Obituaries
Robert Kloepfel Jr. Spokane
Memorial open house for Robert C. Kloepfel Jr., 43, will be from 4 to 7 p.m. today at 4218 N. Post. Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Kloepfel, who was born in Spokane, died Wednesday. He was a 25-year Spokane resident.
He lived in Tacoma for 18 years and then moved back to Spokane.
Mr. Kloeofel worked as an auto mechanic in Spokane for several years.
Survivors include his wife, Wanda; a daughter, Cami Tinnel of Apache Junction, Ariz.; a son, Eric Hoover of Spokane; two sisters, Barbara Wilson and Connie Quintana, both of Spokane; three brothers, Mickey and Daniel Kloepfel, both of Spokane, and Donald Kloepfel of Orting, Wash.; and four grandchildren.
Clarence Egbert Spokane
Memorial service for Clarence B. Egbert, 86, will be at 9:30 a.m. today at Opportunity Christian Church. Heritage Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Egbert, who died Tuesday, was born in Everett.
He graduated in 1932 from high school in Sandpoint.
Mr. Egbert worked as a civil service heating foreman at Fairchild Air Force Base.
He was an 80-year Spokane resident and was a member of Opportunity Christian Church, for which he served as an elder and was chairman of the board for many years. He also was a member of the Masonic Lodge and held many offices.
Survivors include his wife of 65 years, Neva; two sons, Rob and Sim Egbert, both of Spokane; a brother, Robert Egbert of San Diego; four grandchildren and one great-grandson.
Memorial contributions may be made to Opportunity Christian Church.
Ralph Cram Stites, Idaho
Service for Ralph LeRoy Cram, 77, will be at 10 a.m. today at Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home. Private burial will be at Fairmount Memorial Park.
Mr. Cram, who was born in Stites, died Wednesday.
He moved to Spokane in 1941, and in 1942 he married Mavis Olson.
He served in the Air Force during World War II.
He owned and operated A & C Auto Wrecking, C & T Truck Parts and Cram’s C & T Salvage.
His wife died in 1992.
Mr. Cram married Florence Morgan in 1993.
Survivors include his wife; five sons, Clyde and Bruce Cram, both of Spokane, and Ralph, Casey and Aaron Cram, all of Graham, Wash.; two daughters, Roxanne Cram and Shawna McNearney, both of Spokane; three stepsons, Clarence Koepke of Okanogan, Wash., Henry Koepke of Tacoma and Richard Koepke of Walla Walla; two stepdaughters, Margie Beaven of Wenatchee and Alice Allen of Omak, Wash.; a brother, Archie Cram of Missoula; and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to Westside Church of the Nazarene or the Parkinson Education Program.
Hollis Ortiz Spokane
Memorial service for Hollis Donn Ortiz, 75, will be at 1 p.m. June 3 at Arrow Point Resort on Lake Coeur d’Alene. The Paul Mortuary in Pacific Grove, Calif., is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Ortiz, who was born in Omaha, Neb., died Tuesday.
She graduated from high school in Omaha. She moved to Spokane in 1964.
Mrs. Ortiz was a homemaker and a member of the Eagles Lodge.
Survivors include three sons, Jeffrey and Tim Ortiz, both of Spokane, and David Schultz of Phoenix; a brother, Jack Wilson of Omaha, Neb.; and three grandchildren.
Jerry Bosequette Spokane
Visitation for Jerry Bosequette, 86, will be from noon to 5 p.m. Sunday and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday at Hazen and Jaeger Valley Funeral Home. Service is planned for 1 p.m. Tuesday at the funeral home. Burial will be at Pines Cemetery.
Mr. Bosequette, who was born in San Francisco, died Tuesday. He was a 43-year Spokane resident.
He served in the Army with the 981st Field Artillery Battalion during World War II. He was discharged as a staff sergeant in 1945.
He was a jockey’s agent and later a thoroughbred breeder and trainer at Playfair Race Course and other West Coast tracks.
Survivors include his wife, Janice; four sons, Paul Hawkins and John, Gary and Jerry Bosequette Jr.; and 11 grandchildren.
Marilyn `Jo’ (Panther) Smith Spokane
Memorial service for Marilyn “Jo” (Panther) Smith, 66, will be at 2 p.m. today at Spokane Valley Baptist Church. Neptune Society of Washington is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Smith, a lifetime Spokane resident, died Sunday.
She was a graduate of Central Valley High School and attended Spokane Community College.
Mrs. Smith was a metallurgical analyst at the Kaiser Aluminum Mead Plant and later was a loan processor at Pacific First Federal Savings Bank.
She was a volunteer with Meals On Wheels, and made recordings of books for the blind.
Survivors include her husband of 48 years, Ronald; five sons, Brad Smith of Elk, Steve Smith of Vancouver, Wash., Mike and Paul Smith, both of Portland, and Bill Smith of San Francisco; four sisters, Allene Hollenback, Normalee Hildebrand, Gladys Stelzer and Vivian Hatherly; 13 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Diabetes Association.
Tormond Tronsen Anderson, S.C.
Graveside service for Tormond J. Tronsen, 94, will be at noon Monday at Greenwood Memorial Cemetery in Spokane.
Born in Molde, Norway, Mr. Tronsen died Feb. 16.
He came to Spokane with his family in 1910 and lived in Spokane until 1994. He then moved to Miami and later settled in Anderson.
