Obituaries
Don Waters Sandpoint
Graveside service for Don Paul Waters, 45, was Oct. 30. Coffelt Funeral Service in Sandpoint was in charge of arrangements.
Born in Hollywood, Calif., Mr. Waters died Oct. 26.
He lived in California before moving to Ohio, where he attended high school and then served with the Marine Corps.
Mr. Waters settled in Redondo Beach, Calif., after his military service and worked as a Harley Davidson mechanic for R.C. Engineering. He also helped build custom cars. His family owned the Mercury featured in the movie, “Grease.”
In 1976 he married Jessie Walker. They moved to Sandpoint in 1979, and he worked as a commercial hunting guide in Heron, Mont.
Mr. Waters was a member of the United Citizens for Justice and the National Rifle Association, and enjoyed hunting, fishing and outdoor recreation.
Survivors include his wife; four children, Jason Waters of Las Vegas, Nev., Dylan Waters of Sandpoint, Acie Henley III of Coeur d’Alene, and Gina Mendez of Libby, Mont.; his mother, Rosella Waters, and sister, Bonnie Waters, both of California; and five grandchildren.
Ernest Abitz Spokane
Service for Ernest Lewis Abitz, 84, will be at 11 a.m. today at Riplinger Funeral Home. Graveside service with military honors will follow at Spokane Memorial Gardens.
A lifetime Spokane resident, Mr. Abitz died Wednesday.
He served in the Civilian Conservation Corps and during World War II Mr. Abitz served in the Navy.
He worked as a welder for Union Iron Works. He then worked for the city of Spokane as a foreman at the wastewater treatment plant.
He was a member of Pilgrim Lutheran Church and the Civilian Conservation Corps, Spokane Chapter No. 41 Survivors include his wife, Opal; a daughter, Madelynn Mercer of Rainier, Wash.; two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Eleanor (Forgey) Smith Spokane
Service for Eleanor K. (Forgey) Jensen Smith, 82, will be at 11 a.m. today at Good Hope Lutheran Church in Lind, Wash. Burial will follow at the Lind Cemetery. Danekas Funeral Home in Ritzville, Wash., is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Smith, a former longtime Lind resident, died Wednesday. She was born in Savoy, Mont.
Her family moved to Sandpoint when she was a child and she graduated from Sandpoint High School.
She worked as a cook for restaurants in Ritzville and Lind, and also was a homemaker.
Mrs. Smith moved to Spokane five years ago.
Two husbands, Victor Jensen and Norman Smith, preceded her in death.
Survivors include three daughters, Vicki Jensen of Spokane, Val Watson of Lind and Sharon Woodard of Snohomish, Wash.; three sons, Allen Jensen of Spokane, Ralph Jensen of Valley, Wash., and Carl Jensen of Marysville, Wash.; 14 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Good Hope Lutheran Church, Lind, WA 99341.
John Newman Post Falls
Visitation for John E. Newman, 83, will be today from noon to 5 p.m. at English Funeral Chapel in Post Falls. Vigil service will follow at 6 p.m. at the chapel. Funeral Mass is planned for Tuesday at 11 a.m. at St. George’s Roman Catholic Church in Post Falls. Mr. Newman, who was born in Sioux Falls, S.D., died Friday.
In 1943 he married Kathryn House.
He served in the Army during World War II and the Korean War. He retired as a major after 25 years.
Mr. Newman lived in California and worked as a contract manager for Hughes Aircraft until retiring in 1978.
They moved to Post Falls in 1998.
He was a member of the Retired Officer’s Association and St. George’s Catholic Church.
Survivors include his wife; two sons, Larry and Steven Newman, both of California; two daughters, Nancy Davis and Sally Aragon, both of Post Falls; two brothers, Roger Newman of Denver and Mark Newman of Mississippi; two sisters, Jayne Johnson of Denver and Virginia White of Laguna Beach, Calif.; and 11 grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of North Idaho, 280 W. Prairie Ave., Coeur d’Alene, ID 83815, or St. George’s Catholic Church, 2004 N. William, Post Falls, ID 83854.
