Obituaries
William `Poppy Burke Spokane
Private graveside service for William E. “Poppy” Burke, 74, will be today at Greenwood Memorial Terrace. Memorial service will follow at 4 p.m. at the home of Douglas Burke. Heritage Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
A 40-year Spokane resident, Mr. Burke died Thursday. He was born in Hunters, Wash.
He graduated in 1943 from Columbia High School in Hunters.
Mr. Burke served in the Air Force during World War II.
He operated a grocery store in Hunters until moving to Colville, Wash., to run a candy distributorship. In 1961 he purchased L.A. Nelson Co. in Spokane, which is now called Burke’s Distributorship.
Mr. Burke sponsored Little League baseball teams for more than 10 years. He was a member of the Masonic Lodge in Hunters.
Survivors include his wife of 54 years, Norma; two sons, Douglas and William Burke Jr., and three daughters, Diane Donahue, Sheila Price and Jeannie Rocco, all of Spokane; two brothers, Michael Burke of Spokane and John Burke of Bellevue, Wash.; and five grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Spokane Guilds’ School.
Mary (Besst) Bye Spokane
Graveside service for Mary P. (Besst) Bye, 82, will be at 11 a.m. today at the Newport (Wash.) Cemetery. Sherman-Knapp Funeral Home in Newport is in charge of arrangements.
Born in Decatur, Neb., Mrs. Bye died Wednesday.
She graduated from Lake Andes (S.D.) High School.
In 1939 she married Adolph Bye. They moved to Newport in 1949 and she was a homemaker.
Mrs. Bye moved to Spokane three years ago.
She was a member of the Pythian Sisters, the Order of Eastern Star and the United Church of Christ in Newport.
Her husband died in 1997.
Survivors include three daughters, Mary Mills of Spokane, Ann Cassidy of Arlington, Wash., and Terri Heaviner of Redmond, Wash.; a brother, Mark Besst; a sister, Joan Saxton; five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Wishing Star Foundation or the Shriners Hospital for Children.
Alvin Flake Spokane
Memorial service for Alvin Flake, 77, will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Sunday at the family home. Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Born in Salem, Ore., Mr. Flake died Thursday.
Mr. Flake served during World War II for three years in the infantry as a first lieutenant.
He was a 38-year Spokane resident and worked for 50 years as a furniture manufacturers representative. He retired in 1999.
Mr. Flake was a member of the Manito Golf and Country Club for 35 years.
Survivors include his wife of 53 years, Janet; a daughter, Alice Kristensen of DesMoines, Iowa; a son, Brian Flake of Davenport, Wash.; and a sister, Ernie Lea of Lake Havasu City, Ariz.
Lester Pfannekuchen Ritzville, Wash.
Service for Lester H. Pfannekuchen, 90, will be at 11 a.m. today at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Ritzville. Burial will follow at the Emmanuel Cemetery. Danekas Funeral Home in Ritzville is in charge of arrangements.
Born in Ritzville, Mr. Pfannekuchen died Tuesday.
He graduated in 1927 from Ritzville High School. He received a degree in secretarial sciences from Washington State College.
Mr. Pfannekuchen worked as an office manager in Port Angeles, Wash., and Bremerton.
In 1932 he married Nathel Greenwalt. They began farming in 1934 in the Carico Hill area near Ritzville. They retired in 1972 and moved into Ritzville.
His wife died in 1985.
In 1986 he married Mildred Wellsandt.
He was a member of Emmanuel Lutheran Church, which he served as treasurer and on the church council.
Survivors include his wife; three daughters, Myrna Kucklick and Carol Larsen, both of Puyallup, Wash., and Paula Brady of Everett; two stepdaughters, Gaynel Gering of Ritzville and Linda Howell of Walla Walla; a brother, Harold Pfannekuchen of Scottsdale, Ariz.; seven grandchildren, five stepgrandchildren, 15 great-grandchildren and nine stepgreat-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to Emmanuel Lutheran Church, or the Ritzville Men’s Golf Association, Ritzville, WA, 99169.
Tracy (Ward) McElreath Spokane
Private service will be held for Tracy S. (Ward) McElreath, 35. The Neptune Society of Washington is in charge of arrangements.
Born in Colorado Springs, Colo., Mrs. McElreath died Wednesday.
She moved to Spokane in 1983 and worked as a veterinary technician.
She married Ronald McElreath in January.
Mrs. McElreath is survived by her husband, and her parents, Mel and Melva Ward of Colorado Springs.
Memorial contributions may be made to the intensive care unit at Deaconess Medical Center.
Ernest Drefs Davenport, Wash.
Memorial service for Ernest H. “Ernie” Drefs, 72, will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday at Zion Lutheran Church in Davenport. Strate Funeral Home in Davenport is in charge of arrangements.
A 45-year Davenport resident, Mr. Drefs died Wednesday. He was born in Freemont, N.D.
From 1946 to 1947 he served in the Army. He married Pauline Stuckle in 1956.
