Obituaries
Richard Coombs Spokane
Visitation for Richard Coombs, the former dean of the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, will be from 4 to 6 p.m. Sunday at the Cathedral. Service is planned for 11 a.m. Monday at the cathedral. Inurnment will be held at the Cathedral. Heritage Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Coombs, 80, died Monday from a heart attack.
He was born in Norwich, Conn., and raised in Louisiana, Mo.
He graduated from St. Louis Country Day School, Harvard College in 1942 and the Episcopal Theological School in Cambridge, Mass., in 1944. In 1969 he received an honorary doctorate of divinity from the Church Divinity School of the Pacific in Berkeley, Calif.
After he was ordained in 1944, he served parishes in Burlingame, Calif., Salinas, Calif., and New York City.
Mr. Coombs came to Spokane in 1956 as a dean of the St. John’s Cathedral. He retired in 1985. During Expo ‘74 he brought numerous distinguished speakers, artists and musicians to the cathedral.
He led the establishment of the cathedral’s Endowment Fund.
From 1987 to 1989 he was an administrator at St. George’s College in Jerusalem.
Mr. Coombs was a 50-year member of the Harvard Club of New York. In the national Episcopal Church he served numerous times as deputy to the General Convention and was a member of the standing committees on program, budget and constitution and canons. He also had served as trustee of the church pension fund in New York for 12 years.
Survivors include his wife of 51 years, Barbara; two sons, David and Peter Coombs, both of Spokane; two daughters, Catherine Moye of Spokane and Margaret Farris of Seattle; and eight grandchildren.
William `Bill’ Stettler Heron, Mont.
Memorial service for William B. “Bill” Stettler, 62, will be today at 11 a.m. Mountain Time at Heron Community Methodist Church. Coffelt Funeral Service in Sandpoint is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Stettler, who was born in Hanford, Calif., died Monday.
He grew up in Grover City, Calif., and in 1956 graduated from high school in Santa Maria, Calif. He then served with the Army Reserve.
Mr. Stettler worked as a drywall contractor in Santa Maria and Medford, Ore., before moving to Heron in 1971.
He continued his drywall career and also worked for the Sanders County Road Department in Montana.
Mr. Stettler was a member of the Solid Rock Church in Bull River, Mont. He was involved with the Y.W.A.M. missionary group and had served missions in the Philippines and Hong Kong.
Survivors include his wife, Terry; three sons, Robert and Bert Stettler, both of Reno, and Rick Stettler of Heron, Mont.; two daughters, Penny Taylor of California and Trisha Jimmerson of Elko, Nev.; a brother, Fred Stettler of California; a sister, Linda Mueller of Arizona; 14 grandchildren and one great-grandson.
Lt. Col. Raymond Reid St. Maries
Service for Lt. Col. Raymond E. Reid, U.S. Army retired, 82, will be today at 11 a.m. at Yates-Hodge Funeral Home in St. Maries. Burial will be at Woodlawn Cemetery in St. Maries.
Mr. Reid, who was born in Oakesdale, Wash., died Monday.
He grew up in Oaksdale and married Josephine Bartleson in 1941. He served with the Army until 1945.
Mr. Reid was recalled to active duty with the Army in 1950 and served in the Korean War and later remained a reserve officer until 1964.
The couple lived in the St. Maries area and owned Reid’s Service Station until 1958. He then taught shop at St. Maries High School until retiring in 1992.
Mr. Reid was a member of the St. Maries Elks Lodge, The Rusty Nuts Car Club and the St. Joe Valley Boat Club. He was active in river-boating and collecting antique cars.
He wife died in 1996.
Survivors include many close friends in the St. Maries area.
Muriel (Doran) Albi Spokane
Vigil service for Muriel Helen (Doran) Albi, 85, will be at 7 p.m. Sunday at Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home. Funeral Mass is planned for 11 a.m. Monday at St. Augustine Roman Catholic Church.
