Obituaries
Gene Brixen Sandpoint
Private memorial service for Gene A. Brixen, 71, will be held at a later date. Coffelt Funeral Service in Sandpoint is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Brixen, who was born in Sandpoint, died Tuesday.
He graduated in 1947 from Sandpoint High School. He had worked for the Forest Service and held various other jobs since the age of 14.
Mr. Brixen later served in the Air Force. He was a heavyweight boxing champion of the Armed Forces in Alaska.
He later returned to Sandpoint and worked as a professional boxer, welder and logger.
Mr. Brixen enjoyed hunting, motorcycles, sports and competition shooting. He was a member of the Sandpoint Eagles Lodge.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Ruth Forrester Brixen.
Survivors include a son, Patrick Brixen of Sandpoint; two stepsons, Michael Nieto of Atlanta, and Paul Nieto of Tacoma; a brother, Steve Brixen of Sandpoint; a sister, Shirley Brixen Wendle of Coeur d’Alene; and three grandchildren.
Brian Carrier Colville, Wash.
Memorial service for Brian Leslie Carrier, 17, will be Friday at 2 p.m. at Coffelt Funeral Service in Sandpoint.
Mr. Carrier, who was born in Newport, Wash., died Sunday near Dodge Peak in southern Boundary County.
He grew up and attended school in Sagle. He completed his junior year at Sandpoint High School before moving to Colville, where he was completing his senior year.
Mr. Carrier was a former Cub Scout and Little League baseball player. He enjoyed hunting, fishing and playing the bass guitar and trumpet.
Survivors include his parents, Russ and Claudia Carrier of Colville; a brother, Russell Carrier of Florida; a sister, Lori Carrier of Colville; his grandparents, Rudolph and Evelyn Steffan of Arkansas, and Eva Carrier of Tacoma, Wash.; and numerous aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.
Richard Byers Spokane
Service for Richard F. “Rick” Byers, 42, will be at 11 a.m. today at Ball and Dodd Funeral Home-North.
A lifetime Spokane resident, Mr. Byers died Monday from injuries suffered in an automobile accident at Bismark and G Street.
He graduated from East Valley High School in 1977.
From 1978 to 1989 he worked as an assistant foreman in the track maintenance department for Burlington Northern Railroad.
Mr. Byers received a graphic design degree in 1991 from Spokane Falls Community College. Since 1992 he had been working as a graphic designer with Lee Northwest Publishing.
Survivors include his wife of 22 years, Melinda; a son, Justin Byers, and a daughter, Johauna Byers, both at home; his mother, Sharon Byers; a brother, Michael Byers, and a sister, Cathy Phillips, all of Spokane; and a granddaughter.
Gilbert Brooks Spokane
Graveside service for Gilbert L. Brooks, 83, will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at Riverside Memorial Park. Memorial service will follow at 2:30 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Spokane. Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
A 55-year Spokane resident, Mr. Brooks died Friday. He was born in Red Oak, Iowa.
He graduated from Grandview (Wash.) High School in 1936 and from Cheney Normal School in 1942.
From 1942 to 1945 he served in the Naval Carpenters Battalion.
Mr. Brooks later received a master’s degree from Eastern Washington State College. He was a teacher in the Spokane School District from 1945 to 1976. He owned and operated Brooks Construction from 1976 to 1997.
Mr. Brooks was a member of the Washington and Spokane education associations and the Carpenter’s Union.
He was one of the founders of the Spokane Teachers Credit Union.
Survivors include his wife of 58 years, Gladys; two sons, Richard and Robert Brooks, both of Seattle; two daughters, Barbara Schroeder and Mary Brooks, both of Spokane; seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Alice Mead Hope, Idaho
Visitation for Alice Louise Mead, 87, will be from 6 to 8 p.m. today at Coffelt Funeral Service in Sandpoint. Service is planned for 1 p.m. Saturday at the funeral home with. Burial will follow at Seneacquoteen Cemetery in Vay, Idaho, near Sandpoint.
Mrs. Mead died Tuesday.
One of 10 children, she was born in Harrison, Idaho.
She married James Davis. After that marriage ended, she married Gordon Mead in 1948. They lived in various parts of Idaho until settling in Hope in 1968.
Mrs. Mead enjoyed fishing, bowling, gardening, pinochle, cribbage and music.
