Obituaries
Leonard Nelson
Spokane
Memorial service for Leonard W. Nelson, 91, will be Friday at 2:30 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church. Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Nelson, who was born in Whitetail, Mont., died Saturday. He was a resident of Spokane for 66 years.
He was an agent for Prudential Life Insurance Co. for 38 years before his retirement, when he took up refinishing antique furniture.
He was a past president of the Spokane Chapter of Chartered Life Underwriters. In addition, he was past president of Manito Lions Club, and for outstanding service to that organization was named a Melvin Jones Fellow.
He also brought the paper house concept for newspaper recycling to Spokane, which has benefited the Lions.
Mr. Nelson was past master and longtime chaplain of Manito Masonic Lodge 246, Scottish Rite and El Katif Shrine. He also was an active member of Day Out for the Blind, having served that organization as president for three years. He was a member of First Presbyterian Church for 55 years and was a church deacon.
His wife of 64 years, Dorothy, died in 2003.
Survivors include a daughter, Kathy Moawad of Redondo Beach, Calif.; two grandsons and three great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to Shriners Hospitals for Children or to Lilac Blind Foundation, 1212 N. Howard St., Spokane 99201.
James Elsensohn
Spokane
Memorial service for James “Jim” Elsensohn, 96, was Friday at Rockwood at Hawthorne.
Mr. Elsensohn, a lifelong resident of Spokane, died Dec. 6.
He graduated from Mead High School. He was an English major and member of the Washington State University track team, graduating from WSU in 1929.
Mr. Elsensohn taught at Central Valley High School from 1929 to 1933 and transferred in 1933 to Rogers High School, where he taught history, coached and was a longtime vice principal until retiring in 1973. In 1939 he did a year of exchange teaching in Springfield, Mass.
Mr. Elsensohn served in the Navy from 1943 to 1945 and in the Pacific as a navigator on an LST. His rank was lieutenant commander, and he became active in the Naval-Marine Center in Spokane. He acted as commanding officer of a surface division for three and a half years.
Mr. Elsensohn worked for the University of Portland from 1974 to 1978, andwas a member of Rotary International, Retired Officers Association and Retired Teachers Associations.
He was preceded in death by his wife of 65 years, Gladys Elsensohn.
Survivors include a daughter, Ann English; a son, Rob Elsensohn; three granddaughters and four great-grandsons.
Memorial contributions may be made to the John Rogers Foundation, 7455 N. Sutherlin St., Spokane, WA 99208.
Juanita Blutcher
Spokane
Burial for Juanita Blutcher, 80, was Wednesday in Wenatchee.
Mrs. Blutcher, a resident of Spokane for more than 47 years, died Saturday. She was born in Wenatchee.
She retired in 1987 from the Cheney School District after 25 years as
school food services director.
Mrs. Blutcher was a member of Washington School Food Service Association and American School Food Service Association.
She enjoyed gardening, staying at her cabin in the woods, and building projects with her son and family.
Survivors include a son, Mark Blutcher of Coeur d’Alene; a sister Jean Rosendahl of Wenatchee; and two granddaughters.
Grace Fellows
Spokane
Memorial service for Grace Corolin Fellows, 96, was Dec. 4 at Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home.
Miss Fellows, who was born and raised in Miles City, Mont., died Nov. 26.
Growing up, she was an avid horsewoman and pianist. After earning her teaching credentials at Montana State Normal School, she taught in a one-room country schoolhouse in Calabar, Mont.
She later earned a bachelor of arts degree at the University of Montana and did graduate work at the University of Washington and the University of California at Berkeley.
In 1942 she moved to Western Washington. She taught for several years in Snohomish and Yakima before moving to Seattle, where she taught in the public schools until her retirement in 1973.
After her retirement she moved to Spokane, where she lived with her sister, Helen. She resumed teaching as a volunteer at the Barton School, teaching English as a second language for nearly 20 years.
In her mid-80s she began taking piano lessons to maintain and improve skills that she used in teaching basic music to grade school students.
Survivors include three nieces, Corolin Ruff of Spokane, DianeHecker of Fort Collins, Colo., and Beth Byers of Charleston, Ind.; and two nephews, Bert Fellows of Paducah, Ky., and Delos Putz Jr. of San Geronimo, Calif.