Harry Castino Spokane
Service for Harry L. Castino, 87, will be at 1:30 p.m. today in the Sunset Mausoleum at Fairmount Memorial Park. Burial will follow. Riplinger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
A lifetime Spokane resident, Mr. Castino died Wednesday.
He graduated from Lewis and Clark High School in 1932.
In 1934 he went to work for the H. Earl Clark Service Station and from 1937 to 1944 he worked for Brown Trailers Inc.
Mr. Castino worked at Galena Air Depot from 1944 to 1945 and later served as president and general manager of the Aero-Liner Co. He retired in the early 1970s.
Survivors include his wife of 61 years, Verine; two daughters, Patricia Enkem of Spokane and Kathleen Patterson of Scottsdale, Ariz.; two sons, James Castino of Tacoma and John Castino of Vancouver, Wash.; a sister, Josephine Priano, and a brother, Ernest Castino, both of Spokane; and seven grandchildren.
Gordon Hurt Spokane
No service will be held for Gordon B. Hurt, 82, at the family’s request. Hazen and Jaeger Valley Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Born in Athol, Idaho, Mr. Hurt died Oct. 24.
He graduated in 1936 from Athol High School.
Mr. Hurt worked for the Forest Service before moving to the Spokane Valley in 1939.
He enlisted in the Army in 1942 and achieved the rank of staff sergeant while serving in Europe. He was discharged in 1945.
In 1955 he began working as a heat treat supervisor at Kaiser Aluminum Trentwood. He retired in 1983.
Mr. Hurt was a member of the Lilac City Good Sam RV Club and the Eagles Lodge No. 486 in Coeur d’Alene.
Survivors include his wife of 58 years, Harriet; three daughters, Janet and Judy Hurt, both of Spokane, and Barbara Tompkins of Independence, Mo.; two sons, Gordon and Gary Hurt, both of Spokane; two sisters, Doris Keller of Spokane and Wanda Gettman of Shelton, Wash.; eight grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Arthritis Foundation, 3876 Bridge Way N. Suite 300, Seattle, WA 98103.
Madelyn Snodgrass Hayden, Idaho
No service is planned for Madelyn Snodgrass, 77. Yates Funeral Home in Coeur d’Alene is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Snodgrass, who was born in Kellogg, died Friday.
She graduated from Kellogg High School in 1940.
She attended the University of Idaho and Colorado Women’s College. She later moved to Coeur d’Alene and married Lewis “Bus” Snodgrass.
The couple later settled in Hayden.
Her husband died in 1978.
Survivors include a daughter, Roxan Laramee of Texas; and one grandson, Tracy Cameron of Hayden.
Harden Lybbert Cheney
Service for Harden Olden Lybbert, 92, was Saturday at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Grape Driver Chapel, in Moses Lake. Burial followed at Pioneer Memorial Gardens in Moses Lake.
Mr. Lybbert, who died Sunday, was born in Fort Duchesne, Utah.
He married Delsa Wright in 1931.
They lived in Canada and Montana before moving to Moses Lake in 1946.
Mr. Lybbert owned and managed a mobile home community in Moses Lake.
He moved to the Spokane area two years ago and lived in Spokane, Coeur d’Alene and Cheney.
Mr. Lybbert was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
His wife died in 1996.
Survivors include three sons, Clifford Lybbert of Spokane, Enoch Lybbert of Cheney and Dennis Lybbert of Medical Lake; two daughters, Naomi Broan of Post Falls and Thelda Evans of Moses Lake; a brother, George Lybbert of Canada; two sisters, Fern Duce of Lethbridge, Alberta, and Wanda Betts of Canada; 48 grandchildren, 129 great-grandchildren and 35 great-great-grandchildren.
James Clark Spokane
Service for James E. “Jim” Clark, 69, will be at 2 p.m. today at Heritage Funeral Home.
