Obituaries
Roy Emch Spokane
Service for Roy Everett Emch, 76, will be at 2 p.m. today at Riplinger Funeral Home. Burial will follow at Greenwood Memorial Terrace.
Mr. Emch, who was born in Elk, died Saturday.
He graduated from Rogers High School.
During World War II he served in the Navy and was based out of Pearl Harbor.
Mr. Emch worked as a finish carpenter, foreman and superintendent for 50 years. He was involved in the construction of several building and landmarks in the Spokane area.
He was a member of the Carpenters Union and the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1474.
Survivors include his wife of 42 years, Alice; three daughters, Pam Sullivan, Kaye Struck and Cheryl Kiehn, all of Spokane; two sons, Patrick Emch of Spokane and Mike Struck of Colville, Wash.; 17 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Spokane or the Veterans’ Affairs Medical Center.
Audrey Gall Springdale, Wash.
Memorial service for Audrey (Mesoy) Gall, 76, will be at 10 a.m. today at Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home.
Born in Oakland, Calif., Mrs. Gall died Friday.
Her family moved to Highland, Calif., when she was a child. She graduated from San Bernadino (Calif.) High School.
During World War II she worked at Norton Air Force Base as a civilian, cleaning out planes that came back from the war.
In 1943 she married Edmund Gall and in 1946 they moved to a Los Angeles suburb.
Mrs. Gall was a homemaker.
In 1980 they moved to Springdale and purchased a farm.
Survivors include her husband; a daughter, Barbara Schulte of Springdale; a son, Robert Gall of Newberry Park, Calif.; six grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Spokane.
MaryLou Hurd Spokane
Burial service for MaryLou Hurd, 65, will be at 2 p.m. today at Riverside Memorial Park. Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Hurd, who was born in St. Paul, Minn., died Thursday.
She was a 34-year Spokane resident and a homemaker.
Her husband, James, died in 1977.
Survivors include her companion, Bill Simons; four sons, Jesse, Burt, John and Chris Hurd, all of Spokane; three daughters, Pamela Smiley and Jo Ann Hurd, both of Spokane, and Valerie Ward of Kirkland, Wash.; 16 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society.
Rose Doolittle Spokane
Service for Rose Doolittle, 92, will be at 4 p.m. today at Starr Road Baptist Church. Thornhill Valley Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Born in Chicago, Mrs. Doolittle died Friday.
She lived in Laclede, Idaho, for 26 years and recently moved to Spokane.
Mrs. Doolittle was a homemaker and a member of First Baptist Church in Priest River, Idaho.
Survivors include her husband of 56 years, Everett; a son, Everett Doolittle of Cottage Grove, Minn.; three daughters, Bonnie Kennedy and Tobina Doolittle, both of Spokane, and Royce Hetzel of Burney, Calif.; four grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
Paul Gifford Spokane
Visitation for Paul D. Gifford, a 60-year Spokane resident, will be from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. today at Ball and Dodd Funeral Home-North. Service is planned for 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at the funeral home. Burial will follow at Fairmount Memorial Park.
Mr. Gifford, 83, died Sunday. He was born in Latah, and graduated from Freeman High school.
Mr. Gifford served stateside in the Army during World War II.
He worked as a freight-truck driver and as a driver for a logging company in Hoppa, Calif., during the 1950s. He later worked for 20 years at B-Line Trucking Co. in Spokane and also at United Freight Line. He retired in 1977.
He was a member of the Teamsters Union Local 690 and the Teamsters Retirement Association.
Survivors include his wife of 62 years, Audrey; a daughter, Pamela Abel of Spokane; three sons, Dave and Lonnie Gifford, both of Spokane, and Gary Gifford of Blaine, Wash.; a brother, Gilbert Gifford of Spokane; two sisters, Marcile Williams of Spokane and Ellouise Hager of Moreno Valley, Calif.; 11 grandchildren and 23 great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Union Gospel Mission.
Arlene Lucas Spokane
Funeral Mass for Arlene Francis Lucas, 67, will be at 11 a.m. today at St. Anthony’s Roman Catholic Church. English Funeral Chapel in Post Falls is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Lucas, who was born in Hartford, Conn., died Thursday.