Clyde Matters
Spokane
Memorial service for Clyde Burns Matters, 80, will be today at 2 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church. Ball and Dodd Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Matters, a longtime resident of Spokane, died Saturday.
He was born in Fargo, N.D., and grew up in Yakima and Spokane.
After graduating from Lewis and Clark High School in 1942, he enlisted in the Army and served in the infantry in Europe during World War II.
Mr. Matters began a long association with Whitworth College in 1946, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in 1950 and earning a Master of Education in 1952. He was a member of the college faculty from 1950 to 1957 and again from 1970 to 1972. He earned a doctorate from the University of Washington.
Mr. Matters served as assistant superintendent of schools in Issaquah, Wash., and later worked with the Ford Foundation in West Africa for six years. He ended his professional career as president of Hastings (Neb.) College, serving from 1972 until his retirement in 1985.
Survivors include his wife, Anna Ruth; a daughter, Cynthia Carroll of Spokane; a son, Richard Matters of Lodi, Calif.; and seven grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Whitworth College Scholarship Fund or the First Presbyterian Church Senior High Youth Program.
Virginia Holm
Spokane
Visitation for Virginia May Holm, 73, will be today and Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Riplinger Funeral Home. Service will be Saturday at 11 a.m. at Sunset Mausoleum, Fairmount Memorial Park.
Mrs. Holm, who died Monday, was born in Sedro Woolley, Wash.
She married her childhood sweetheart, Charles Holm, in 1950. In 1955 they adopted a daughter.
A military wife, Mrs. Holm lived in many places before settling in Spokane in 1969. She was employed by and retired from the accounting office of Holy Family Hospital.
Her husband died in May.
Survivors include a daughter, Ellen (Holm) Henry of Deer Park; a brother, Sam Eaton of Stanwood, Wash.; and three grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Cancer Society or Hospice of Spokane.
Mildred Selcho
Ritzville, Wash.
Visitation for Mildred “Milda” Meyer Selcho, 102, will be Friday from 1 to 5 p.m. at Danekas Funeral Home, Ritzville. Funeral will be
Saturday at 2 p.m. at Emanuel Lutheran Church, with vault interment to follow at Emanuel Lutheran Cemetery.
Mrs. Selcho, who was born on a farm 10 miles west of Ritzville, died Tuesday.
She attended school at the Lincoln and Central schools through the eighth grade.
She married Emanuel Selcho in 1920 in Yakima. They lived in Spokane before moving in 1942 to Roy, Idaho, where they farmed.
Her husband died in 1961, and Mrs. Selcho returned to Ritzville in 1962.
She was a member of Emanuel Lutheran Church and Faith Hope Circle. She also was a member of the Gritman Senior Center and the Sunshine Grandmothers Club.
Survivors include a daughter, Irene Doss of Ritzville; five grandchildren, 11 great grandchildren and 12 great great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions be made to Emanuel Lutheran Church or the Residents’ Memorial Fund for the Gazebo Project at Life Care.
Daniel Hibbard
Post Falls
Service for Daniel Elton Hibbard, 55, will be Friday at 10:30 a.m. at St. Pius Roman Catholic Church in Coeur d’Alene with burial at 2 p.m. at Evergreen Cemetery in Post Falls. Yates Funeral Home in Coeur d’Alene is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Hibbard, who was born in Coeur d’Alene, died Monday.
He grew up in the Coeur d’Alene area and married Sallee Crow. They later divorced.
He was a mail carrier for the Postal Service in Washington and was a well-known musician and vocalist. He performed regularly for residents at Heritage Place in Coeur d’Alene and the Rockin’ B Cowboy Supper Club Show in Liberty Lake.
He enjoyed making videos of family and friends and traveling, including a recent trip to New York’s Yankee stadium and Ground Zero.
Survivors include his wife of 26 years, Margaret Lewis; two children, Bradley Hibbard and Erika Foreman; his parents, Elton and Roberta Hibbard; two sisters, Barbara Workman and Bonnie Abbott; and three grandchildren.
Memorials may be made to the local food bank.
