Obituaries

William Haskins

Sandpoint

Private family service for William Raymond “Bill” Haskins, 68, was held. Coffelt Funeral Service in Sandpoint was in charge of arrangements.

Mr. Haskins, who was born in Hanna, Wyo., died Tuesday.

He grew up in Hanna and moved to Laramie, Wyo., in 1942. He graduated from high school there in 1954.

He served in the Army in Germany from 1954 to 1956 as a squad leader with Company G, 47th Infantry Regiment, and then returned to Wyoming to attend college.

He studied electrical engineering at the University of Wyoming and then worked as an aero-electrical design engineer for Martin-Marietta on the Titan I, Titan II and Atlas Missile programs in Denver, and Plattsburg, N.Y., from 1960 to 1964.

He then worked seasonal jobs from 1964 to 1966, including as a fishing guide and marina manager at Signal Mountain Lodge in Grand Teton National Park.

Mr. Haskins also worked for the National Park Service from 1966 to 1968 as a park ranger at Teton National Park and Lake Chelan Recreational Area and was an assistant ski school director and a certified ski instructor at Brighton Ski Area from 1966 to 1967.

In 1965 he married Susan “Susie” Mac Donald Hurst.

Mr. Haskins worked at Alta Ski Area from 1967 until 1972 and served as a ski instructor, ski school instructor and summer maintenance crewman.

He and his wife settled in Sandpoint in 1972, and he worked at Schweitzer Basin as director of skiing, in hospitality services, and as property management and marketing director. He served as the Schweitzer operations manager from 1978 to 1986.

He served as Winter Carnival president in the mid-1970s, was president of the Idaho Ski Association, was involved with the beginning of the Idaho Tourism Department and helped to lobby the Idaho Legislature to pass the Idaho Skier Responsibility Code. He also was involved with the Central Business Association, Chamber of Commerce and ski industry organizations.

He worked as a bartender at The Garden restaurant and The Back Door Saloon and later was office manager for Bill Burnett at Aqualytic. He retired in 2001.

Mr. Haskins enjoyed cooking, fishing, skiing, and fly-fishing in Yellowstone National Park.

Survivors include his wife; two children, Heidi Haskins of Alexandria, Va., and Ooli Haskins of Lake Tahoe, Nev.; a sister, Hope Esp of Boise; and two brothers, Roland Haskins of Kalispell and Harry Haskins of Ellhofen, Germany.

William Benson

Spokane

Memorial service for William John Benson, 57, was Sunday at Hazen and Jaeger Valley Funeral Home. Private burial will be at a later date.

Mr. Benson, who died Monday was born in Spokane and traveled back and forth to British Columbia as a driver for Safeway.

He was a member of the Teamsters Union.

Survivors include his wife, Catherine, of Pitt Meadows, B.C.; three daughters, Jennifer, Kimberly and Jamie; and many grandchildren, aunts, uncles and cousins.

Lila (Lee) Roberts

Coeur d’Alene

Memorial service for Lila Marie (Lee) Roberts, 79, will be today at 11 a.m. at English Funeral Chapel in Coeur d’Alene.

Mrs. Roberts died Thursday. She was born and raised in Sandpoint and worked at Bonner General Hospital.

She moved to Coeur d’Alene in the early 1980s.

Survivors include three sons, Gary Gibson of Athol, Idaho, Bruce Gibson of Coeur d’Alene, and Dale Roberts of Sandpoint; four daughters, Phyllis Wong of Coeur d’Alene, Linda Heath of Athol, Vicki Syth of Hayden, Idaho, and Debbie Brady of Bellingham; two brothers, Terry Lee of Bellingham and Frank Lee of Spokane; three sisters, Betty Stiner of Coeur d’Alene, Roseanna Sharp of Lovell, Wyo., and Joyce Alford of Juneau, Alaska; 17 grandchildren and 22 great-grandchildren.

Verl Albert

Coeur d’Alene

Memorial service for Verl Roy Albert, 45, will be today at 10 a.m. at Yates Funeral Home in Coeur d’Alene with burial at Freeze Cemetery near Potlatch, Idaho.