She grew up in Connecticut and moved to Florida as a young adult. She settled in Spokane in 1968.
She was a homemaker and worked in concessions at the Spokane Indians ballpark.
She was an accomplished musician, songwriter and vocalist and was active in outdoor recreation and fishing.
Survivors include four sons, Jim Lucas and Matthew Chambers, both of Spokane, and Scott and Neal Lucas, both of Connecticut; and four daughters, Joanne Lucas of Florida, Nancy Yamaura and Janet Lucas, both of Spokane, and Amy Lucas of Post Falls; 17 grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.
Katherine Benson Spokane
Inurnment for Katherine Benson, 83, will be at 1 p.m. today at Fairmount Memorial Park. Hazen and Jaeger Valley Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Miss Benson, who was born in Anaconda, Mont., died Thursday.
She moved to Spokane in 1942 and worked for Dodson’s Jewelers.
Survivors include four cousins, Ross and Jim Quick, both of Spokane, Ed Weaver of Belfair, Wash., and Carl Fowler of Green Valley, Ariz.
Beulah Murabito Spokane
Visitation for Beulah Murabito, 83, will be from noon to 8 p.m. today at Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home. Service is planned for noon Wednesday at the funeral home. Burial will follow at Greenwood Cemetery in Spirit Lake, Idaho.
Mrs. Murabito, who was born in North Havervill, N.H., died Saturday.
She lived in Spirit Lake for 25 years before moving to Spokane 16 years ago.
Mrs. Murabito was a homemaker.
Her husband, Carmen, died in 1984.
Survivors include two daughters, Cecelia Davis of Spokane and Winifred Davis of North Carolina; a brother, Timothy Wymen of New Hampshire; six grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Vanessa Behan Crisis Nursery.
Danny Thompson Newman Lake, Wash.
Graveside service for Danny E. Thompson, 62, will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday at the Newport (Wash.) Cemetery. Sherman-Knapp Funeral Home in Newport is in charge of arrangements.
A lifetime Spokane area resident, Mr. Thompson died Thursday.
He worked for 16 years for Inland Empire Paper Co. in Millwood, and for 28 years at Kaiser Aluminum Trentwood in shipping and receiving.
Mr. Thompson was a member of the Teamsters Union Local 338.
Survivors include his wife of 43 years, Patricia; two sons, Rick and Ron Thompson, both of Spokane; a daughter, Jenny Huntsucker of Blanchard, Idaho; his mother, Evelyn Thompson of Spokane; a brother, Stan Thompson of Post Falls; four sisters, Shirley Stout and Jeannie Wrencher, both of the Spokane Valley, Carol Jameson of Yaak, Mont., and Dixie Case of Oregon; seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Shriners Hospital for Children.
Larry Cunnington Bayview, Idaho
Service for Larry Eugene Cunnington, 68, will be at 11 a.m. today at Coffelt Funeral Service in Sandpoint. Burial will be Thursday at Cache Clawson Cemetery in Tetonia, Idaho.
Mr. Cunnington, who was born in Idaho Falls, died Friday.
He grew up and attended school in Driggs, Idaho. He served with the Army during the Korean War, and in 1956 married Nadine Gorrell. They later divorced.
Mr. Cunnington worked as a heavy-equipment operator in Libby, Mont., and at the electrical generating plant in Centralia, Wash.
He married Verna White in 1967 and they lived in the Sandpoint area. They had traveled to Mexico and Australia.
Mr. Cunnington was a member of the Elks Lodge in Centralia, Wash., and the Mormon Church and was active in hunting, fishing and golf.
His wife preceded him in death.
Survivors include a son, Larry Cunnington of Colbert; a daughter, Tammy Cunnington of Kent, Wash.; a stepson, John Hames of Belgrade, Mont.; two stepdaughters, Jane Butterfield of Centralia and Crystal Hames of Colorado Springs, Colo.; five sisters, Gloria Moran of Sandpoint, Glenda Gibson of Athol, Idaho, Trisha Hanes of Spokane, Carol Marcy of Bonners Ferry and Shirla Gonzales of Sagle, Idaho; three brothers, Nile Cunnington of Troy, Mont., Lloyd Cunnington of Kalispell, Mont., and Arlo Cunnington of Shreveport, La.; and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Allan Sheard Mica
Visitation for Allan Buie Sheard, 78, will be from 5 to 8 p.m. today at Thornhill Valley Funeral Home. Graveside service is planned for 10 a.m. Wednesday at the Pines Cemetery.