Mr. Drefs worked as an operator for the Washington state Highway Department and retired in 1989.
He served on the Davenport City Council and was a member of Zion Lutheran Church, the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Hassie Antique Car Club.
Survivors include his wife; a daughter, Cheryl Whitehead of Grand Coulee, Wash.; two brothers, Eugene and Eltor Drefs, both of Parkston, S.D.; and a sister, Olivia Blume of Spokane.
Memorial contributions may be made to Zion Lutheran Church or the Davenport Swimming Pool Fund, Davenport, WA 99122.
Dorothy (Parker) Everhart Spokane
Visitation for Dorothy O. “Dottie” (Parker) Everhart, 83, will be from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday at Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home. Service is planned for 10 a.m. Monday at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2112 W. Francis. Burial will follow at Fairmount Memorial Park.
Mrs. Everhart, who died Wednesday, was born in Seattle.
She married James Jackson in 1940. He died in 1987.
An 80-year Spokane resident, she worked in the retail clothing business.
In 1991 she married Lynch Everhart.
She volunteered as a docent for the Cheney Cowles Museum.
Survivors include her husband; two sons, Ronald and Forrest Jackson, both of Spokane; and three grandchildren.
Margaret Woodruff Spokane
Graveside service for Margaret Elizabeth (Green) Woodruff, 87, will be at 11 a.m. Monday at Riverside Memorial Park. Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Woodruff, who was born in Peoria, Ill., died Tuesday.
She was a 45-year Spokane resident and worked as a nurses aide.
Her husband, Willard, died in 1987.
Survivors include seven children; a sister, Marie of Hammond, Ind.; 11 grandchildren, 19 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren.
Laura Smith Spokane
Memorial service for Laura A. Smith, 87, will be at 11 a.m. Monday at Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home.
A lifetime Spokane resident, Mrs. Smith died Wednesday.
She graduated in 1930 from North Central High School.
Mrs. Smith was a homemaker.
Her husband, Eugene, died in 1978.
Survivors include four children, Rickie Sapp, and Laurene and Jack Smith, all of Spokane, and Jo Roseborough of Sandpoint; 10 grandchildren, 20 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Heart Association.
Susan (Nicolls) Petersen Spokane
Visitation for Susan J. (Nicolls) Petersen, 93, is planned for 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday at Heritage Funeral Home. Graveside service will be at 1 p.m. Wednesday at Riverside Memorial Park.
A 27-year Spokane resident, Mrs. Petersen died Wednesday. She was born in O’Neill, Neb.
She worked as a nurses aide in nursing homes.
Her husband preceded her in death.
Survivors include three sons, Sam Petersen of Spokane, Walter Hartman of Coeur d’Alene and Bernard Hartman of Fife, Wash.; two daughters, Betty Lou McRae and Delores Michel, both of Spokane; a sister, Irene Davis of California; and numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren.
Betty Haskins Spokane
No service will be held for Betty R. Haskins at her request. Kramer Funeral Home in Palouse, Wash., is in charge of arrangements.
A 50-year Spokane resident, Mrs. Haskins died Thursday. She was 77.
She was born in Amber, Wash., and graduated from Amber High School in 1941. She received a nursing degree in Wenatchee.
Mrs. Haskins worked as a registered nurse in Wenatchee, Seattle, Spokane and Hawaii. She retired after working at Eastern State Hospital in Medical Lake for 14 years.
She was a member of the Methodist church.
Survivors include her husband of 51 years, Elvin; a son, Eugene Haskins of Cheney; a daughter, Claudia Haskins of Spokane; and a brother, John Harris of Cheney.
Dean Schott Odessa, Wash.
Visitation for Dean R. Schott, 40, is planned for 9 to 11 a.m. Monday in the chapel at Odessa Cemetery. Graveside service will follow at 11:30 a.m. at the cemetery. Strate Funeral Home in Davenport, Wash., is in charge of arrangements.
A lifetime Odessa resident, Mr. Schott died Tuesday after a work-related shop accident.
He graduated from Odessa High school in 1978.
Mr. Schott was a partner in Schott and Sons Automotive in Odessa.
He was an associate member of the Odessa Vet’s Club and a member of Odessa Duck’s Unlimited.
Survivors include his wife, Tami; a daughter, Shari Schott, at the home; his parents, Wilbert and Carol Schott of Odessa; two brothers, Dale and Richard Schott, both of Spokane; and a sister, Anne Schmierer of Odessa.
Larry Logue Hayden, Idaho
No service will be held for Larry Keith Logue, 57. Yates Funeral Home in Coeur d’Alene is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Logue, who was born in Bakersfield, Calif., died Tuesday.
He grew up and graduated from high school in Clovis, Calif., and then attended Fresno City College for two years.
Mr. Logue lived in California until settling in Hayden in 1992. He owned the Double L Mfg. Co. in Coeur d’Alene and did business in the Spokane area.
Names of surviving family members are not available.