Obituaries
James `Vern’ Wells Priest River, Idaho
Service for James LaVern “Vern” Wells, 62, will be at 1 p.m. Thursday at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Priest River. Burial will follow at Evergreen Cemetery in Priest River. Sherman-Knapp Funeral Home in Newport, Wash., is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Wells, who was born in Leslie, Idaho, died Friday.
In 1958 he married Jacqueline Gibbs.
In 1959 he started working for Hedlund Lumber Co., which later became Georgia Pacific and Louisiana Pacific. The mill was closed in 1994 and he was transferred to the Chilco (Idaho) mill, where he was working most recently.
Mr. Wells was a member of the Sawfilers Association, Moscow (Idaho) Appalooosa Horse Club and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was ringmaster for numerous Bonner County horse shows and a 4-H volunteer.
Survivors include his wife; three sons, Jim and James Wells, both of Priest River, and Jeff Wells of Post Falls; two daughters, Marcy Bolster of Waitsburg, Wash., and Melanie Schultz of LaGrande, Ore.; a brother, Frank Wells of Grand Prairie, Alberta; two sisters, Fay Shoopman of Tonasket, Wash., and Donna Phillips of Oldtown, Idaho; and 16 grandchildren.
Deborah (Carey) Hutto Cusick, Wash.
Service for Deborah E. (Carey) Hutto, 45, will be at 2 p.m. today at the Newport (Wash.) Cemetery. Heritage Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Hutto, who was born in Fort Jackson, S.C., died Wednesday. She was a 10-year Cusick resident.
She worked as a pharmacy technician.
Survivors include her husband, John; two daughters, Beth Webb of Chattaroy and Michelle Hutto of Ellensburg; four brothers, John and Donald Carey, both of Augusta Springs, Va., Dewey Carey of Thomson, Ga., and Steve Carey of Beaufort, S.C.; a sister, Mary Snow of Aiken, S.C.; and three grandchildren.
Loraine (Pickett) McFarland Spokane
Memorial service for Loraine Ethel (Pickett) McFarland, 82, will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday at Heritage Funeral Home.
Mrs. McFarland, who died Friday, was born in Lordsburg, N.M.
She grew up in Albuquerque, N.M., and graduated in 1935 from Albuquerque High School.
In 1941 she married Archie McFarland. They lived in New York, Guam, New Jersey, Scotland, Alaska and Virginia, before moving to Spokane in 1967.
Mrs. McFarland worked for the Farm Bureau from 1967 to 1977. She and her husband farmed on Indian Prairie until moving into the city in 1989.
Her husband died in 1993.
Survivors include a son, John McFarland of Newport News, Va.; two daughters, Jeanne Cammarell of Spokane and Peggy Ivey of Kennewick; and two grandsons.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Vanessa Behan Crisis Nursery.
Adaline Olson Spokane
No service will be held for Adaline Olson, 94. Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
A lifetime Spokane resident, Mrs. Olson died Saturday.
She worked as a bookkeeper for an insurance company.
She was a member of the Church of Religious Science and Imperial Rebekah Lodge 58.
Miss Olson is survived by a sister, Emily Guillaume of Spokane.
Eva (Dech) DeMers Spokane
Visitation for Eva (Dech) DeMers, 96, will be from noon to 5 p.m. today and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday at Heritage Funeral Home. Service is planned for 11 a.m. Thursday at Heritage Funeral Home. Burial will follow at Greenwood Memorial Terrace.
A lifetime Spokane resident, Mrs. DeMers died Saturday.
She graduated in 1924 from North Central High School. In 1929 she married Harvey DeMers.
Mrs. DeMers worked as a stenographer, cook, maid and housekeeper.
She was a member of the Order of Eastern Star, Rebekah Lodge and the Lilac City Grandmother’s Club. A member of the Hillyard Senior Center, she also served on its board of directors and as president.
Her husband died in 1981.
Survivors include a son, Robert DeMers of Spokane; two daughters, Barbara Clark of Spokane and Dorothy DeMers of Wilbur, Wash.; a sister, Louise Sonnenburg of Spokane; three grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Anna Ogden Hall for Women and Children or Hospice of Spokane.
Mildred (Stelljes) Kromm Spokane
Memorial service for Mildred B. (Stelljes) Kromm, 76, will be at 2 p.m. today at Bethlehem Lutheran Church. Riplinger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Kromm, who was born in Walla Walla, died Thursday. She was a 45-year Spokane resident.
She was a homemaker and had also worked as a market researcher. She was a member of Bethlehem Lutheran Church.
Her husband of 56 years, Elmer, preceded her in death.
Survivors include two daughters, Kathleen Bjorklund of Spokane and Stephenie Roff of Berlin, N.Y.; a sister, Thelma Dorion of Lewiston; two brothers, Delbert Stelljes of Clarkston and Harold Stelljes of Lewiston; six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to Bethlehem Lutheran Church.
Margaret (Turcotte) Reed Elk
Service for Margaret Rose (Turcotte) Reed, 84, will be at 11 a.m. today at Peaceful Valley Church in Elk. Burial will follow at 2 p.m. at Spokane Memorial Gardens. Sherman-Knapp Funeral Home in Newport, Wash., is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Reed, who died Thursday, was born in Palouse, Wash.
After graduating from Coeur d’Alene High School, she married Frank Malby in 1934.