Born in Bracken, Saskatchewan, Mr. Sheard died Saturday.
His family immigrated to the United States and settled on a homestead in Turner, Mont. They later moved to St. Ignatius, Mont., and then to Hamilton, Mont., where he graduated in 1940 from Hamilton High School.
The family later moved to Chewelah, Wash., and then to Mica where he spent the last 50 years on the family farm.
During World War II he served in the Army and participated in the landing at Utah Beach with the 535th Anti-aircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion.
Mr. Sheard was a farmer in the Mica area.
Survivors include three brothers, Walter Sheard of Spokane, Donald Sheard of Mica and Norman Sheard of Post Falls; and five sisters, Florence Newell and Verna Carr, both of Spokane, Margaret Rasmussen of Liberty Lake, Eleanor Holmes of Tekoa, Wash., and Annie Page of Tacoma, Wash.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Good Samaritan Center, 12715 E. Mission, Spokane, WA 99216.
Albert Arnold Spokane
Service for Albert M. Arnold, 101, will be at 11 a.m. today at Riplinger Funeral Home. Burial will follow at Fairmount Memorial Park.
Mr. Arnold, who was born in Dearborn, Mo., died Thursday.
He began working for Liggett and Myers Tobacco Co. in Missouri in 1920 and was a division sales manager.
In 1941 he moved to Spokane. He was self-employed as a salesman for men’s and boy’s clothing and retired in 1969.
He was a member, past master and past secretary of the North Hill Masonic Lodge 210. He also was a member of the Spokane chapter of the Order of Eastern Star, the Scottish Rite Bodies and the El Katif Shrine. He also was a member of North Hill Christian Church.
He was preceded in death by two wives, Florence and Hettie.
Survivors include a stepdaughter, Sue Heeren of Eugene, Ore.; two stepsons, Tom and J.K. Connolly, both of Tucson, Ariz.; and eight stepgrandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the North Hill Temple Building Fund, PO Box 9821, Spokane, WA 99209.
William George Spokane
Memorial service for William H. George, 54, was Monday at the Episcopal Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist. Heritage Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
A lifetime Spokane resident, Mr. George died Thursday from injuries suffered in an automobile accident on Spotted Road in west Spokane County.
He graduated in 1964 from Lewis and Clark High School.
Mr. George owned and operated restaurants and taverns in the Spokane area.
He was a member of the Spokane Polo Club and St. John’s Cathedral.
Survivors include his mother, Sue George; a brother, Bob George; and a sister, Barbara Gucinski, all of Spokane..
Memorial contributions may be made to Pushie Grandmas in care of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
Gladys Coker Spokane
Graveside service for Gladys May Coker, 81, will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday at Evergreen Cemetery in Priest River, Idaho. Sherman-Knapp Funeral Home in Newport, Wash., is in charge of arrangements.
Born in Elba, Ark., Mrs. Coker died Wednesday.
In 1939 she married Horace Coker.
She was a 20-year Spokane resident and a homemaker.
Survivors include her husband; a sister, Elsie Slagle of Spokane; and a brother, L.D. Branscum.
Maple McElvain Spokane
Memorial service for Maple McElvain, 94, will be at 10:30 a.m. Fridayat Rockwood Manor. Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. McElvain, who was born in Carmen, Idaho, died Friday.
She taught in Carmen and North Fork, Idaho, until moving to Spokane in 1929 and marrying E.E. McElvain.
Mrs. McElvain was a founding member of the Spokane Hassie Club. She was a volunteer for the Spokane Music Festival and Junior Symphony. She also worked with the swim program for the blind at the YWCA for 30 years.
Her husband died in 1984.
Survivors include two daughters, Judy McElvain of Spokane and Marcia McElvain of Seattle.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Spokane Humane Society or the Rockwood Resident Fund for Health Care Renovation.