Obituaries

Burnen `Burnie’ Kjos Bonners Ferry, Idaho

Service for Burnen Lawrence “Burnie” Kjos, 78, will be today at 1 p.m. at the Bonners Ferry Funeral Home.

Mr. Kjos, who was born in Mohall, N.D., died Sunday.

He worked for the Great Northern Railway Company, and served with the Army’s Company A, 715th Engineers in Italy and Africa during World War II.

Mr. Kjos lived in Bonners Ferry after the war and married Myrta Balsemer in 1946. The couple briefly lived in Spokane, where he worked as a delivery truck driver.

He returned to the Bonners Ferry area and went back to work for Great Northern Railway Co., and also worked as a forklift operator at Moyie River Lumber Co. for many years.

Mr. Kjos also worked at miscellaneous logging and gas line jobs before working as a forklift driver at Pack River Lumber Co., which later became W-I Forest Products. He retired in 1989.

He was active as a farmer, gardener, horseman and carpenter.

Survivors include his wife; two daughters, Marva Mendenhall of Bonners Ferry and Linda Pitcher of Whitefish, Mont.; three sons, Larry and Kevin Kjos, both of Bonners Ferry, and Steve Kjos of Priest River, Idaho; two brothers, Clayton Kjos of Spokane and Donald Kjos of Bremerton; two sisters, Lois Karnes of Spokane and Eileen Morey of Libby, Mont.; 10 grandchildren and 15 grea-tgrandchildren.

Anna Blaker Spokane

Service for Anna B. Blaker, 94, will be at 1 p.m. today at Ball and Dodd Funeral Home-North. Burial will follow at Fairmount Memorial Park.

Mrs. Blaker, who was born in Kenosha, Wis., died Friday.

She grew up on a homestead in Dodson, Mont., and in 1924 graduated from Malta (Mont.) High School.

She married Ollen Wood in 1925; he died in 1946.

During the 1930s she worked as a mail carrier in Valier, Mont.

Mrs. Blaker moved to Spokane in 1949 from Dodson, Mont., and later married William Blaker.

She worked at a magnesium plant from 1949 to the early 1950s, and worked at a florist from the late 1950s to the 1960s.

Mrs. Blaker was a member of the mixed doubles bowling league in Deer Park.

Her second husband died in 1991.

Survivors include two sons, Robert Wood of Mead and Wayne Wood of Loon Lake, Wash.; a daughter, Anna Goodman of Belt, Mont.; six grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.

Verla Hill Spokane

Visitation for Verla Hill, 80, will be from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. today at Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home. Memorial service will follow at 4 p.m. at Audubon Park United Methodist Church. Private graveside service will be held at Spokane Memorial Gardens.

A 50-year Spokane resident, Mrs. Hill died Saturday. She was born in Lind, Wash.

She worked as a switchboard operator for the Davenport Hotel and The Bon Marche.

Mrs. Hill was a member of Audubon Park United Methodist Church, the Ruth Circle at the church, the Women of the Moose Chapter No. 74 and the Academy of Friendship.

Her husband of 41 years, Charles, preceded her in death.

Survivors include a daughter, Charlene Russell; and two grandsons.

Memorial contributions may be made to Audubon Park United Methodist Church.

Jean Einhaus Spokane

Graveside service for Jean L. Einhaus, 75, will be at 10 a.m. today at Moran Prairie Cemetery. Ball and Dodd Funeral Home-South is in charge of arrangements.

A 47-year Spokane resident, Mrs. Einhaus died Sunday. She was born in Pittsburgh.

She married Lyle Einhaus in 1956.

Mrs. Einhaus was a homemaker and a member of Valley Open Bible Church. She also was a partner in the Bennie Hinn Ministries.

Her husband died in 1994.

Survivors include two sons, Brad Einhaus of Kirkland, Wash., and Mark Einhaus of New York; and three grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Jean Einhaus Foundation in care of Valley Open Bible Church.

Henry Schwartz Reardan, Wash.

