and Pete LeBret, and Iva Rajewski and Lillian Thurber, all of Wellpinit; a brother, Ed Wynecoop of Wellpinit; a sister, Nettie Clark of Spokane; numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Wellpinit Presbyterian Church.
David Grinstead Spokane
Service for David P. Grinstead, 59, will be at 11 a.m. today at St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church in Cheney. Burial will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery. Ball and Dodd Funeral Home-North is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Grinstead, who was born in Columbus, Ohio, died Wednesday.
He graduated from Sunnyslope High School in Phoenix in 1958, and served in the Air Force from 1958 to 1962.
In 1968 he married Barbara Weidler.
Mr. Grinstead was employed in sales and banking business for 25 years in Washington and Arizona. He retired from Wenatchee Valley Credit Union in 1986 as a collections manager.
He moved to Spokane from Cashmere, Wash. in 1990.
Survivors include his wife; five sons, Eric, Chris, Edward and Kenneth Grinstead, all of Spokane, and Jeffrey Grinstead of Corpus Christi, Texas; and three daughters, Diana Whitman and Heather Grinstead, both of Spokane, and Audrey Conner of Phoenix; and his mother, Esther Dimmer; and two grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to Cancer Patient Care.
Alan Spence Spokane
No service will be held for Alan T. Spence, 30, at his request. Ball and Dodd Funeral Home-North is in charge of arrangements.
Born in Spokane, Mr. Spence died Feb. 21.
He graduated from Rogers High School in 1989.
Mr. Spence worked for Silver Eagle Trucking and was a member of the Teamsters Union Local 690 and the National Rifle Association.
He is survived by four children, Jake, John, Jessica and Cassandra Spence, and his parents, Eugene and Wilma Spence, all of Spokane; two brothers, Rick Spence of Spokane and Fred Spence of Coeur d’Alene; two sisters, Linda Beasley and Charlene Munson, both of Spokane; and his grandmother, Marie Allen of Coeur d’Alene.
Marie Ogle Issaquah, Wash.
Memorial service for Marie G. Ogle, 93, was Saturday at Ball and Dodd Funeral Home-South. Burial was at Pines Cemetery.
Born in Winonia, Idaho, Mrs. Ogle died Monday. A resident of Spokane for 30 years, she was a waitress at the Davenport Hotel until she married James Ogle in 1926.
Mrs. Ogle was a member of First Church of the Nazarene.
Her husband died in 1984.
Survivors include three daughters, Shirley Swanson of Spokane, Donna Dishman of Bothell, Wash., and Patricia Fletcher of Issaquah; a sister, Lucille Beck of Spokane; 16 grandchildren and 20 great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Evergreen Hospice.
Leta Mae Longmeier Lind, Wash.
Graveside service and vault interment for Leta Mae Longmeier, 81, will be today at 10 a.m. at Lind Cemetery. Memorial service will follow at 11 a.m. at Lind United Methodist Church. Danekas Funeral Home in Ritzville, Wash., is in charge of arrangements.
A lifetime resident of Lind, Mrs. Longmeier died Thursday.
She graduated in 1936 from Lind High School. She attended beauty school in Spokane for a year and later operated a beauty shop in Lind for 13 years.
Mrs. Longmeier married Wendell “Pic” Longmeier in 1941.
She helped operate her parents business, Slim’s Place, in Lind.
Mrs. Longmeier and her husband became sole owners of McCall Fertilizer in the 1960s and operated it until they retired in 1978.
She was a member of Lind United Methodist Church, Pythian Sisters, Order of Eastern Star and Elks Lodge in Pasco. She also was a 50-year member of the Lind Tredecium Club.
Her husband died in 1989.
She is survived by a son, Dennis Longmeier of Winlock, Wash.; a daughter, Kathy Hannahs of Albany, Ore.; and four grandchildren. Memorial contributions may be made to the Adams County Historical Society Museum or to the Lind United Methodist Church.
Opal Kirschke Spokane
No service will be held for Opal Kirschke, 86, at her request. Riplinger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Kirschke, who was born in Cedar, Mich., died Wednesday.
A Spokane resident for more than 65 years, she worked for the city Treasurer’s Office until retiring in 1976.
Mrs. Kirschke is survived by a daughter, Patricia Farrington of Spokane; two stepsons, Robert Kirschke of Rocklin, Calif., and Kenneth Kirschke of Los Angeles; two sisters, Lillian Reese of Weyauwega, Wis., and Crystal Jahnke of Milwaukee, Wis.; and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society.
Verma `Squirt’ Whybra Spokane
Private graveside service will be held for Verma R. “Squirt” Whybra, at Spokane Memorial Gardens. Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Whybra, who was born in Bovill, Idaho, died Feb. 20. She was 84.
She was a 50-year Spokane resident and a homemaker.
Mrs. Whybra is survived by her husband, William.