Survivors include her husband; four sons, Gordon Mead Jr. of Pinehurst, Idaho, William Mead of Post Falls, Jim Davis of Illinois, and Duane Davis of Spokane; four brothers, Bob and Bud Arnold, both of Prichard, Idaho, Dick Arnold of California, and Kenneth Arnold of Coeur d’Alene; a sister, Mary Bentley of Wallace; 10 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Robert Shankland Post Falls
No service will be held for Robert E. Shankland, 77. English Funeral Chapel in Post Falls is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Shankland, who was born in Clinton, Mo., died Monday.
He grew up in Clinton and in 1945 married Barbara Johnson.
He served in the Army during World War II and fought in the Battle of the Bulge.
Mr. Shankland later received a master’s degree from Columbia University in New York, and was a teacher at Hillsboro High School in Illinois.
The couple moved to Post Falls five years ago.
He was a member of Coeur d’Alene Presbyterian Church. He was an accomplished musician and fisherman.
Survivors include his wife; a son, Robert Shankland of Springfield, Ill.; three daughters, Karen Wyatt of Benton, Ill., Gretchen Licata of Spokane and Sarah Shankland of Palmdale, Calif.; and four grandchildren.
Roger Janson Deer Park
Service for Roger Janson, 82, will be at 1:30 p.m. Friday at Open Door Congregational Church in Deer Park. Lauer Funeral Home in Deer Park is in charge of arrangements.
Born near Fairview, Mont., Mr. Janson died Monday.
His family moved to the Green Bluff area in 1931. He graduated from Mead High School in 1939.
In 1941 he married Lillian Abbott and they moved to Deer Park in 1953.
Mr. Janson worked for Great Northern Railroad. He later worked as a commercial carpenter and retired in 1980.
He was a member of the Railroad Carmen of America, Carpenters Union Local No. 98, the Gardenspot Grange and the Well-Drillers Association.
Survivors include his wife; two daughters, Janet Kemp and Sharon Hutchings, both of Newport, Wash.; a son, Vince Janson of Winlock, Wash.; a brother, August Janson of Spokane; a sister, Mary Patrick of Monroe, Wash.; nine grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Clara Brock Spokane
Service for Clara May Brock, 81, was Wednesday at Thornhill Valley Funeral Home. Burial was at Pines Cemetery.
Born in Salmon City, Idaho, Mrs. Brock died Saturday.
She was a 60-year Spokane resident and worked as a secretary for the West Valley School District.
Her husband preceded her in death.
Survivors include a daughter, Diana Robinson of Denton, Texas; a sister, Edna Cannon of Yakima; five grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.
Shelley (Edwald) McCormick Spokane
Memorial service for Shelley (Edwald) McCormick will be at 1 p.m. Saturday at Thornhill Valley Funeral Home.
Mrs. McCormick, 55, died last Saturday.
She was a lifetime Spokane resident and a homemaker.
Survivors include a son, Shannon Plocher of Victor, Mont.; her mother, Virginia Shuler of Spokane; two brothers, Theodore Edwald and Shawn Shuler, both of Spokane; two sisters, Lois Stevens of Spokane and Delight Shuler of Greenwood, Calif.; and three grandchildren.
Wayne Harp Kellogg
Memorial service for Wayne Lyrelle Harp, 78, will be at 1 p.m. Friday at the Kellogg Funeral Chapel. Shoshone Funeral Service is in charge of arrangements.
Born in Ellensburg, Wash., Mr. Harp died Tuesday.
He grew up in Walla Walla, and later moved to Spokane. He graduated from Lewis and Clark High School, where he played varsity football and was a member of the student senate.
Mr. Harp then trained as a telegrapher and became an agent for Union Pacific Railroad, managing several stations in Washington, Oregon and Idaho.
He served in the Navy during World War II.
He married Marjorie Nelson in 1946 and they lived in Weston, Ore., for 20 years. They moved to Kellogg in 1971.
Mr. Harp worked as a Union Pacific agent at the Kellogg station until retiring in 1982. He had presented public demonstrations on Morse code using a telegraph key-system he designed.
He was involved in various civic organizations and was a member of the American Lutheran Church in Kellogg, the Kellogg Elks Lodge and several railroad clubs. Mr. Harp was past president of the Kellogg Rotary Club, and had served as worthy master of the Wardner Masonic Lodge, and regional governor of the Toastmasters Club.
His first wife died 1975. He married Jeanette Young in 1984.
Mr. Harp had lived at the Shoshone Medical Center Extended Care Unit since 1998.
Survivors include his wife; two daughters, Nancy Ann Harding of Portland, and Janne Harp of Miami; three stepdaughters, Catherine Birchfield of California, Carol Young of Kingston, Idaho, and Jennifer Ferguson of Silverton, Idaho; a stepson, Douglas Young, of Osburn, Idaho; and two grandchildren.