Mr. Albert, who was born in Moscow, died Wednesday.

He grew up in Moscow and in 1977 graduated from high school there. He then served in the Navy for eight years.

After his naval service he settled in San Diego and worked for C&B Steel Co.

He moved to Coeur d’Alene in 1991 and worked for the Louisiana Pacific mill in Chilco, Idaho. Mr. Albert later worked for Perfection Tire and Coeur d’Alene Building Supply.

He enjoyed the outdoors, water skiing, four-wheeling and fishing.

Survivors include his wife, Sharon; a son, Verl Albert Jr. of Coeur d’Alene; his parents, Velven “Skinny” and Mary Albert of Coeur d’Alene; his brother, Victor Albert of Hayden, Idaho; four stepdaughters, Annette Hamilton of Bedford, Ind., Chandra Bentley of Paoli, Ind., and Jackie Bentley and Jessica Bentley, both of Coeur d’Alene; and eight grandchildren.

Garland Reasor

Spokane

Service for Garland Lee Reasor, 87, was Saturday at the Spokane North Stake Center, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Burial was at Peone Prairie Cemetery. Heritage Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.

Mr. Reasor, who died Tuesday, was born in Crawford County, Ind., and was a resident of Spokane for 39 years.

He enlisted in the Army Signal Corps in 1940 and eventually became a part of the Army Air Corps and the Air Force. He served during World War II and the Korean War as a navigator.

He attended Brigham Young University and earned a bachelor’s degree. He earned a master’s degree from Whitworth College.

After he retired from the Air Force in 1965, he worked as a vocational rehabilitation counselor for the state of Washington.

His later retirement years were spent as a farmer in Green Bluff. He also enjoyed gardening and quilting.

Survivors include his wife of 62 years, Wanda Roberson Reasor; four daughters, Sandra McKell of South Jordan, Utah, Janet Lehnhof of North Salt Lake, Cheryl Raab of Colbert and Valerie Brown of Twin Falls, Idaho; a son, Michael Reasor of Grand Rapids, Mich.; 21 grandchildren and 35 great-grandchildren.

William Birge

Spokane

Memorial service for William H. Birge, 80, was Saturday at Hillyard Baptist Church. Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home was in charge.

Mr. Birge, a lifetime Spokane resident, died Nov. 24.

He graduated in 1942 from Rogers High School and served in the Navy during World War II and the Korean War.

Mr. Birge worked as an electrician at Kaiser Mead, retiring in 1982, and he was the original owner of Aladdin Electric.

He was a member of the Electrical Workers Local 73 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, and Hillyard Baptist Church and was involved with its construction in 1954. He also taught Sunday school, was an AWANA leader, helped with the children’s church, and served as scoutmaster of the church Boy Scout Troop. He had been a Boy Scout and had earned his Eagle Scout award as a youth.

Survivors include his wife of 50 years, Lorraine; three daughters, Barbara Skjothaug of Chattaroy, and Diane Smith and Debbie Roach, both of Spokane; two sons, Dean Garvey and Tom Birge, both of Spokane; 14 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.

Lenneta Boyd

Cheney

Memorial service for Lenneta M. Boyd, 94, was Saturday at Ball and Dodd Funeral Home.

Mrs. Boyd, who died Nov. 12, was born in Sheridan, Mont., and had lived in Cheney for 62 years.

During high school, she became interested in art and later took art classes at Washington State College in Pullman.

She met Richard Boyd at college, and they were married in 1936.

Mrs. Boyd had worked as a gold miner, at the Panama Canal and as a professional portrait artist.

She threw memorable New Year’s parties for the Foreign Language Department at Eastern Washington University.

Survivors include her husband; a son, Gary Boyd of Santa Maria, Calif.; a daughter, Marta Reyes of Spokane; five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Marvin Putzier

Post Falls

Viewing for Marvin Daryle Putzier, 75, will be today from 3 to 7 p.m. and Tuesday from 9 to 11 a.m. at English Funeral Chapel in Post Falls. Memorial service is planned for Tuesday at 4 p.m. at the funeral chapel.