A 56-year Spokane resident, Mrs. Albi died Friday. She was born in Beverly Hills, Calif.
She graduated from Holy Names Academy in Pomona, Calif., in 1931 and the University of California in Los Angeles in 1935. She earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration.
Mrs. Albi worked as an administrative assistant to Howard Hughes at Hughes Aircraft in Culver City, Calif.
In 1943 she married John Albi and they moved to Spokane in 1946.
She was a homemaker and had been a member of the Washington State Dental Association Auxiliary for 43 years and was also a past president. She was a member of St. Augustine Catholic Church, the Spokane Country Club, the Gonzaga Guild, Morning Star Boys Ranch, the Wives of the Spokane Dental Auxiliary and the Canadian American Medical Dental Association Auxiliary.
Her husband died in 1998.
Survivors include a daughter, Kathleen Albi of Denver; and two grandchildren.
David Wilson Colville, Wash.
Visitation for David Harold Wilson, 87, will be from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. today at Danekas Funeral Chapel in Colville. Service is planned for 11 a.m. Saturday at the funeral home.
Born in Mount Olie, British Columbia, Mr. Wilson died Nov. 17.
His family moved from Canada to Montana and Inchelium, Wash., before settling in Marcus, Wash.
In 1933 he graduated from Marcus High School and married Mildred Shute.
He had worked as a truck driver for Sierra Zinc Mine, Napoleon Mine, the Colville Grange Supply, Avey Brothers Lumber Co. and Lloyd Cole Lumber. He retired in 1978 from Colville Western Auto.
Mr. Wilson and his wife spent the winter months in Arizona.
He was a charter member and past master of the Kettle River Grange.
Survivors include his wife; two sons, David Wilson of Spokane and Steven Wilson of Lacey, Wash.; a daughter, Sharon Coffey of Spokane; a brother, Elliott Wilson of Spokane; a sister, Ellen Sassara of Vashon Island, Wash.; eight grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren and six great-great-grandchildren.
Yvonne Gilmore Post Falls
Service for Yvonne Marie Gilmore, 16, will be today at 10 a.m. at New Life Chapel in Post Falls.
Miss Gilmore, who was born in Coeur d’Alene, died Sunday in an automobile accident on state Highway 41 near Priest River, Idaho.
She grew up in Post Falls and attended Post Falls High School, where she was a member of Key Club choir and First Priority.
Miss Gilmore worked as a hostess at WestCoast Templin’s Resort in Post Falls and had recently finished a degree in cake decorating. She planned to enroll in the culinary arts program at North Idaho College.
She was a member of Post Falls Fire Department Explorers, and the youth group at Lifeway Chapel. She was active in hunting, doll collecting, fourwheeling and softball at Quad Park.
Survivors include her parents, Willard and Bridget Gilmore of Post Falls; a sister and brother, Yvette and Eric Gilmore; her grandparents, Charlotte Nielsen of California, and Willard and Mary Gilmore of Post Falls; and her great-grandmother, Isabelle.
Roscoe Cloyd Coeur d’Alene
Private service for Roscoe G. Cloyd, 76, will be held at a later date. Yates Funeral Home in Coeur d’Alene is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Cloyd, who was born in Denver, died Saturday.
He grew up in Kirkland, Wash., and graduated from high school in Valleyford.
He served with the Army during World War II.
Mr. Cloyd settled in Spokane after the war and began a career as a draftsman.
In 1945 he married Rose O’Connor, and they lived in Spokane.
He served with the Air Force during the Korean War.
Mr. Cloyd moved to Coeur d’Alene in 1959 and worked as a draftsman for the Idaho Department of Highways.
He was divorced in 1972.
He later married Vi Bogavitch. She preceded him in death.
Mr. Cloyd was an accomplished pianist and enjoyed fishing.
Survivors include two daughters, Patty Marley of Post Falls and Joan Groven of Coeur d’Alene; four grandchildren and one great-grandchildren.
