Obituaries
David Mather
Spokane
Memorial service for David Allen Mather, 90, will be today at 11 a.m. at Courtland Place Retirement Community. The Neptune Society is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Mather who died Saturday, was born on Clear Creek near Kooskia, Idaho.
He grew up in the Grangeville, Idaho area and worked on the Forest Service’s firefighting crews and was also involved with the Civilian Conservation Corps.
Mr. Mather later moved to Spokane, where he began his career in electrical construction. He started as a lineman for Washington Water Power and later worked on the Farragut Naval Training Center at Bayview, Idaho, and the Atomic Energy Facility at Hanford, Wash.
After World War II, he began work with the R.C. Hughes Construction Co. and helped to construct electrical transmission lines throughout the Western United States. He also was involved with the underground cable installations for several intercontinental ballistic missile sites.
He was a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and was a 32nd-degree Shriner.
Mr. Mather enjoyed golf, hunting, fishing and traveling and spent many winters at his second home in Mesa, Ariz.
He is survived by his wife of 51 years, Clara; a son, David Mather Jr. of Seattle; a daughter, Carol McInelly of Shelton, Wash.; a sister, Mildred Mitchell of Spokane; five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Kenneth Bell
Greenacres
Memorial service for Kenneth Arthur Bell, 90, will be at 1 p.m. today at the Good Samaritan Village Chapel. Thornhill Valley Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.
Mr. Bell, who died Nov. 23, was born in Des Moines, Iowa, and moved to Spokane in 1928.
He graduated from Rogers High School and served in the Army during World War II in England, France, Belgium and Germany.
In 1950 he earned his law degree from Gonzaga University and maintained his own practice in Spokane for almost 30 years.
He was a founding member of the South Hill Christian Church, a member of the Washington State, Spokane County and American Bar associations, the American Legion, the Elks Lodge, the Spokane Club, the Spokane Country Club and the Reserve Officer Association.
His wife Lola died in 1999.
Survivors include a daughter, Elizabeth Gnaedinger of Palouse, Wash.; four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Good Samaritan Village.
Elden Wellington
Walla Walla
Service for Elden Wellington, 85, will be today at 11 a.m. at Thornhill Valley Funeral Home.
Mr. Wellington, who was born in Harrison, Idaho, died last Wednesday.
He was a longtime resident of Spokane, and recently had moved to Walla Walla.
Mr. Wellington worked as a superintendent for local wood mills and was a longtime member of Trinity Lutheran Church.
His wife of 49 years, Alice, preceded him in death.
Survivors include a son, Harvey Wellington of Walla Walla; a daughter, Kathy Wellington of Spokane; a brother, Merle Wellington of Spokane; a sister, Gertrude Duke of Fremont, Calif.; two granddaughters and four great-grandchildren.
Dorothy (Hedstrom) Wheeler
Spokane Valley
Memorial service for Dorothy (Hedstrom) Wheeler, 92, will be today at 1:30 p.m. at Riverside Park Memorial Mausoleum Chapel. Heritage Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Wheeler, who was born in Plummer, Idaho, was a longtime Spokane resident. She died Saturday.
A graduate of North Central High School, Mrs. Wheeler was homemaker. She married Donald Bizier in 1934. They were married 26 years before he died.
Mrs. Wheeler later married Alfred Wheeler. They spent winters in Mesa, Ariz., and summers on the Pacific Coast. After her husband’s death, Mrs. Wheeler returned to Spokane.
Survivors include a daughter, Judy Knowles of Spokane; three grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
George Kutulas
Spokane Valley
Visitation for George Hari Kutulas, 68, will be today from 5 p.m. until the service at 7 p.m. at Holy Trinity Orthodox Church in Spokane. divine liturgy and burial will be Thursday at 10:30 a.m. at the church. English Funeral Chapel in Coeur d’Alene is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Kutulas, who was born in Spokane, died Sunday.
He was a former owner of Spezia Restaurant in North Spokane.
In 1968 he married Michele Colliton.
He was a member of St. John the Baptist Orthodox Church in Post Falls and the newly formed Christ the Savior Orthodox Church in the Spokane Valley.
He enjoyed teaching Orthodox Christianity.
