Obituaries
Ethel Ford Spokane
Service for Ethel Vivian Ford, a lifetime Spokane resident, will be at 1 p.m. today at Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home. Burial will follow at Riverside Memorial Park.
Miss Ford, 83, died Friday.
During World War II she worked with airplanes in Alaska and then at the Galena Army Air Depot.
Miss Ford worked in the small appliance department of The Crescent department store. She later worked in the shipping and receiving department at Sparco.
Survivors include a son, James Ford of Spokane; a brother, Francis Ford of Spokane; three grandchildren, two stepgrandsons and one great-granddaughter.
Alfred Beck Grand Coulee, Wash.
Service for Alfred Lee “Al” Beck, 86, will be at 2 p.m. today at Zion Lutheran Church in Grand Coulee. Burial will follow at Spring Canyon Cemetery near Grand Coulee. Strate Funeral Home in Grand Coulee is in charge of arrangements.
A 30-year Grand Coulee resident, Mr. Beck died Friday. He was born in Poyen, Ark.
He worked in the construction industry. Mr. Beck was a member of the Ironworkers Union, the Richland Masonic Lodge, the El Katif Shrine and the Grand Coulee Eagles Lodge.
Survivors include his wife, Laurel; three sons, Bryon Beck of Kennewick, Philip Phillips of Poyen and Rodrick Beck of Shawnee, Ark.; a daughter, Seo Glaze of Malvern, Ark.; a half-brother, Richard Webb of Malvern; 14 grandchildren and several great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Shriners Hospital for Children or Coulee Community Hospital, Grand Coulee, WA 99133.
Mellie Escovy Coeur d’Alene
Funeral Mass for Mellie Escovy, 52, will be at 1 p.m. today at St. Pius X Roman Catholic Church in Coeur d’Alene. Yates Funeral Home in Coeur d’Alene is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Escovy, who was born in the Philippines, died Friday.
She moved to the United States at the age of 6 and graduated from high school in San Francisco. She attended San Francisco State College and studied nursing.
In 1969 she married Michael Escovy. They lived in California until settling in Spokane in 1988. They moved to Coeur d’Alene in 1993.
Mrs. Escovy was also a seamstress.
Survivors include her husband; a son, Warren Escovy of Houston; two brothers, Rudy and Steven Balanon, both of California; three sisters, Lily Lake of Florida, and Tina Nalley and Esther Africa, both of California; and one granddaughter, Kellie Rose.
Maria Duenas Spokane
Vigil service for Maria C. Duenas, 77, will be at 7 p.m. Friday at Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home. Funeral Mass is planned for 10 a.m. Saturday at St. Augustine Roman Catholic Church. Burial will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery.
Born in Agana, Guam, Miss Duenas died last Tuesday.
She was a 24-year Spokane resident.
Miss Duenas worked as the executive secretary for the Guam Legislature and as treasurer for the Guam government for 35 years.
She was a member of St. Augustine Catholic Church and St. Joseph Catholic Church in Colbert. She was also a member of the Sodality of Mary and Agana Cathedral Choir.
Survivors include a son, Rudy Duenas of Colbert; two brothers, Cristobal and Ricardo Duenas; three sisters, Carmen Perez, Isabell Mendiola and Eliza Cruz; and two grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association or Sacred Heart Medical Center.
Vivian (Kelly) Hopkins Spokane
No service will be held for Vivian R. (Kelly) Hopkins, 91, at her request. The Neptune Society of Washington is in charge of arrangements.
Born in Condon, Ore., Mrs. Hopkins died Thursday.
She was a 18-year Spokane resident.
Mrs. Hopkins owned and operated a credit collections company.
Her husband, Paul, died in 1959.
She is survived by a niece, Marlene Blaue of Garden Grove, Calif.
Ira Wells Spokane
Graveside service for Ira W. Wells, 94, will be at 11 a.m. today at Pleasant Prairie Cemetery in Green Bluff. Hazen and Jaeger Valley Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Wells, who was born in Gilbert Plains, Manitoba, died Friday.
As a young man he farmed with his family. After receiving a commercial dairy processing certificate in 1925 from the University of Manitoba, he worked for creameries in Grand Forks and Vancouver, British Columbia.
He moved to Spokane in 1926. Mr. Wells worked for the Hazelwood and Benewah creameries in Spokane for 20 years. He also farmed in the Pleasant Prairie area from the 1940s until 1999.
He served on the board of education for the Pleasant Prairie and West Valley school districts.
Mr. Wells was a member of First Free Methodist Church. He was a volunteer for the Spokane Food Bank, the Retired Senior Volunteer Program, Girl Scouts of America and Boy Scouts of America.
Survivors include his wife, Frances; a son, Gilbert Wells of Parma, Idaho; two daughters, Daphne McGregory of Olympia and Mary Ellen Shy of Huntington, W. Va.; two foster children, Frank Loehner of Spokane and Barbara Bockstruck of Hauser Lake, Idaho; 10 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to First Free Methodist Church.
Barbara (Longbottom) McClure Spokane
Visitation for Barbara Beth (Longbottom) McClure, 73, will be from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. today at Riplinger Funeral Home. Service is planned for 4 p.m. Wednesday at Covenant United Methodist Church. Graveside service will be at 3 p.m. Thursday at Maplewood Cemetery in Stevensville, Mont.
Born in Britt, Iowa, Mrs. McClure died March 20.