Mr. Putzier, who was born in Winner, S.D., died Thursday.

He grew up in South Dakota and joined the Navy with his brother, Rollin, in 1951 and served aboard the USS Currituck until 1955.

Mr. Putzier and his brother also settled in Coeur d’Alene and began a career in horse racing in the late 1950s. They owned and raced many winning thoroughbreds under the Putzier Brothers silks at various Pacific Northwest race tracks, including Playfair, Yakima Meadows, Longacres and Portland Meadows.

Mr. Putzierhad lived in Whitman County, where he was a farrier for many years. He also operated heavy equipment for various companies in the Northwest. He was a member of Operating Engineers Local 370 in Spokane for more than 30 years.

Mr. Putzier recently moved to Post Falls.

He enjoyed sports and horses.

Survivors include his wife of 49 years, Carol; two daughters, Marvol Barnard of Sitka, Alaska, and Lisa Raris of Tremont, Pa.; two sons, Deke Putzier of Edgewood, Wash.; and Colin Putzier of Kennewick; eight brothers and sisters, Colleen Kemmer, Irvin, Carl and Galen Putzier, Sharon Rohrbach, Shiela Skidmore, Joan Lucey and Harriet Littlejohn; and four grandchildren.

Alberta Yohnka

Sprague, Wash.

Memorial service for Alberta May Yohnka, 94, will be today at 10:30 a.m. at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Sprague, Wash. Danekas Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.

Mrs. Yohnka, who died Nov. 23, was born in Lake Thelma, Alberta. She moved to Puyallup, Wash., in 1914 and to Prosser, Wash., in 1918.

She married Noble Ernest Yohnka in 1927, and they operated a small farm in the Horse Heaven Hills.

In 1935, they moved to Sprague. She was a homemaker.

Mrs. Yohnka was a member of St. John’s Lutheran Church, the Women’s Missionary Society and the Royal Neighbors.

Her husband preceded her in death.

Survivors include a son, Craig Yohnka of Monroe, Wash.; a daughter, Evelyn Kraemer of Sprague; a grandchild, a stepgrandchild and a great-grandchild.

Blossom Simmons

Spokane

Memorial service for Blossom Ardel Simmons, 88, was Saturday at First Baptist Church of Deer Park. Private burial was held at Fairmount Memorial Park. Ball and Dodd Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.

Mrs. Simmons, who died Nov. 14, was born in Compton, Calif.

She was a longtime Spokane resident, was a homemaker and was involved with her church.

She enjoyed painting and gardening and volunteered to read to the elderly in nursing homes.

Her husband of 64 years, James Simmons, died in 1999.

Survivors include two sons, James Simmons Jr. of Spokane, and John Simmons of Deer Park; six grandchildren, 16 great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren.

Gordon Burnett

Spokane Valley

Service for Gordon Burnett, 82, will be today at 1 p.m. at Foothills Community Church. Burial will be at Pleasant Prairie Cemetery. Ball and Dodd Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Mr. Burnett, who died Tuesday, was born in Broadview, Mont.

He was a graduate of West Valley High School and served in the Navy during World War II.

Mr. Burnett had lived in Spokane since 1935, with the exception of 15 years he spent in Hermiston, Ore. in the mid 1980s.

He worked as a machinist for the Union Pacific Railroad and was a member of Pleasant Prairie Nazarene Church.

Survivors include his wife of 60 years, Ruth; seven sons, John Wayne Burnett of Hermiston, Richard, Loren, Dean and Gary Burnett, all of Spokane, David Burnett of Lincoln, Calif., and John Scott Burnett of Phoenix; two daughters, Barbara Burnett of Medical Lake, and Nancy Burnett of Medford, Ore.; eight grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

Constance Edgett

Cheney

Burial Mass for Constance “Connie” Edgett, 85, will be today at 1 p.m at St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church in Cheney. Burial will be at Holy Cross Cemetery after the service. Hennessey Smith Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.