Service for Henry J. Schwartz was held Friday at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Reardan. Burial followed at Reardan Cemetery. Strate Funeral Home in Davenport, Wash., was in charge of arrangements.

Mr. Schwartz, 86, died Oct. 10.

He was a lifetime Reardan resident and a wheat farmer.

Mr. Schwartz was a member of Spring Creek Grange, Reardan Lions Club, Washington Association of Wheat Growers and the Cattlemen’s Association.

His wife of 57 years, Freda, died in June.

Survivors include a son, Stan Schwartz of Reardan; two daughters, Virginia Plummer of Reardan and Marjorie Kruger of Davenport, Wash.; three sisters, Margaret Roberts of Spokane, and Lena Ellis and Bertha Hughes, both of Reardan; and seven grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Reardan Emmanuel Lutheran Church, Reardan Future Farmers of American Memorial Scholarship Fund or the Reardan Emergency Medical Technicians.

James Spillane Bellingham

Memorial Mass for James “Jimmy” Spillane, 81, will be at 10 a.m. today at Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church in Bellingham. Westford Funeral Home in Bellingham is in charge of arrangements.

A former Spokane resident, Mr. Spillane died Friday. He was born in Bantry Cork County, Ireland, and immigrated to the United States in 1948.

Mr. Spillane married Adele DuMont in 1960 in Penticton, British Columbia.

He worked as a section foreman for the Union Pacific Railroad. He retired in 1983 in Spokane.

Mr. Spillane and his wife moved to Bellingham in 1998.

He was a member of Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Roman Catholic churches in Spokane and Bellingham, and the National Association of Retired and Veteran Railway Employees.

He is survived by his wife.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Spokane’s Assumption Catholic Church.

Jerry Evans Chewelah

Visitation for Jerry J. Evans, 67, will be from 9 a.m. to noon today at Strate Funeral Home in Grand Coulee. Service will follow at 1 p.m. at the funeral home, with burial afterward at the Spring Canyon Cemetery in Grand Coulee.

A former Grand Coulee resident, Mr. Evans died Saturday.

He was born in Spokane and graduated from Grand Coulee High School in 1950. He served for two years in the Army.

He married Twyla Plaster in 1963.

Mr. Evans was an ironworker for more than 50 years. He retired from Grand Coulee Dam in 1995.

He and his wife moved to Chewelah five years ago.

Mr. Evans was a member of the Ironworkers Local Union No. 14, the National Rifle Association, the Blue Ribbon Coalition and the Sportmen’s Club in Chewelah.

Survivors include his wife; four sons, Tom Logan of Electric City, Wash., Richard Evans of Dallas, Ore.; Mike Gard of Talent, Ore., and Robert Weston of Freemont, Calif.; four daughters, Deborah Fuller of Milwaukee, Ore., Melonee Gillette of Hood River, Ore., Pamela Giaccarini of Redding, Calif., and Diane Kaldor of San Mateo, Calif.; 17 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

Howard McBride Chattaroy

Service for Howard R. McBride, 80, will be at 1 p.m. today at the Chattaroy Community Church. Burial will follow at Riverside Memorial Park. Riplinger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

A lifetime Spokane County resident, Mr. McBride died Sunday.

He was born in Spokane and graduated from Mead High School in 1938.

Mr. McBride worked as a mechanic and bus driver for the Riverside School District for 17 years before retiring in 1985.

He was a member of the Valley Prairie, the Half-Moon Grange and the Eagles Lodge in Spokane. He was also a member of the National Rifle Association.

Survivors include his wife of 53 years, Dorine; a daughter, Carol Wall of Colbert; two sons, Gary McBride of Chattaroy and Richard McBride of Yakima; a sister, Vera McKay; five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Spokane.

Montez Cowley Kennewick

Service for Montez S. Cowley, 87, was Saturday at Ball and Dodd Funeral Home-South. Burial will follow at Greenwood Memorial Terrace.

Mrs. Cowley, who was born in Altanta, died Oct. 9.

She grew up in New Mexico and Texas, and graduated from high school in El Paso.