Barbara Hinton
Spokane Valley
Funeral for Barbara Hinton, 57, will be Friday at 10 a.m. at Thornhill Valley Funeral Home. Burial will be at Pines Cemetery.
Mrs. Hinton, a resident of Spokane Valley since 1987, died Sunday. She was born in Antioch, Calif.
She was a manager in fast-food services.
Survivors include her husband, Adron; two sons, John and Carl Hinton; three brothers, Melvin of Cottage Grove, Ore., Willis of Spokane and Rick of Moses Lake; and six grandchildren.
June (Flink) DeMinter
Spokane
No service will be held for June Louise (Flink) DeMinter, 80, at her request. Riplinger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. DeMinter, who was born in Missoula, died Dec. 3.
Her family moved to Wallace, Idaho, where she graduated from high school in 1942. She later graduated from the University of Washington and St. Luke’s School of Nursing.
She became supervisor of surgery at St. Luke’s Hospital at age 25.
Mrs. DeMinter was a musician and played in a band in Wallace called the Stardusters.
In 1948 she married John Dotson. They divorced, and she later married her high school crush, Albert DeMinter.
They enjoyed their second home at Sunnyside on Lake Pend Oreille.
She was preceded in death by her husband.
Survivors include a daughter, Jane McLeish; six grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Spokane Humane Society.
Ronald Blank
Spokane
Memorial service for Ronald Victor Blank, 69, will be Saturday at 11 a.m. at Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 51, 330 W. Mission Ave.
Mr. Blank died Friday.
Born and raised in Superior, Wis., he joined the Air Force in 1952. He was stationed at Fairchild Air Force Base and settled in Spokane after his miliary discharge.
He was a locomotive engineer with the Burlington Northern Railroad for 30 years, retiring in 1997.
Mr. Blank was an active member of Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Eagles Lodge. He enjoyed traveling, restoring old cars, and crabbing at the Oregon coast and was an avid Green Bay Packers fan.
Survivors include two daughters, Kathy Harper and Sandy Wise; a son, Dale Blank; longtime companion Cherie Killingsworth; three brothers, Richard Blank of Vienna, Va., Gerald Blank of Lodi, Calif., and Bruce Blank of Tolleson, Ariz.; two sisters, Nancy Tinker and Linda McShane, both of Galt, Calif.; and six grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to VFW Post 51 or the American Cancer Society.
Edythe (Naccarato) Weetman
Spokane
Visitation for Edythe J. (Naccarato) Weetman, 80, will be today at noon at Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home, with a vigil service at 5 p.m. Funeral Mass will be Friday at 11 a.m. at St. Aloysius Roman Catholic Church, with committal service at Holy Cross Cemetery.
Mrs. Weetman, who was born in Priest River, Idaho, died Saturday.
She graduated from Sacred Heart Nursing School in 1945. She met her husband, Richard, in Spokane, and they were married in 1950. In 1952 they moved to the Tri-Cities, where they made their home in Richland for 30 years before retirement. Mrs. Weetman worked as a pediatric nurse.
She later returned to Spokane.
Her husband died in 1993.
Survivors include a daughter, Kathleen Carlson of Spokane; a son, John Weetman of Palmer, Alaska; a sister Georgie MacDonald of Arizona; five grandchildren and three great granddaughters
Memorial contributions may be made to Poor Clare Nuns, 4419 N Hawthorne, Spokane, WA 99205.
Chris Simmons
Medical Lake
A potluck memorial gathering will be held in memory of Chris Simmons, 47, from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Hillyard Veterans of Foreign Wars Post, 3004 E. Queen Ave. Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Simmons, who was born in Spokane, died Thursday.
A resident of Spokane most of her life, she attended Rogers High School.
She worked as a certified nurses’ aide and loved helping elderly people.
Survivors include her husband, Doug Simmons, and a son, Brett Simmons, both of Friday Harbor, Wash.; two daughters, Chantell Simmons and Hailey Simmons, both of Spokane; her father and stepmother, Ray and Pat White of Cusick, Wash.; her mother and stepfather, Corrine and Donald Erickson; two sisters, Jana Hoisington of Medical Lake and Wendy Kain of Spokane; a brother, Ray White of Spokane; half-sister, Mary White of Spokane; two stepsisters, Jackie White of Spokane and Georgia Gilmore of Newport, Wash.; and three grandchildren.