Mr. Clark, a 65-year Spokane resident died Wednesday. He was born in Spokane.
He served in the Marine Corps from 1950 to 1952 and was stationed in San Diego.
In 1953 he married Patricia Mittelstadt.
Mr. Clark worked as a salesman for the Carnation Co. He was a member of the Manito Lions Club and the Northwest Wildlife Council.
Survivors include his wife; three daughters, Cheryl Backus and Lisa Howell, both of Spokane, and Mary Forenss of Everett; two brothers, Earl Clark Jr. of Colfax, Wash., and Thomas Clark of Edmonds, Wash.; a sister, Phyllis Rima of Spokane; and three grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Manito Lions Club.
Anna (Schoepflin) Harvey Spokane
Visitation for Anna (Schoepflin) Harvey, 89, will be from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. today at Heritage Funeral Home. Service is planned for 11 a.m. Tuesday at the funeral home. Burial will follow at Sassin Cemetery in Edwall, Wash.
A longtime Spokane resident, Mrs. Harvey died Wednesday. She was born in Lamont, Wash.
She graduated in 1929 from Edwall High School.
In 1942 she married William Harvey and was a homemaker.
Mrs. Harvey was a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Survivors include her husband; a brother, Albert Schoepflin of Farmington, Wash.; and a sister, Helen Houpt of Jackson, Mich.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Heart Association.
Jean Jacobs Spokane
No service will be held for Jean J. (Johnson) Jacobs, 72. Heritage Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Jacobs, who was born in Tacoma, died Oct. 29.
She moved to Spokane in 1967. During Expo ‘74 she managed the Greyhound World Tours housing bureau.
Mrs. Jacobs worked as an antique dealer for 30 years in Spokane and as a telephone operator for Greyhound Bus Line.
She was a member of the Order of Eastern Star.
Survivors include her husband of 36 years, M.E.; three daughters, Mary Lou Johnson of Spanaway, Wash., and Joanne Martin and Cindy Periglio, both of Seattle; two sons, Barry House of Tacoma and Tom Jacobs of Seattle; 14 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren.
Barbara Cokayne Spokane
No service will be held for Barbara J. Cokayne, 61, at her request. The Neptune Society of Washington is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Cokayne, a 21-year Spokane resident, died Wednesday.
She was born in Boulder, Colo., and raised in Englewood, Colo.
In 1959 she married Henry Cokayne. They divorced in 1974.
Mrs. Cokayne moved to Spokane in 1979 from Salem, Ore.
She worked as a volunteer for Attorney General Ken Eikenberry’s office as a consumer complaint specialist. After two years she was hired as a supervisor to help in the development of the Consumer Protection Division. She retired in 1999.
Survivors include a son, James Cokayne of Greenacres; two daughters, Teresa Heidecker of Otis Orchards and Amy Goude of Colbert; a brother, Richard Banister of Downey, Calif.; a sister, Judy Newblom of Franktown, Colo.; and 11 grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to Horizon Hospice or the American Cancer Society.
Samuel Rykus Spokane
Service for Samuel S. Rykus, was Friday at Temple Beth Shalom. Burial followed at Mount Nebo Cemetery.
Born in Portland, Mr. Rykus died Wednesday.
He graduated in 1929 from Lewis and Clark High School, and in 1936 married Ruth Brown.
Mr. Rykus had owned and operated Inland Metal Company since 1943.
He was a board member of the United Jewish Appeal from 1946 to 1953, and a member of the Congregational Kneseth Israel and B’nai B’rith since 1936.
Mr. Rykus was a member of the Congressional Advisory Board, the Masons, the Shriners and the Elks Lodge. He was also a member of the institute of Scrap Iron and Steel, the Spokane Jewish Community Welfare Society and Temple Beth Shalom. He was past president of the Spokane Temple Mens Club.
Survivors include his wife; two daughters, Robyn and Annette; nine grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.