She married Earl Cowley in 1931, and they lived in Texas, Colorado and Wyoming before moving to Spokane in 1953.

Mrs. Cowley was a homemaker and recently moved to Kennewick to be near her son.

Her husband preceded her in death.

Survivors include her son, William Cowley of Richland; two grandsons and one great-grandson.

Pauline (Batman) Elston Tacoma

Memorial service for Pauline Elizabeth (Batman) Elston, 84, will be at 10 a.m. Thursday in the chapel at Franciscan Heath Care Center in Tacoma. The Neptune Society of Washington in Spokane is in charge of arrangements.

Born in Spokane, Mrs. Elston died Saturday.

She graduated from Lewis and Clark High School, and in 1936 married Robert Elston Sr.

Mrs. Elston worked for Password for more than 25 years. She retired in the early 1980s as a manager.

She served as a volunteer in Spokane schools.

Mrs. Elston and her husband moved to Tacoma a few years ago.

She was a member and past president of the Woman’s Club.

Survivors include her husband; a son, William Elston, and three daughters, Marilyn Adams and Marcia and Marisa Elston.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer’s Society of America, P.O. Box 8250, Silver Springs, MD 20907, or the Hospice Care Program at Franciscan Health Care Center, 6220 S. Alaska, Tacoma, WA 98408.

Phyllis (Merchen) Tye Spokane

Memorial service for Phyllis (Merchen) Tye, 86, will be at 3 p.m. Thursday at Audubon Park United Methodist Church. Riplinger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

A lifetime Spokane resident, Mrs. Tye died Sept. 26.

She graduated from North Central High School.

Mrs. Tye did clerical work for LeMaster and Daniels accounting firm and also worked with her husband, Dante, at Dante B. Tye Insurance Agency.

She was a founding member of the Audubon Park United Methodist Church, and a member of the Sun Dance Golf Course, Soroptomists and Jaycees Her husband of 61 years died in 1994.

Survivors include two daughters, Julie Simshauser of Spokane and Joyce Turner of Bellevue, Wash.; a son, Mike Tye of Mercer Island, Wash.; a sister, Georgianna Reynolds of Joyce, Wash.; seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Memorial contributions maybe made to Audubon Park United Methodist Church or the Spokane Food Bank.

Belva (Hegwer) Billings Spokane

Memorial service for Belva M. (Hegwer) Billings, 75, will be at 2 p.m. Thursday at Heritage Funeral Home.

A 45-year Spokane resident, Mrs. Billings died Sunday. She was born in Grand Junction, Colo.

She married Eugene Billings in 1965, and worked as a bookkeeper for Old National Bank.

She is a former past president of the Ladies Eagles Auxiliary.

Her husband preceded her in death.

Survivors include a daughter, Peggy Naccarato of Spokane; two sons, Frank Logsdon and Dennis Ashley, both of Spokane; two brothers, Raymond Hegwer of Spokane and Walter Hegwer of Sutherland Springs, Texas; a sister, Etta Miller of Littleton, Colo.; eight grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

Roberta (Pond) Lauff Cheney

Service for Roberta Nell (Pond) Lauff, 77, will be at 2 p.m. Thursday at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Cheney. Burial will follow at Spokane Memorial Gardens. Cheney Funeral Chapel is in charge of arrangements.

A longtime Cheney resident, Mrs. Lauff died Sunday.

She was born in Spokane. Her family moved to the Cheney area and later built a homestead near Orient, Wash. She returned to Spokane briefly and graduated from North Central High school in 1941.

She moved to Cheney and received a teaching certificate from Eastern Washington State College in 1944. She married Conrad Lauff that same year and they lived in Cheney.

She taught elementary school in Colville, Wash., for two years while her husband was in the Army.

Mrs. Lauff was a homemaker and a member of Emmanuel Lutheran Church and the Tillicum Club.

Her husband died in 1992.