In 1944 she graduated from high school in Stevensville. She moved to Spokane and in 1947 graduated from the Deaconess School of Nursing as a registered nurse.
She married Cliff Robinson in 1948. They later divorced.
Mrs. McClure was a registered nurse at Deaconess Hospital in the emergency room and the poison center.
In 1962 she married Dick McClure. He died in 1988.
Survivors include three sons, Phil, Rick and Craig Robinson of Spokane; a brother, Garth Longbottom of Spokane; and four grandsons.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Lung Association or the Deaconess Nursing Alumni Association.
Jacquelin McCabe Coeur d’Alene
Service for Jacquelin A. McCabe, 68, will be held Thursday at 1 p.m. at English Funeral Chapel in Coeur d’Alene with burial to follow at Forest Cemetery in Coeur d’Alene.
Mrs. McCabe, who was born in Spokane, died Sunday.
She grew up in Coeur d’Alene and married Francis “Bob” McCabe in 1956. She was a homemaker.
Mrs. McCabe was a member of St. Thomas Roman Catholic Church in Coeur d’Alene.
She was preceded in death by her husband in 1996.
Survivors include three sons, Michael, Stephen and John McCabe, all of Coeur d’Alene; two daughters, Debra McCabe of Spokane and Tina Haskin of Coeur d’Alene; two brothers, Jim Custer of Post Falls and Chauncey Custer of Coeur d’Alene; a sister, Joyce Green of Lewiston; and three grandsons.
Memorials may be made to Hospice of North Idaho, 280 W. Prairie Ave., Coeur d’Alene, ID 83815.
Verlee Lowe Exeter, Calif.
No service will be held for Verlee Louise Lowe, 56. Webb-Sanders Funeral Home in Lindsay, Calif., is in charge of arrangements.
A former 30-year Spokane resident, Mrs. Lowe died Thursday. She was born in Lincoln, Neb.
She worked as a machine operator in the electronics business for 10 years.
She recently moved to Exeter.
Mrs. Lowe was a member of the Evergreen Club in Spokane.
Survivors include a daughter, Taunya Hedbor of Oregon City, Ore.; her father, Paul Lowe of Lindsay; her mother, Mary Lowe of Lindsay; a brother, Michael Lowe of Boise; and a sister, Vickie Becker of Lindsay.
Robert Johnson Spokane
Memorial Mass for Robert “Bob” Johnson, 52, will be at 1 p.m. today at St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church in Colbert. Spokane Cremation and Burial Service is in charge of arrangements.
A lifetime Spokane resident, Mr. Johnson died Saturday.
He graduated in 1966 from North Central High School and in 1970 from Eastern Washington University.
Mr. Johnson was an insurance broker for GVI Corp.
Survivors include his wife of 29 years, Ellen; a son, Jim Johnson; a daughter, Lisa Williams; and two sisters, Patty Coolbaugh and Arlene Ellis.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Ronald McDonald House.
Ronald Dillon Mead
Service for Ronald Allen Dillon, 58, will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday in the chapel at Holy Cross Cemetery. The Neptune Society of Washington is in charge of arrangements.
A 46-year Mead resident, Mr. Dillon died Saturday. He was born in Veradale.
He graduated from Mead High School.
Mr. Dillon worked as an electrician at Kaiser Aluminum in Mead for 38 years. He had recently retired.
He was a volunteer firefighter for 25 years and had served for 20 years as the fire chief for the Mount Spokane Fire District.
Mr. Dillon was a member of the Eagles Lodge.
Survivors include his wife of 39 years, Karen; a son, Ken Dillon of Bonney Lake, Wash.; three daughters, Paula Sprague, and Pamela Jacobson and Trish Pennington, both of Mead; two sisters, Betty Dethloff of Mead and Mary Hubert of Metaline Falls, Wash.; a brother, Robert Dillon of Mead; and several grandchildren.
Henry Hornbaker Spokane
Memorial service for Henry S. Hornbaker, 50, is planned for 11 a.m. Wednesday at Heritage Funeral Home.
A 30-year Spokane resident, Mr. Hornbaker died Wednesday. He was born in Hagerstown, Md.
He served in the Air Force and had worked as a furniture salesman.
Survivors include his wife of 28 years, Kenlyn; two daughters, Kelli Hornbaker of Spokane and Brandy Hornbaker of Seattle; his mother, Wanda Stoneberger of Hagerstown; a brother, Ray Hornbaker of Crestview, Fla.; a sister, Mary Miller of Pikesburg, Md.; a stepbrother, Ray Kline of Sharpsburg, Md.; and one grandchild.
Bruce Blake Spokane
Visitation for Bruce A. Blake, 56, will be from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. today and Wednesday at Riplinger Funeral Home. Graveside service is planned for 1 p.m. Thursday at the Cedonia (Wash.) Community Cemetery.
Mr. Blake died Thursday. He was born in Seattle.
He was a Spokane resident for 22 years.
Mr. Blake served in the Army. He later worked as a mechanic in an automotive repair shop.
Survivors include his wife of 29 years, Carol; three daughters, Rosealeen Blake, Margaret Dilly and Brandy Abbott, all of Spokane; his mother, Frances Blake of Casa Grande, Ariz.; three sisters, Carol Mugaas of Colville, Wash., Suzanne Nicholson of Addy, Wash., and Lynn Stevens of Casa Grande; and four grandchildren.