Albert Burgess
Spokane
Memorial service for Albert Lee Burgess, 61, will be Saturday at 1 p.m. at Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home.
Mr. Burgess, who died Saturday, was born in Spokane. He resided in the Spokane area most of his life. He attended Riverside High School and played on the school baseball team. He worked as a carpenter.
Survivors include his wife, Vicky; six children, Ryan, Tami, Matt, Dennis, Lane and Lori Burgess; two brothers, Robert and Vern Burgess; nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Merritt Scott
Spokane
Viewing for Merritt A. Scott, 77, will be today from 5 to 8 p.m. at Thornhill Valley Funeral Home. Service will be Friday at 1 p.m. at the funeral home.
Mr. Scott, who died last Thursday, was born and raised in Sandpoint.
He joined the Navy at age 17. He was present during the atomic bomb testing in the Pacific from 1947 to 1948. He served in World War II and the Korean and Vietnam wars, retiring with the rank of chief petty officer in 1966.
He and his family then settled in the Spokane Valley. A few years later he began to work for Washington Air National Guard as a plant mechanic. He retired in 1983.
Mr. Scott was an avid fisherman and hunter. He loved garden and also beekeeping, a hobby he took up after retirement.
He was a member of Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans and Spokane Navy Fleet Reserve, Branch 38, and attended Foothills Community Church.
Survivors include his wife of 54 years, Evelyn; five children Janet Scott,
Chris Buckholdt, Janice Coburn, Jim Scott and Merri Nickerson; a sister, Betty Kester of Lebanon, Ore.; three brothers, Richard Scott of Bunker Hill, Ind., Clyde Scott of Lynnwood, Wash., and Howard Scott of Everett; 11 grandchildren and one great-grandson.
Christine (Merkel) Beba
Coeur d’Alene
Memorial service for Christine (Merkel) Beba, 91, will be Friday at 2:30 p.m. at Life Care Center in Coeur d’Alene. English Funeral Chapel in Coeur d’Alene is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Beba, who was born in Temvik, N.D., died Sunday.
Her mother died when she was 5, and she was raised in a family with 15 children.
She married Stanley Beba in 1936. He died in 1984.
The couple lived in North Dakota and Minnesota before moving in the early 1960s to Ephrata, Wash., where she was a member of Memorial Christian Church.
Mrs. Beba moved to Coeur d’Alene in 2000 to be near her niece’s family.
She was known for her laugh and sense of humor and was full of energy.
Survivors include a sister, Caroline Steingruber of North Dakota; and three brothers, Herman Merkel, Art Merkel and Louis Merkel, all of North Dakota.
James Halligan
Spokane
Funeral for James Grant Halligan, 83, will be today at 1 p.m. at Ball and Dodd Funeral Home. Interment will be at Fairmount Memorial Park.
Mr. Halligan, who died Monday, was born in Coffeyville, Kan.
He served in the Army during World War II and in 1953 married Betty McCoy in Corpus Christi, Texas.
Mr. Halligan was a supervisor for natural gas crews for Washington Water Power for 26 years.
He was an active member of the Country Church of the Open Bible in Elk.
Survivors include his wife; two sons Dick Halligan of Rathdrum, Idaho, and Mike Halligan of Chattaroy; a daughter, Breanda Bergen of Coeur d’Alene; a brother, Bob Halligan of Ponca City, Okla.; and five grandchildren.
T.A. ‘Joe’ Crowe
Spokane
Funeral for T.A. “Joe” Crowe, 92, will be today at 11 a.m. at Thornhill Valley Funeral Home.
Mr. Crowe, who was born in Bock, Minn., died Monday. He was a resident of Spokane for 58 years.
He was a sheet metal worker.
He enjoyed rebuilding antique autos, including Model A’s and T’s, a 1937 Cord and Willy’s Overland, and traveling in motorhomes.
Survivors include three children, June White, Clara Knudson and Don Crowe; a sister, May Wood of California; and eight grandchildren.