Survivors include a son, Charles Lauff of Cheney; two daughters, Louise Lauff of Kirkland, Wash., and Diane Devenere of Bellevue, Wash.; a brother, Gene Pond of Kettle Falls, Wash.; a sister, Lucile Olson of Oregon City, Ore.; six grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to Emmanuel Lutheran Church.

Robert Anderson Spokane

Memorial service for Robert “Bob” Anderson, 76, was Monday at Thornhill Valley Funeral Home. Private burial was at the Saltese Cemetery.

Mr. Anderson, who was born in Spokane, died Friday.

He was a 33-year Spokane resident.

Mr. Anderson graduated from Washington State College and was an architect. He worked for Wyatt and Groesbeck Architects and most recently with Design Alliance Architects.

Survivors include his wife, Elinor; two sons, Timothy Anderson of Greenacres and Nicolas Anderson of Walla Walla; a brother, Melvin Anderson of Spokane; a sister, Marjorie Oestreich of Harrington, Wash.; five grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Memorial contributions made be made to the Johns Hopkins Cancer Research Center, 600 N. Wolfe St., Baltimore, MD 21287.

Peter Kom Coeur d’Alene

Funeral Mass for Peter R. Kom, 86, will be today at 11 a.m. at St. Pius Roman Catholic Church in Coeur d’Alene. Burial will follow at St. Thomas Cemetery in Coeur d’Alene. Yates Funeral Home in Coeur d’Alene is in charge of arrangements.

Mr. Kom, who was born in Lemmon, S.D., died Saturday.

He grew up and graduated from high school in Lemmon, and moved to Sandpoint in 1936.

Mr. Kom married Vera Saunders in 1937 and the couple lived in Sandpoint. They lived in Oregon before moving to Coeur d’Alene in 1954.

He was a member of the Coeur d’Alene Eagles, St. Pius Catholic Church, the Knights of Columbus and the Lake City Good Sams II. He was also active in traveling.

Mr. Kom was a volunteer at Kootenai Medical Center for eight years.

Survivors include his wife; three sons, Donald Kom of Middleton, Idaho, Richard Kom of Boise and Thomas Kom of Hayden Lake, Idaho; a daughter, Kathy Gehlen of Coeur d’Alene; 19 grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren.

Memorials may be made to Hospice of North Idaho, 280 W. Prairie Ave., Coeur d’Alene, ID 83815, or Kootenai Medical Center Auxiliary, 2003 Lincoln Way, Coeur d’Alene, ID 83814.

Lester Novakovich Curlew, Wash.

No service will be held for Lester Novakovich at his request. Thornhill Valley Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Mr. Novakovich, 77, died Friday. He was born in Model, Wyo.

As a teenager he worked in a Wyoming coal mine with his father and brothers. During World War II he made Pratt-Whitney airplane engines in Kansas City, Mo.

In 1942 he married Marie Wilson; she died in 1993.

They moved to Spokane in 1950, to Colville, Wash., in 1960 and later to Kettle Falls, Wash.

Mr. Novakovich worked for the Forest Service for 31 years as a mechanic and shop foreman.

In 1995 he married Anne Morse Andersen and they lived in Curlew. He retired in 1983 and began working as a volunteer on the Lake Roosevelt Net Pen Program for eight years.

He was honored as a “Grandfather of the Net Pens” in 1995 by the Lake Roosevelt Development Association and the Spokane Tribe for improving sport fishing on the lake.

Mr. Novakovich was a member of the Kettle River Advisory Board for Stevens and Ferry counties.

Survivors include his wife; a daughter, Linda Kane of Spokane; two sons, Michael Novakovich of Spokane and Randy Novakovich of Vancouver, Wash.; five brothers, Leslie Novakovich of Spokane, Gary Novakovich of Colorado, Phillip and Gordon Novakovich, both of Wyoming, and Danny Novakovich of California; three sisters, Lucille Mokrey of Indiana, Lucia Tomaszkiewicz of Illinois and Margaret Stokes of Oklahoma; four grandchildren and one great-grandson.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Ferry County Memorial Hospital, Republic, WA 99166.