Obituaries
Rex Wendle Spokane
Service for early-day auto dealer Rex Wendle, 95, will be at 2 p.m. Sunday in the chapel at Riverview Retirement Community. Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Born in Montour, Iowa, Mr. Wendle died Wednesday.
His family first moved to Spokane in 1912 and then to Danville, Ill. They moved to Hope, Idaho, in 1916 and then to Sandpoint. He graduated from Sandpoint High School.
He married Eila Waldrop in 1928.
Mr. Wendle received a forestry degree from the University of Idaho. He then joined the National Park Service where he directed the Civilian Conservation Corps work program in the building of Heyburn State Park on Lake Coeur d’Alene. He was later promoted to finance director for the National Park Service in the western United States.
In 1945 he moved his family back to Spokane.
He and his brother, Chud, were partners in a Lincoln-Mercury dealership, which later became Wendle Brothers Lincoln-Mercury. They sold the business in 1957.
Mr. Wendle and his brother started Empire Lease in 1956. He became the manager of operations in 1958. He sold the leasing company in 1979 and began working for Wendle Ford. He did various jobs for the dealership until retiring at the age of 93.
He was a member of the Spokane Country Club and the Hayden Lake (Idaho) Country Club.
Mr. Wendle served as president for the Juvenile Diabetes Association.
His wife died in 1998.
Survivors include two sons, Ronald Wendle of Spokane and Dean Wendle of Grants Pass, Ore.; a daughter, Kay Anderson of Spokane; a brother, Chud Wendle of Fallbrook, Calif.; 14 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation or the Shriners Hospital for Children.
Raymond Arnold Spokane
Service for Raymond E. “Ray” Arnold, 57, will be at 10 a.m. today at Riplinger Funeral Home. Burial will follow at Fairmount Memorial Park.
A 20-year Spokane resident, Mr. Arnold died Tuesday. He was born in Cincinnati.
He served in the Army from 1960 to 1974 as a cook and baker. He then served in the Air National Guard for two years.
He was a member of the Disabled American Veterans.
Survivors include his wife of 15 years, Belinda; four sons, Joshua, Troy, Roger and Raymond Arnold; two daughters, Tiffany Arnold and Tina Dolan; a sister, Marlena Burton of Mowrystown, Ohio; and several grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society or the American Heart Association.
Patrick Roberts Cheney
Memorial service for W. Patrick “Pat” Roberts, 55, will be at 3 p.m. today at Cheney Funeral Chapel.
Mr. Roberts, who was born in Seattle, died Tuesday.
He graduated from high school in California and received a bachelor’s degree in business from Eastern Washington University in 1970.
Mr. Roberts had lived off and on in Cheney for the past 30 years. He worked as an engineer in the construction industry in Oregon, Montana and Washington. He moved back to Cheney 12 years ago.
Survivors include his companion, Kathryn Sawtells of Cheney; his mother, Gladys Roberts of Seattle; and two brothers, John Roberts of Seattle and Robert Roberts of Maple Valley, Wash.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Eastern Washington University Foundation, 127 Hargreaves Hall, Cheney, WA 99004.
Marian Meise Ritzville, Wash.
Visitation for Marian E. Meise, 69, will be from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday at Danekas Funeral Home in Ritzville. Service is planned for 11 a.m. Monday at Ritzville Nazarene Church. Burial will follow at Ritzville Memorial Cemetery.
A lifetime Ritzville resident, Mrs. Meise died Wednesday.
She graduated in 1949 from Ritzville High School. She married Fred Meise in 1951.
Mrs. Meise had worked for Big Bend Electric, the Adams County auditor’s office and was a desk clerk at Colwell Motor Inn from 1977 to 1990. She later worked at Pfann’s Pharmacy and the Ritzville Drug Co. She retired in 1996.
She was a member of Ritzville Nazarene Church.
Her husband died in 1966.
Survivors include two daughters, Cindy Bishop of Spokane and Julie Niezwagg of Ritzville; a sister, Dorothy Smith of Seattle; and six grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Ritzville Park and Recreation District, Ritzville, WA 99169.
W.J. `Bill’ Bircumshaw Mesa, Ariz.
Private graveside service for W.J. “Bill” Bircumshaw will be held at a later date at Greenwood Memorial Terrace in Spokane. Arizona Aftercare in Phoenix is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Bircumshaw, a former Spokane resident, died Oct. 29. He was 88.
He was born in Grass Range, Mont., and raised in Kellogg.
Mr. Bircumshaw operated Bill’s Thrift Store in Spokane for 36 years.
He served as a board member for the URM Stores Inc. and on various boards in the grocery industry.
For the past 12 years he lived in Mesa.
Mr. Bircumshaw was a member of the Manito Masonic Lodge and the El Katif Shrine.
His wife, Ruth, preceded him in death.
Survivors include a son, Harold Bircumshaw; three daughters, Ruth Ann Benson, Mary Lee Carson and Lois Czuba; 10 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
Jean West Plummer, Idaho
No service will be held for Jean A. West, 74, at her request. Yates-Hodge Funeral Home in St. Maries is in charge of arrangements.
Ms. West, who was born in Spokane, died Wednesday.
She grew up in Plummer and married Bernerd Klingbeil in the mid-1940s. She lived in Plummer and was a homemaker. The couple divorced in the 1960s.
She enjoyed cooking and canning, and also raised several cats.
Survivors include two daughters, Louellen St. John and Linda Thompson, both of Tekoa, Wash.; a brother, Pete West of Plummer; a sister, Marguerite Blessing of Spokane; three grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Beatrice Gardner Mesa, Ariz.
Private graveside service for Beatrice Burby Gardner, 95, was Friday at Fairmount Memorial Park.
