Obituaries
Margaret Cornelis Newport, Wash.
Memorial service for Margaret L. “Peggy” (Goemmer) Cornelis, 78, will be at 11 a.m. today at Dalkena (Wash.) Community Church. Sherman-Knapp Funeral Home in Newport is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Cornelis, who was born in Jerome, Idaho, died Wednesday.
She graduated from Whitworth College and from St. Elizabeth’s Hospital of Nursing in Yakima.
In 1946 she married William Cornelis.
From the late 1940s to 1956 she worked as a registered nurse for the Prosser (Wash.) Hospital.
Mrs. Cornelis and her family moved to the Newport area in 1956.
She began working as a public nurse for the Pend Oreille County Health Department in 1956. She also worked with the Tri-County Health District and was involved in the development of infant and young children’s health care for the county. She saw the development of home health-care services and worked closely with many rural areas in the county, including the Kalispel Indian Reservation near Usk, Wash. She retired in 1981.
Mrs. Cornelis was a member of Dalkena Community Church, Davis Lake Grange, American Legion and the Soroptomists International of Newport Her husband died in 1974.
Survivors include two daughters, Sandra Curran of Spokane and Patricia Odiorne of Dallas; a son, John Cornelis of Newport; a sister, Alice Quintus of Tumwater, Wash.; two brothers, Jim Goemmer of Gig Harbor, Wash., and Chuck Goemmer of Yakima; three granddaughters and one great-granddaughter.
Memorial contributions may be made to Dalkena Community Church, Newport, WA 99156, or Village Mission in care of Dalkena Community Church.
Alfred Long Otis Orchards
Memorial service for Alfred L. Long, 92, will be from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday at his home. Spokane Cremation and Burial Service is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Long, who was born in Moscow, Idaho, died Tuesday.
He was a 44-year resident of Spokane County.
Mr. Long farmed in the Palouse, Wash., area, and later worked as a field man for the Inland Empire Pea Growers Association.
He was a member of the Eagles, Elks and Masonic lodges.
His wife, Violet, preceded him in death.
Survivors include his companion, Dorothy Will; a daughter, Vera Girven; a sister, Mrs. Herb Harris; a brother, Leonard Long; four grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.
Wilbur Bechtel Spokane
Service for Wilbur C. “Becky” Bechtel, 85, will be at 1 p.m. Monday in the Sunset Chapel at Fairmount Memorial Park. Burial will follow. Ball and Dodd Funeral Home-North is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Bechtel, who was born in Clarkia, Idaho, died Thursday.
He moved to Spokane in 1950 from Lewiston.
Mr. Bechtel worked as a heavy equipment operator for more than 40 years before retiring in 1982.
He had been a member of International Union of Operating Engineers Local No. 37C since 1957.
His wife, Bellie, died in 1983.
Survivors include his companion, Stephanie Henry; a daughter, Christie Masters of Spokane; two sisters, Alta Hayden of Moscow, Idaho, and Effie Hoss of Lacey, Wash.; four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Henry Thiringer Forest Grover, Ore.
Service for Dr. Henry Martin Thiringer, 89, will be at 11 a.m. Friday at Zion Lutheran Church in Davenport, Wash. Burial will follow at 2:30 p.m. at Spokane Memorial Gardens. Fuiten Rose and Hoyt Funeral Home in Forest Grove is in charge of arrangements.
Born in Atwood, Kan., Dr. Thiringer died Wednesday.
His family moved to Davenport when he was a child.
He married Inez King in 1934 and lived in Spokane. They owned and operated the White Swan Lunch Counter.
In 1940 he graduated from National College of Chiropractic in Chicago.
Dr. Thiringer then attended and taught at the College of Chiropractic in Los Angeles for one year. He moved back to Spokane and opened a practice downtown. He retired in 1986.
In 1988 he and his wife moved to Forest Grove.
He was a member of Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Spokane, where he was president of the church council for five years. He also was a member of Zion Lutheran Church in Davenport and Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Cornelius, Ore.
His wife died in 1999.
Survivors include a stepson, Justin Serley of Portland; two brothers, Carl Thiringer of Spokane and Ed Thiringer of Portland; three sisters, Nellie Coleman and Freda Graham, both of Davenport, and Della Stewart of Seattle; and three grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to Zion Lutheran Church, P,O. Box 95, Davenport, WA 99122.
Jean Jackson Spokane
Memorial service for Jean Ella “Joy” Jackson will be at 2 p.m. Monday at Northwood Presbyterian Church. Private burial will be held at Riverside Memorial Park. The Neptune Society of Washington is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Jackson, 79, died Wednesday.
