Obituaries
Lawrence Kreyssler
Spokane Valley
Memorial service for Lawrence W. Kreyssler, 88, will be at 1 p.m. today at the Spokane Valley Church of the Nazarene. Private entombment will follow. Heritage Funeral Home is in charge.
Mr. Kreyssler, who died Monday, was born in Latah and moved to Spokane in 1940.
He married Evelyn Morgan in 1942, shortly before he was drafted into the Army. He served three and a half years overseas during World War II.
After the war, he moved to Oakesdale, Wash., and farmed for six years before moving to Spokane Valley.
For more than 21 years he worked as a rural mail carrier for the Postal Service.
His wife died in 1967, and he married Jacqueline Huston in 1969.
Mr. Kreyssler served on the West Valley School Board and was a Spokane County precinct election officer, a member of the Republican Presidential Task Force, a charter member of the National World War II Memorial and past president of the Spokane Boxer Club.
He enjoyed barbecuing, traveling to the Oregon coast, camping, fishing and gardening.
Survivors include his wife; a son, Larry Kreyssler; a daughter, Kathy Buchanan; two stepsons, Mike and Tim Huston; two stepdaughters, Cathi Austin and Shawn Albright; a sister, Dorothy Stark; 23 grandchildren, six great-grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.
Merton ‘Doug’ Moran
Sandpoint
Visitation for Merton Douglas “Doug” Moran, 78, will be today from 3 to 7 p.m. at Coffelt Funeral Service in Sandpoint. Service will be Saturday at 10 a.m. at the funeral home with military honors to follow at Pinecrest Memorial Park in Sandpoint.
Mr. Moran, who was born in Sandpoint, died Nov. 24.
He grew up in Sandpoint and graduated from high school there in 1944, and then enlisted with the Navy and trained at Farragut Naval Base.
He served as a fireman first class aboard the destroyer William R. Rusk during World War II and received an honorable discharge in 1946.
Mr. Moran returned to Sandpoint and married Norma O’Donnell in 1946. They lived at Farragut Naval Base for two years while attending college.
He became employed with the Postal Service in 1950 and retired as an operations supervisor in 1981.
Mr. Moran was active in trapshooting and bowling and earned many awards in both sports.
He enjoyed fishing, hunting, the outdoors and traveling, especially to the Oregon Coast and the Grand Teton mountains.
His wife died in 1985.
He married Gloria McNearney in 1987.
Survivors include his wife; five children, Patty Forrester and Jim Moran, both of Boise, Mike and Tom Moran, both of Sagle, Idaho, and Dan Moran of Sandpoint; two sisters, Phyliss Dennison of Spokane and Jeannie Fellows of San Mateo, Calif.; three stepsons, Mick Lauritzen of Spokane, Russell McNearney of Boise and Steve McNearney of Phoenix; 19 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Norma Tudor Avery
Spokane
Mass of Christian Burial for Norma Jane Tudor Avery, 72, will be today at 11 a.m. at St. Ann’s Roman Catholic Church in Bonners Ferry, Idaho, with burial to follow at Grandview Cemetery in Bonners Ferry.
Mrs. Avery, who was born in Spokane, died Sunday.
She grew up in Spokane and Bonners Ferry and graduated in 1949 from Bonners Ferry High School.
She married Gene Neumayer in 1950 and lived in West Richland, Wash., Spokane, Bonners Ferry and Missoula.
She was active with churches in every community she lived in.
Mrs. Avery became head coach for the junior high school girls basketball and softball teams at St. Francis of Assisi School in Spokane and helped lead the softball team to win the city championship.
She was active in bowling leagues in Spokane and Bonners Ferry and won numerous trophies.
Mrs. Avery enjoyed attending her sons’ sporting events, gardening, panning for gold, the outdoors, camping and socializing.
She married Leonard Avery in 1982. They lived in Ephrata, Wash., and she worked for Don’s Cafe in Soap Lake, Wash. Leonard died in 2002.
She moved to Maple Ridge Assisted Care in Spokane in 2002 and recently transferred to Sullivan Park Care in Spokane.
Survivors include three sons, Tony of Florence, Mont.; Jim of Missoula and Tom of Salt Lake City; a sister, Jeanie Booras of Lake Odessa, Mich.; and eight grandchildren.
Paul Parenteau
Hope, Idaho
Memorial service for Paul Wayne Parenteau, 75, will be today at 11 a.m. at Coffelt Funeral Service in Sandpoint.
Mr. Parenteau died Sunday. He was born in the old schoolhouse near Hope, Idaho, and grew up on his family’s dairy farm. He graduated from Clark Fork High School in 1947.
Mr. Parenteau worked with his dad and was a farmer, and also a miner at the Delph Mine.
He served in the Army in 1953 and then returned to North Idaho and worked at a variety of jobs, including the logging of Warren Island on Lake Pend Oreille, delivering beer and working on Cabinet Gorge Dam.
He married Sharon Mooney in 1961, and married Stephanie Reynolds in 1972.
Mr. Parenteau began working at Schweitzer Ski Basin when it opened in 1963 and was a jack-of-all-trades. He later became supervisor of the resort’s road department.
He retired from Schweitzer after 33 years and later purchased a farm on Denton Road that previously was owned by his mother.
He was a handyman and enjoyed catching and smoking fish, gardening, growing fruit trees, and nature.
Survivors include two children, Niki Parenteau of Portland, and Paul Bistline of Tucson, Ariz.; two brothers, William Parenteau of Boise and Leonard Parenteau of Priest River, Idaho; two sisters, Lois Blaski of Samuels, Idaho, and LaVerle Moultrie of Coeur d’Alene; and a grandson.