Survivors include his wife; nine children, Alvin Millet of Anchorage, Alaska, Hari Kutulas of Kirkland, Wash., and Dan and Steve Kutulas, Shellee Meyer, Sherree Meyer, Mikki Hill, Anastasia Mason and Karen Forrest, all of Spokane; 22 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Memorials may be made to St. John the Baptist Orthodox Church, 4718 E. Horsehaven Ave., Post Falls, ID 83854.
Bernice Benac
Spokane Valley
Private service will be held for Bernice E. Benac, 82. Hennessey Valley Funeral Home and Crematory is in charge of the arrangements.
Mrs. Benac, who died Saturday, was born in Spokane and was a lifetime area resident.
She graduated from West Valley High School, and was a member of Grace Lutheran Church.
Her husband of 53 years, Charles Benac, died in 2000.
Survivors include her sister-in-law, Catherine Benac of Centerville, Iowa.
Margaret Waiting
Spokane
Service for Margaret S. Waiting, 89, will be today at 11 a.m. at Heritage Funeral Home. Burial will follow at Greenwood Memorial Terrace.
Mrs. Waiting, who died Saturday, was born in Portal, N.D.
She was a member of the Homemakers Club, the Central Grange, Daughters of the Nile and Foothills Community Church.
She enjoyed knitting, gardening and playing the piano.
Her husband of 63 years Robert, preceded her in death.
Survivors include a son, Robert Waiting of Spokane; a daughter, Judy Perry of Arlington, Wash.; a sister, Zoe Corbett of Spokane; a brother, Jeff Burgess of Stuart, Fla.; five grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Leo Rohner
Spokane
Visitation for Leo A. Rohner, 87, will be from noon to p.m. today at Hennessey Smith Funeral Home. A vigil service will follow at 7 p.m. Burial Mass is planned for Thursday at 10 a.m. at the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Our Lady of Lourdes.
Mr. Rohner, who died last Wednesday, was born in Spokane and was a lifetime resident.
He was a dairy farmer who built miniature furniture for his grandchildren, played Santa Claus at Christmas, loved to ice skate and picnic with his family and was an all-around mechanic and builder.
He was a member of Our Lady of Lourdes Cathedral.
His wife of 52 years Isabel, died in 1992.
Survivors include four sons, Peter and Jerry Rohner, both of Spokane, Leo Rohner II of Reardan, Wash., and John Rohner of Colfax, Wash.; eight daughters, Wannie Hagel, Mary Elfring, Lucy Skeie, Rose Rohner, Patty Meck, Peggy Millheisler and Bonnie Hoard, all of Spokane, and Nancy Heinemann of Medical Lake; a sister, Sister Gertrude Rohner of Spokane; 36 grandchildren and 43 great-grandchildren.
Edward Small
Spokane
A remembrance for Edward Allen Small, 52, will be from 4 to 6 p.m. today at the Manito Country Club. Spokane Crematory and Burial is in charge of the arrangements.
Mr. Small, who died Thursday, was born in Spokane.
He graduated from St. Augustine School and Gonzaga Preparatory School. He earned a bachelor’s degree with majors in computer science, mathematics and history from the University of Washington.
He spent time in Seattle, Boston, Richmond, Va., Lexington, Ky., and Phoenix, before returning to Spokane to help manage family interests.
Survivors include three brothers, Stephan Small of Washington D.C., Robert Small of Portage, Mich., and Bert Small of Farmington, Wash.
Memorial contributions may be made in his name to the Spokane Symphony.
James Friend Jr.
Addy, Wash.
Memorial service for James Friend Jr., 44, will be Thursday at 10 a.m. at Schanzenbach Funeral Home in Chewelah, Wash., with a potluck at the Addy Grange to follow.
Mr. Friend, who died Thursday, was born in Tacoma. He had lived in Addy for the past 15 years.
He enjoyed working at his father-in-law’s dairy farm. In March, Mr. Friend graduated from Eastern Washington University with bachelor’s degrees in business administration and human resource management. He recently had enrolled in accounting classes at EWU and was working toward becoming a tax lawyer.
He was known for his cooking and enjoyed entertaining family and friends. Mr. Friend enjoyed reading, fishing, boating, sports, and playing with his dogs.
Survivors include his wife, Elizabeth; his parents, Maria Corby of Tacoma and James Friend Sr. of Spokane; three sisters, Judie Friend of Greensboro, N.C., Sylvia Rowland of Puyallup, Wash., and Vicki Conner of West Palm Beach, Fla.; and two brothers, Glenn Corby of Tacoma and Steve Friend of Latah.