John Larson Spokane
Memorial service for John Donald Larson, 74, will be at 2 p.m. Saturday at Garland Avenue Alliance Chruch.
A lifetime Spokane resident, Mr. Larson died Tuesday.
He served in the Marine Corps during World War II.
Mr. Larson worked as an electrician for Kaiser Aluminum at the Mead plant for 35 years.
Survivors include his wife, Margerie; two sons, Donald Larson of Spokane and James Larson of Whidbey Island, Wash.; two daughters, Susan Rainey and Leanne Harvey, both of Spokane; a stepson, Gardner Elmore of Spokane; two stepdaughters, Russanne Mishler of Post Falls and Colleen Stewart of North Carolina; and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Lee Smith Spokane
Memorial service for Lee Erdman Smith, 84, will be at 3 p.m. today at Heritage Funeral Home.
A 40-year Spokane resident, Mr. Smith died Nov. 6. He was born in New Albany, Ind.
He graduated from high school in Portland and served in the Navy during World War II.
Mr. Smith was vice president for the Bank of Oregon during the 1940s and 1950s.
During the 1960s and 1970s he owned and operated Lesco, an automotive sales business in Spokane. He worked in condominium management in Hawaii during the 1980s.
Mr. Smith and his wife, Jean, moved to Spokane 15 years ago.
He was a member of the Spokane Rifle Club and the National Rifle Association.
His wife died in October.
Survivors include a son, Bud Smith of Oregon; two daughters, Leanne Zilar of Spokane and Peg Bjorklund of Seattle; a stepson, Steven Bowman of Arizona; 11 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
Darleen Garrett Coeur d’Alene
Memorial service for Darleen Garrett, 71, will be Friday at 1 p.m. at Loyalton of Coeur d’Alene. English Funeral Chapel in Coeur d’Alene is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Garrett, who died Monday, was born in Denver.
She grew up in Albuquerque, N.M.
In 1953 she married Robert Garrett. The couple lived in California and Florida, and she worked as a real estate broker and raised orchids.
Mrs. Garrett moved to Coeur d’Alene in 1997 after her husband died.
She enjoyed woodworking and jewelry making.
Survivors include a son, Bruce Garrett of Tucson, Ariz.; two daughters, Lynn Boucher of Mobile, Ala., and Charisse Osborne of Spirit Lake, Idaho; a brother, Val Peterson of California; a sister, Dawn Gastaldo of Mukilteo, Wash.; three grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Violet (Kelp) Lucht Spokane
Private service for Violet E. (Kelp) Lucht, 80, will be held at a later date. Ball and Dodd Funeral Home-South is in charge of arrangements.
Born in Swan River, Manitoba, Mrs. Lucht died Monday.
She was a 75-year Spokane resident.
Mrs. Lucht worked in private home health care for about 20 years. She also was a homemaker.
Survivors include two daughters, Gail Rybicki of Spokane and Gloria Dante of Rathdrum, Idaho; a son, Monte Lucht of Montana; three brothers, Bruce, George and Bill Kelp, all of Spokane; four sisters, Katy and Alice Settle and Vicki Harrington, all of Spokane, and Suzi Ritgard of Seattle; seven grandchildren and numerous great-grandchildren.
Marguerite Fortine Spokane
Visitation for Marguerite M. Anderson Fortine, 85, will be from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. today, at 9 a.m. to noon Saturday at Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home. Private burial will be held at Fairmount Memorial Park.
Born in Kalispell, Mont., Mrs. Fortine died Sunday.
She worked as a waitress in restaurants in Montana, and in 1975 moved to Spokane. Mrs. Fortine then worked as a filer for the Social Security Department. She retired in the late 1970s.
Her husband, Lloyd Anderson, died in 1980.
Survivors include a son, Alan Anderson of Spokane; two daughters, Arlene Riley of Spokane and Marilyn Anderson of Seattle; a brother, Kenneth Monette; a sister, Naomi Richey; three grandchildren, two stepgrandchildren and three stepgreat-grandchildren.
Neil Kippen Spokane
No service will be held for Neil S. Kippen, 90, at his request. Heritage Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
A 60-year Spokane resident, Mr. Kippen died Tuesday. He was born in Hamilton, N.D.
He worked as a plasterer in the construction industry.
His wife, Margaret, preceded him in death.
Survivors include two sons, John Kippen of Spokane and James Kippen of Huntington Beach, Calif.; two daughters, Geraldine Chalich and Joyce Jacobs, both of Spokane; seven grandchildren and one great-granddaughter.