Kenneth Farmer
Newport, Wash.
Memorial service for Kenneth Farmer, 88, will be at 11 a.m. today at Heritage Funeral Home. Burial will be at Fairmount Memorial Park.
Mr. Farmer, who died Saturday, was born in Gillingham, Kent, England, and had lived in the Spokane area since 1960.
He left home at age 11 to attend the Greenwich Nautical Training School and served on the ship Berwick. He finished his military career in the Royal Navy and retired in 1956 as a master at arms.
He married his first wife, Nellie Woolley, in 1941. After her death, he married Winefred Croyle in 1959.
In 1960, he moved to Spokane and held several different jobs in sales, including as sales director at Fairmount Memorial Park for several years.
He also served as a chaplain at the Spokane County-City jail through the Union Gospel Mission. He kept in touch with many of the men in the jail after they had been transferred to other prisons.
Survivors include his wife of 45 years, Winifred; three sons, Derek, Andrew and Tim Farmer; three daughters, Helen Thew, Esther Longly, and Yvonne Horner; 14 grandchildren, four great-grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Union Gospel Mission Jail Ministry or Good News Jail and Prison Ministry.
Florence (Kunkel) Goertz
Great Falls
Service for Florence R. (Kunkel) Goertz, 81, will be today at 11 a.m. at St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church, Cheney. Ball and Dodd Funeral Home is in charge.
Mrs. Goertz, who was born in Wenatchee, died Sunday.
After completing her nurses training, she met Herbert Goertz from South Dakota. The couple married in Wenatchee in 1945 and then moved to Cheney.
She worked for Dr. Gamon, and also worked part time for the Cheney Medical Center.
Mrs. Goertz was a member of St. Rose of Lima Church, the church guild and the American Legion Auxiliary and became a member of St. Luke’s Parish when she moved to Great Falls four years ago.
She enjoyed attending garage sales, playing Yahtzee, camping, and traveling to Hawaii and Las Vegas.
Her husband died in 1996.
Survivors include two sons, Gerald Goertz of Medical Lake and Robert Goertz of Spokane; a daughter, Cheryl Tuck of Great Falls; three sisters, Kaye Trudeau of Spokane, Mildred Smith of Lomond, Calif., and Dorothy Gibson of San Francisco; a brother, Leo Kunkel of Wenatchee; and four grandchildren.
Dorothy Carver
Post Falls
Memorial service for Dorothy J. Carver, 78, will be today at 7 p.m. at the Post Falls American Legion Hall. English Funeral Chapel in Post Falls is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Carver, who was born in Burlington, Iowa, died Tuesday.
She worked as a secretary in the banking industry and moved to Post Falls in 1977.
Survivors include her husband, Jack; and three stepdaughters.
Sheldon Kilham
Ephrata, Wash.
Graveside service for Sheldon F. Kilham, 87, will be at 11 a.m. today, at Fairmount Cemetery in Spokane. Memorial service will follow at 1 p.m. at Shadle Park Presbyterian Church. Nicoles Funeral Home of Ephrata is in charge.
Mr. Kilham, who died Nov. 23, was born in Colfax, and was a longtime resident of Spokane. He graduated from North Central High School and attended Gonzaga University.
In 1941 he married Anne Reed .
For 20 years, he worked as a salesman for Amfec Electric and also served in the Washington National Guard.
For several years he owned an appliance store in Omak, Wash.
He directed a pep band at Gonzaga and played the violin and saxophone.
Mr. Kilham was a member of Shadle Park Presbyterian Church and enjoyed model railroads, fishing and flying his airplane.
Survivors include his wife; a daughter, Patricia Swanson of Ephrata; two sons, Douglas Kilham of Everett, and Steven Kilham of Spokane; a sister, Eva Lu Pope of Salem, Ore.; four grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
John Buckley
Spokane
Service for John Hurley Buckley, 76, will be at 1 p.m. today at Thornhill Valley Funeral Home. Burial service will follow at Pines Cemetery.
Mr. Buckley, who died Nov. 24, was born in Spokane and was a lifetime resident.
He graduated from Rogers High School in 1946 and served in the Navy during the Korean War as an electronics technician. He received the United Nations, Naval Occupation , China and Korean service medals.
He married Rose May Pullen in 1954.
He was an electrician for Kaiser Aluminum at Trentwood for 35 years and retired in 1987.
He was a member of the Spokane Valley Eagles
Mr. Buckley was preceded in death by his wife of 39 years, Rose.
Survivors include three daughters, Kathy Holman of Spokane, Diana Dean of Priest River, Idaho, and Teresa Stites of Eagle River, Alaska; a son, Michael Buckley, and a brother, Leo Buckley, both of Spokane; 11 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
Elizabeth Sallis
Spokane
Memorial service for Elizabeth B. “Liz” Sallis, 82, will be at 2 p.m. today at Audubon Park United Methodist church. Heritage Funeral Home is in charge. There will be private burial.
Mrs. Sallis, who died Saturday, was born in Little Rock, Ark., and lived in Spokane for many years.
At age 14 she went to work at a cotton mill to help support her parents.
She married Warren Sallis in Detroit in 1942.
She worked for the Army/Air Force Exchange Service and managed the first base exchange at Fairchild Air Force Base Survival School.
Mrs. Sallis was a member of Audubon Park United Methodist Church and served on various boards and committees during the 31 years she was there.
Survivors include her husband of 62 years, Warren Sallis; two daughters, Diane Cramer of Cheney and Regina Timm of Spokane; a son, Michael Sallis of Moses Lake; two sisters, Bertha Turner and Emma Schlereth, both of Little Rock; seven grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.