From 1935 to 1965 Mr. Tronsen was a photoengraver for Spokane American Engraving, which merged operations with Cowles Publishing Co. in 1961.
Mr. Tronsen is survived by a daughter, Janet Duncan of Anderson; two sisters, Agnes Siverson of Post Falls and Merna Tronsen of South Carolina; three grandchildren and one great-grandson.
Claude Myron Belshaw Wenatchee
Memorial service for Claude Myron Belshaw, 83, was Friday at First United Methodist Church in Wenatchee.
Born and raised in Spokane, Mr. Belshaw died Tuesday.
He served in the Army during World War II.
Mr. Belshaw worked for Motor Supply Co. in Spokane for 26 years. He also was involved with stock-car racing in Mead for several years.
He moved to Wenatchee in 1960 and was a partner in Wenatchee Truck and Tractor for nine years.
In 1967 he moved to Chelan, Wash., where he operated Belshaw’s Truck and Tractor until 1977, when he sold the business. He then operated Belshaw’s Hilltop Marina until retiring in 1981.
Mr. Belshaw moved back to Wenatchee in 1985.
He was a charter member of the Inland Empire Midget Racing Association of Spokane, member of the Chelan Eagles Lodge, past president of Wenatchee Auto Dealers Association, past exalted ruler of Wenatchee Elks Lodge and past president of the Chelan Lions Club.
Survivors include his wife of 63 years, Fern; two daughters, Chris Stahly of Wenatchee and LaVerne Mathers of Lake Forest, Calif.; a sister, Alice Swan of Spokane; five grandsons and two great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to Tall Elks in Wenatchee.
Eleonora Biggs Spokane
Service for Eleonora C. Biggs, 96, was Friday at Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home. Burial was at Fairmount Memorial Park.
Mrs. Biggs, who was born in Fowler, Colo., died Tuesday. She was a 57-year Spokane resident.
She married Robert Biggs in 1933 and was a homemaker. She was a member of the Espanola Grange.
Her husband died in 1983.
Survivors include two sons, Robert Biggs Jr. of Chicago and Larry Biggs of Spokane; three daughters, Laura and Linda Biggs, both of Spokane and Barbara Backus of Pompano Beach, Fla.; seven grandchildren, one stepgranddaughter and two great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Union Gospel Mission or Airway Heights Evangelical Free Church.
Donald `Jim’ Stanton Kettle Falls, Wash.
Service for Donald James “Jim” Stanton, 74, will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Colville, Wash. Inurnment will follow the service.
Born in Chewelah, Wash., Mr. Stanton died Wednesday.
He graduated from Chewelah High School and then served in the Navy in the South Pacific during World War II. He was discharged in 1946.
Mr. Stanton moved to Spokane after his military discharge and attended Gonzaga University.
He later worked as a mechanic for the Kaiser Aluminum Mead Plant for 35 years. He retired in 1983.
In 1978 he married Marjorie Hopkins. They lived in Spokane until 1994, when they moved to Kettle Falls.
He was a pilot and flew small aircraft for the Talarik Lodge on Iliamna Lake in Alaska. He also flew for Stanley Aircraft in Stanley, Idaho, where he gave scenic tours over the Sawtooth Mountains and transported whitewater rafters. He also gave scenic flights of Priest Lake in his Cessna 180.
Survivors include his wife; five daughters, Debbie Long, Shelley Johnson and Jan Roseleip, all of Spokane, Janet Huff of Chewelah and Becky Graham of Studio City, Calif.; six sons, James, Jack and Greg Stanton, all of Spokane, Gary Hopkins of Greenacres, Gary Stanton of Coeur d’Alene and Douglas Hopkins of Bellingham; a sister, Virginia Wick of Florence, Ore.; a brother, Ross Stanton of Eugene, Ore.; 21 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Wishing Star Foundation or the St. Paul Lutheran Church Building Fund in Colville.
Elizabeth Payton Spokane
Memorial service for Elizabeth M. Payton, 72, will be at 3 p.m. Sunday at Central Seventh-day Adventist Church. Private burial will be at Greenwood Memorial Terrace. Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Payton, who was born in Covington, Ky., died Wednesday. She was a 16-year Spokane resident.
She was a homemaker and was a member of Lynnwood and Central Seventh-day Adventist churches.
Mrs. Payton also volunteered at the Better Living Center.
Survivors include her husband of 52 years, Robert; five daughters, Vicki Aldridge and Debbie Kerr, both of Spokane, Teresa Kelling Of Deer Park, Joyce Truxal of Terre Haute, Ind., and Mary Sadowski of Minnesota; three sons, Michael Payton of Spokane, David Payton of Clayton, Wash., and Richard Payton of Texas; 13 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Memorial Contributions may be made to the Better Living Center.
Maryon White Spokane
Memorial service for Maryon Kathleen White, 76, is planned for 2 p.m. Thursday at Riverview Terrace Chapel at Riverview Terrace Care Center. Riplinger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. White, who was born in Omaha, Neb., died Thursday.
She graduated from Whitworth College with a degree in education and taught school in Leavenworth, Wash., Cheney and at Havermale Junior High and Salk Middle schools in Spokane.
She was a 53-year Spokane resident and was a member of Westminster Congregational Church, and was active in bridge clubs, the Sojourner Group and with senior citizens.
Survivors include two goddaughters, Ellen Moe Picton and Barbara Moe.
Memorial contributions may be sent to Riverview Terrace Care Center.