A former Spokane resident, Mrs. Gardner died Nov. 3. She was born in Coeur d’Alene.
She moved to Spokane in the 1960s and worked as a sales clerk for Newberry’s.
Mrs. Gardner moved to Mesa in the 1990s.
Her husband, Lloyd, died in 1968.
Survivors include a daughter, Dell Holder of Mesa; two grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Sister Margaret LaPorte, SP Spokane
Vigil service for Sister Margaret LaPorte, SP, 84, will be at 7 p.m. Monday at Mount St. Joseph. Funeral Mass is planned for 9:30 a.m. Tuesday at Mount St. Joseph. Burial will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery. Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Sister Margaret, who was born in Missoula, died Wednesday.
She graduated from Sacred Heart Academy in Missoula.
In 1935 she entered the Novitiate of the Sisters of Providence in Seattle. She professed her first vows in 1936 and her final vows in 1939.
Sister Margaret received a normal school certificate from Seattle University in 1935, teaching diplomas from schools in Montana and a bachelor’s degree in education and social science from the College of Great Falls (Mont.) in 1951. She then received a master’s degree in theology from the University of Notre Dame and a master’s degree in library science from the University of Michigan. She received a certificate in medical librarianship from the University of Portland in 1973 and graduated from the CREDO program at Gonzaga University in 1987.
She taught at the College of Great Falls. In 1965 she was commissioned as “Honorary Secretary of State of Montana” by Secretary of State Frank Murray.
Her assignments in this area included Providence Mary Immaculate in DeSmet, Idaho, and St. Joseph Academy in Sprague, Wash., . Sister Margaret came to Spokane in 1987 and was the province historian and archivist for Provincial Administration. She retired to Mt. St. Joseph in 1998.
She is survived by two sisters-in-law, Mrs. Dominic LaPorte of La Habra, Calif., and Blanche LaPorte of Tacoma.
Richard McIntosh Spokane
No service will be held for Richard “Dick” McIntosh, 87, at his request. Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
A lifetime Spokane resident, Mr. McIntosh died Tuesday.
He graduated from Lewis and Clark High School.
During World War II he served in the Army.
Mr. McIntosh worked as a bookkeeper for Ketchum and Sons and retired in 1978.
He was a member of the El Katif Shrine since 1957. He was also a member of the Scottish Rite Bodies.
His wife, Doris, died in 1982.
Mr. McIntosh is survived by a sister, Grace Kendall of Spokane.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Shriners Hospital for Children.
Mary Lancaster Spokane
Visitation for Mary L. Lancaster, 92, will be from noon to 5 p.m. today, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday at Heritage Funeral Home. Memorial service is planned for 3 p.m. Monday at Emmanuel Presbyterian Church. Private burial will precede the service at Riverside Memorial Park.
Mrs. Lancaster, who was born in Coal Creek, British Columbia, died Wednesday.
She graduated in 1927 from North Central High School. She married Scott Lancaster in 1929.
Mrs. Lancaster worked for Pacific Northwest Bell and later became a homemaker.
She was a member of Emmanuel Presbyterian Church.
Survivors include her husband; a son, Robert Lancaster of Towson, Md.; a daughter, Jeannete Lancaster of Spokane; seven grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to Emmanuel Presbyterian Church.
Sister Frances Weissenberg, SNJM Spokane
Funeral Mass for Sister Frances Weissenberg, SNJM, 96, will be at 2 p.m. today at the Convent of Holy Names. Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
A 38-year Spokane resident, Sister Frances died Wednesday. She was born in Wilmette, Ill.
Her family moved from Wisconsin to Kennewick, and then to Spokane in 1914.
She graduated from Holy Names Academy, Holy Names Normal School, Marylhurst (Ore.) College and the University of Portland. She received a teaching certificate, a bachelor’s degree in English and education and a master’s degree in English literature.
Sister Frances entered the novitiate of the Sisters of the Holy Names in Marylhurst in 1925. She pronounced her vows in 1927.
She spent her early teaching career in high schools in Washington and Oregon. She then served as a superior and principal in the Oregon cities of Salem and Astoria, and at Holy Names Academy in Spokane.
Sister Frances is survived by a sister, Julia Garrison of Chico, Calif.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Sisters of the Holy Names Retirement Fund.
Jentz `Pete’ Pedersen Clarkston, Wash.
Viewing for Jentz Theodore “Pete” Pedersen, 64, will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. today at Vassar-Rawls Funeral Home in Lewiston. A dinner for family and friends will follow at 3 p.m. at the Lewiston Eagles Lodge. Graveside service will be Tuesday at Fairmont Cemetery in Spokane.
Mr. Pedersen, who was born in Spokane, died Monday.
He grew up in Spokane and later worked for Spaulding Auto Wrecking for 11 years before moving to Sandpoint. He purchased Forest Brothers Auto, which became Pete’s Truck and Auto.
Mr. Pedersen was known for his ability to operate a tow truck, and could locate almost any used, hard-to-find automobile part.
He moved to the Lewis-Clark Valley area after retiring 14 years ago. He then worked part-time for Lewiston Forest Auto and Truck Parts.
Mr. Pedersen enjoyed motorcycle racing, fishing, hunting and auto mechanics.
Survivors include a son, Randall Pederson of Pueblo, Colo.; four daughters, Cindy Ewing of Wasilla, Alaska, Mistie Kinney of Sandpoint, Brandie Pedersen of Davenport, Wash., and Sandy Pedersen of Clarkston; a sister, Barbara Allen of Spokane; 14 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Diabetes Association, Idaho Affiliate, 1528 Vista, Boise, ID 83705.