She was born in Cabri, Saskatchewan, and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia.
In 1946 she married Helmer Jackson, and they moved to Spokane in 1948.
In 1959 the family moved to Grand Forks, N.D., from Wenatchee. They moved back to Spokane in 1980.
Mrs. Jackson was a homemaker.
Her husband preceded her in death.
Survivors include two sons, Mark Jackson of Coeur d’Alene and Gary Jackson of Fairfax, Va.; a daughter, Linda Woerner of Darwin, Australia; two sisters, Gerry Wilson of Victoria, British Columbia, and Marion Publicover of Saturna Island, British Columbia; and eight grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Spokane.
Lance Shepard Spokane
Memorial service for Lance Lorrie Shepard, 43, will be at 10 a.m. today at Fairmount Memorial Park. HennesseySmith Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
A lifetime Spokane resident, Mr. Shepard died Saturday from a heart attack.
He attended Rogers High School and served in the Navy during the 1970s.
Mr. Shepard worked as a truck driver for Peirone Produce.
In 1998 he became a paraplegic from an injury in an automobile accident.
Survivors include his girlfriend, Pamela Howes of Spokane; a daughter, Jenny Mulvania of Spokane; two sisters, Dianna Robinson and Katherine Long, both of Spokane; and a brother, Michael Shepard of Spokane.
Stephen Wilson Spokane
Memorial service for Stephen R. “Cool Breeze” Wilson, 42, will be at 1 p.m. Tuesday at Bethel AME Church. Heritage Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Wilson, who was born in Los Angeles died Sunday. He was a 24-year Spokane resident.
He graduated from University High School in Los Angeles.
In 1981 he received a bachelor’s degree in business management and public relations from Whitworth College.
Mr. Wilson interned at Hughes Aircraft and then went to work for IBM. He also worked for ABC Office Equipment Co. and held several management positions.
He then worked as the Inland Northwest branch sales manager for Verio Inc. He most recently had joined Tsunami Communications Inc. as vice president of sales and marketing and corporate communications He was a member of Westminister Presbyterian Church in Los Angeles, where he was active in youth programs and music.
He was involved in the African American Forum, Children’s Home Society of Washington, Spokane Area Chamber of Commerce and the Entrepreneur’s Forum.
Survivors include his companion, Rebecca Chateaubriand; two sisters, Melba Holcomb and Dyane Ibrahim; and a stepsister, Reitha Booker.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Children’s Home Society of Washington or the United Negro College Fund, Cobb Building, 1305 4th St., Suite 608, Seattle, WA 98101.
Al Parsons Coeur d’Alene
Funeral Service for Al Parson, 79, will be at 4 p.m. today at St. John Orthodox Church, Post Falls. Visitation will be from noon to 4 p.m. at the church. English Funeral Chapel, Coeur d’Alene, is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Parsons, who was born in Spokane, died Wednesday.
He graduated from North Central High School in Spokane and then attended Washington State University.
Mr. Parsons was in the merchant marine during World War II. He attended officers school in Alameda, Calif. and graduated as a lieutenant. He was a second engineer and worked on ships.
He married Dolores Haroldson in 1942 in Malad, Idaho.
Mr. Parsons became an assistant golf pro at Downriver Golf Course, a golf instructor at North Division Driving Range, both in Spokane, and a golf pro at the Elks Country Club, Sandpoint. He also worked as a salesman in the lumber industry for several years and was a Sandpoint Police Officer.
He was a member of St. John Orthodox Church, Alpha Tau Omega fraternity, Sandpoint Elks Lodge and Coeur d’Alene Elks Lodge and became the district deputy to the grand exalted ruler.
Survivors include his wife of 68 years, Dolores, at home; two sons, the Rev. Tryphon Parsons of Vashon Island, Wash., and Dwayne Parsons of Cascade, Mont.; and a granddaughter, Sara Parsons of Cascade, Mont.
Betty Taylor Spokane
Service for Betty Darlene (Davis) Taylor, 60, was held Friday at Heritage Funeral Home. Burial followed at Greenwwod Memorial Terrace.
Mrs. Taylor, who was born in Sanders, Idaho, died Sunday.
She was a 45-year Spokane resident and a homemaker.
Survivors include two sons, Robert and Roy Taylor, both of Spokane; a daughter, Roberta Taylor of Spokane; three brothers, Harry, Jim and Bill Davis; a sister, Shirley Schulz; and five grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Diabetes Association.