Milton Hiebert Newport, Wash.
Service for Milton Peter Hiebert, 70, will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday at the Spring Valley Mennonite Church in Newport. Burial will follow at the church cemetery. Sherman-Knapp Funeral Home in Newport is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Hiebert, a lifetime resident of Newport, died Wednesday.
He served in the Air Force during the Korean War, and married Phyllis Otto in 1955.
Mr. Hiebert worked on track repairs and maintenance for the Milwaukee, Great Northern and Burlington Northern railroads. He retired in 1989 as a track inspector.
Survivors include his wife; a daughter, Marilyn Hiebert of Newport; two sons, Daniel and Richard Hiebert, both of Newport; a brother, Rudolf Hiebert of Oldtown, Idaho; and a sister, Goldie Clark of Newport.
John Prosch Coeur d’Alene
Visitation for John Fredrick Prosch, 91, will be today from 5 to 8 p.m. at Yates Funeral Home in Coeur d’Alene. Service will be Saturday at 11 a.m. at the funeral home.
Mr. Prosch, who was born in Michigan, died Sunday.
He grew up in Harrison, Idaho, and went by his stepfather’s last name of Peterson for many years before reclaiming his surname of Prosch.
Mr. Prosch worked at the Russell and Pew Mill, was a store clerk and delivery person for Griner Grocery, and also served as the store and postal clerk at Black Lake. He helped build the Harrison Dike.
He married Ella Copsey in 1934, and they moved to Hayden, Idaho. She died in 1968.
Mr. Prosch married Edna Moser and moved to Coeur d’Alene in 1971.
Mr. Prosch worked at Ohio Match and Diamond International and retired from Atlas Tie in the mid-1970s. A carpenter, he worked independently as a wood craftsman until the age of 88.
Survivors include his wife; a daughter, Gail Davaz; three sons, Fred Prosch of Rathdrum, and John and Clifford Prosch, both of Coeur d’Alene; two sisters, Lil Chambers of Springfield, Ore., and Hilma Shanley of Coeur d’Alene; a stepbrother, Oscar Peterson of Coeur d’Alene; three stepdaughters, Ila Jones, Kathy Goodson, and Mary Neidhardt, all of Coeur d’Alene; and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Jan Puszka Dover, Idaho
Memorial Mass for Jan Puszka, 75, will be today at 11 a.m. at St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church in Sandpoint. Coffelt Funeral Service in Sandpoint is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Puszka, who was born in Samborg, Poland, died Monday.
He grew up in Poland and received an education there. He later worked as a merchant marine with Polish citizenship from 1945 until moving to the U.S. and receiving his citizenship in 1949.
Mr. Puszka lived in Philadelphia for five years and settled in California and worked as an explosives expert in the construction industry.
He was a member of the Caveman’s Club and Moose Lodge in Calfornia. He moved to Dover in 1992.
He was preceded in death by his former wife, Fern Puszka.
Mr. Puszka married Cynthia Neal in August of this year.
Survivors include his wife; four children; two brothers, Vincent Puszka of Poland and Edward Puszka of England; and a sister, Cecilia Whitman of Poland.
Ernest Allsop Coeur d’Alene
Memorial service for Ernest Allsop, 108, will be today at 9:30 a.m. at Loyalton retirement community in Coeur d’Alene, 205 E. Anton. Yates Funeral Home in Coeur d’Alene is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Allsop, who was born in Sheffield, England, died Monday.
He grew up and lived most of his life in Sheffield, where he completed two years of college and worked as a certified public accountant.
His wife, Anne, died in 1971.
He moved to Kellogg in 1989 and to Coeur d’Alene in 1990.
Survivors include a daughter, Muriel Staley of Kellogg; three granddaughters, Jean, Peggy and Patty; seven great-grandchildren, Amy, Jeff, Mike, Andrew, Shawn, Christopher and Jesse; and 10 great-great-grandchildren.