Mrs. Edgett, who died Tuesday was born in Opportunity and was a lifetime resident of the Spokane area.

She was a graduate of Eastern Washington University. She was a member of St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church and served as a Eucharistic minister and a choir member. She also was a member of the Tillicum Club and the St. Rose of Lima Guild. She also sang in the Bell Canto Choir and was active in the Cheney Chamber of Commerce.

Her husband of 66 years, Harold Edgett Sr., died in 2002.

Survivors include four sons, Fredrick Edgett of San Pedro, Calif., Byron Edgett of Medical Lake, Michael Edgett of Clinton, Mo., and Paul Edgett of Cave Creek, Ark.; eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Kathryne Diltz

Spokane

Service for Kathryne Marie Diltz, 86, will be today at 1 p.m. at Sunset Chapel at Fairmount Memorial Park. Burial will follow at Fairmount Memorial Park. Hazen and Jaeger Valley Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Mrs. Diltz, a lifetime Spokane resident, died last Monday.

She graduated from Lewis and Clark High School and worked for The Crescent Department Store. Mrs. Diltz enjoyed being a homemaker and tending her garden.

Her husband, Byron, preceded her in death.

Survivors include a daughter, Andrea Felts of Spokane Valley; a son, Larry Solsnes of San Francisco; five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Vernon Thill

Spokane Valley

Memorial Mass for Vernon A. (Oe) Thill, 91, was Saturday at St. Paschal Roman Catholic Church. Hazen and Jaeger Valley Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.

Mr. Thill, who was born in Rhame, N.D., died Nov. 20.

He had worked as a parts manager for Chrysler Plymouth Automotive Distributors, retiring in 1978.

Survivors include his wife of 68 years, Lucille; three daughters, Vernita Moehrle of Lewiston, Judith Sparrow of Spokane and Debra Cummings of Spokane Valley; three sons, Michael Thill of Newport, Wash., Gregory Thill of Las Vegas and Steven Thill of Topeka, Kan.; 13 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.

Memorial contribution may be made to St. Paschal’s Roman Catholic Church.

Luverne ‘Mike’ Clute

Spokane

Memorial service for Luverne M. “Mike” Clute, 77, was Saturday at the Gathering Place. Private inurnment followed at Pines Cemetery. The Neptune Society was in charge of arrangements.

Born in Enning, S.D., Mr. Clute died Nov. 24

He was a resident of the Spokane area for 60 years.

He married Sharon Niccolls in 1949.

He had served in the Army Air Corps.

For 27 years he worked as a carpenter at Eastern State Hospital. He retired in 1987.

He enjoyed fishing, hunting, gardening and woodworking.

His wife died in 2000.

He is survived by two daughters, Kathleen Ugaldea and Melissa Rendy, and a son, Michael Clute, all of Spokane; and three grandchildren.

Bessie Bumgarner

Colfax

Memorial service for Bessie E. Bumgarner, 93, will be today at 1 p.m. at the Bruning Funeral Home in Colfax. Private family interment will precede the service at the Dusty Cemetery.

Mrs. Bumgarner, who died on Wednesday, was born in Wilbur, Wash., and was a lifetime resident of eastern Washington.

She married Ralph Bumgarner in 1931 in Spokane and they later moved to the Diamond area of Whitman County where they farmed.

In 1990, they moved to Colfax.

Mrs. Bumgarner planted large gardens, was an accomplished seamstress, and sewed quilts for her grandchildren. She camped in the Blue Mountains, was a member of the Rebel Flat Grange, the Diamond Ladies Club and the Hubbard Club.

Her husband died in 1999.

Survivors include a son, Robert Bumgarner of Genesee, Idaho; a daughter, Marge Dyck of Ritzville, Wash.; four sisters, Merle Toskey and Edith Robarge, both of Seattle, Ellen Artley of East Wenatchee, Wash., and Ethel Erickson of Nine Mile Falls; three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.