They moved to the Spokane area in 1952, where she was a homemaker.
Her husband died in 1987.
She married Ralph Reed in 1988, and they lived at Eloika Lake.
Mrs. Reed was a member of Peaceful Valley Church and Fertile Valley Grange.
Survivors include her husband; two sons, Doug Malby of Newport and Mike Malby of Kalispell, Mont.; and four grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Peaceful Valley Church, P.O. Box 9, Elk, WA 99009.
Josephine `Ena’ Figg Spokane
Private service will be held for Josephine “Ena” Figg, 92. Burial will be at Fairmount Memorial Park. Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Born in Ireland, Mrs. Figg died Thursday.
She was a 31-year Spokane resident and a homemaker.
Her husband of 54 years, Henry, died in 1982.
Survivors include a son, John Figg, and a daughter, Colleen Figg, both of Reardan, Wash.; a brother, Harry of Ireland; two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Ray Reed Spokane
Memorial service for Ray Reed, 44, will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday at Thornhill Valley Funeral Home.
Mr. Reed, who was born in Coeur d’Alene, died Friday.
He graduated from University High School.
Mr. Reed owned a grocery store in Davenport, Wash., and managed a grocery store in Coulee Dam, Wash.
In 1988 he married Mary Caudle. They moved back to Spokane in 1990.
For the past 15 years he had worked as a zone sales manager for Wonder Bread. He was an Eagle Scout.
Survivors include his wife; a daughter, Loni Reed, and a son, Corey Reed, both of Post Falls; his former wife, Gail Reed of Post Falls; his parents, John and Darlita Reed of Post Falls; and two brothers, Todd Reed of Coeur d’Alene and Ron Reed of Moses Lake.
Robert McCann Olympia
Service for Robert A. “Bob” McCann was held Oct. 28 at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Olympia. Mr. McCann, who was born in Frazeysburg, Ohio, died Oct. 24. He was 88.
He graduated from Frazeysburg High School in 1927 and later moved to Spokane.
During the 1930s he worked as a manager for Washington Public Assistance.
In 1938 he married Mary Wilson. She died in 1962.
He was one of the first managers of the Spokane Chamber of Commerce in the 1940s.
In the early 1950s he worked as the manager of the Missoula Chamber of Commerce and as president of Indian Affairs in Missoula for one year. Mr. McCann returned to Spokane and worked as a lobbyist for the mining industry.
He moved to Olympia in 1968 and worked as a legislative liaison for Washington State with the Department of Social and Health Services. He retired in 1974.
Mr. McCann later married Clara Tavis.
He was a member of the Masons, The Episcopal Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Spokane, St. John’s Episcopal Church in Olympia and the Legislative Old Timers.
His wife died in 1995.
Survivors include two daughters, Mary Perman of Vancouver, Wash., and Robin Turner of St. Louis; and three grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society, the Christian Education Departments at The Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, or St. John’s Episcopal Church, Capitol Way at 19th, Olympia, WA 98502.
Marvin Tarrell Spokane
Funeral Mass for Marvin L. Tarrell, 61, will be at 8 a.m. today at Mount St. Michael’s. Burial will follow at Holy Rosary Cemetery. Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Born in Bonners Ferry, Idaho, Mr. Tarrell died Friday. He was a 40-year Spokane resident.
He worked as a farmer and later as a truck driver.
In 1989 he married Mary Booth.
Mr. Tarrell was a member of Mount St. Michael Catholic Church.
Survivors include his wife; five stepchildren, Phil, Daniel, Marguita, Roxanne and Max Booth; and a brother, Ken Tarrell.
Michael Walker Chattaroy
Service for Michael L. Walker, 19, will be at 10 a.m. today at Timberview Christian Fellowship Free Methodist Church in Mead. Burial will follow at Woodland Cemetery in Deer Park. Heritage Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Walker, who was born in Auburn, Wash., died Thursday.
He was a high school student and a member of the Timberview Christian Fellowship Free Methodist Church.
Survivors include his parents, William and Florence Walker of Chattaroy; five brothers, Tony Walker of Spokane, Cody Walker of Chattaroy, Mark and Marty McCully, both of Troy, Idaho, and Monty McCully of Lahaina, Hawaii; and seven sisters, Marcia, Jolynn, Megan and Rose Walker, all of Chattaroy, Melanie White of Tacoma, Michelle Brown of Los Malinas, Calif., and Melissa Walker of Taiwan.
Memorial contributions may be made to Timberview Christian Fellowship Free Methodist Church.
Joyce Loasby Florence, Ore.
Memorial service for Joyce D. Loasby, a former Spokane resident, will be held at a later date in Richland. Burn’s Riverside Funeral Home in Florence is in charge of arrangements.
Born in Marengo, Ind., Mrs. Loasby died Oct. 16. She was 78.
From 1942 to 1945 she worked on the Manhattan Project for the Corps of Engineers in Hanford, Wash.
She married Harry Loasby in 1946. They lived in Richland where she was a homemaker and an auxiliary volunteer at Kadlec Hospital.
Mrs. Loasby and her husband moved to Spokane in 1985 and to Florence in 1999.
Survivors include her husband; two daughters, Carol Wood of Florence and Diane Murray of Carlsbad, Calif.; four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association; Peace Harbor Hospice, Florence, Ore., or to Our Foster Family Care Center, 22nd and Spruce, Florence, OR 97439.