Obituaries
Eugene Williams
Coeur d’Alene
No service will be held for Eugene Lester Williams, 88, at his request. Yates Funeral Home in Coeur d’Alene is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Williams, who died in St. Louis Park, Minn., died Sunday at Bee Hive Homes in Coeur d’Alene.
He worked in the construction industry and helped build Grand Coulee Dam. Mr. Williams then served with the Navy aboard the U.S.S. Boxer aircraft carrier in the Pacific during World War II.
He then moved to Spokane and worked for the Northern Pacific Railway and later for Phillips Petroleum.
He married Laurece Jones in 1970, and they lived in Great Falls for 30 years.
The couple moved to Coeur d’Alene in 2000 to be near family. His wife died in 2001.
He enjoyed fishing and hunting.
Survivors include his stepson, Craig Jones of Coeur d’Alene; and a stepgrandson and a great-stepgrandson.
Fred ‘Fritz’ Williams
Oakesdale, Wash.
Funeral for Fred O. “Fritz” Williams, former mayor of Garfield, Wash., was held Friday at the Garfield Christian Church, with burial at Garfield Cemetery.
Mr. Williams, who was born in Marcellus, N.Y., died last Saturday. He was 87.
He graduated from high school in Marcellus.
He married Mary Jane Reynolds in 1940, and the couple made their home in Marcellus.
He worked for Allen V. Smith, a dry pea and lentil processing company, until 1948, when he was transferred to manage the Western division of Allen V. Smith Garfield, which later came to be known as Berger and Plate.
Mr. Williams continued his position as manager until he retired in 1981.
He served on the Chamber of Commerce and the volunteer fire department. He was a member of the Garfield City Council for many years and served as mayor of Garfield for three terms.
Mr. Williams was a member of the Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church and enjoyed boating.
His wife died in 1981.
He married Bea Pfaff in 1985, and the couple made their home in Oakesdale and spent many winters in Tucson, Ariz.
Survivors include his wife; two sons, Fred Williams of Spokane Valley and Mike Williams of Woodinville, Wash.; four daughters, Anne Vannice of Colville, Mickey Leinweber of Garfield, Margaret McInturff of Spokane and Jayne Olesen of Moscow; three stepchildren, Dennis Pfaff, Suzanne Perringer and Katherine Pfaff, all of Oakesdale; 12 grandchildren, five great-grandchildren and four stepgrandchildren.
Mary Schimanski
Spokane
Private service will be held for Mary Alexander Schimanski, 84.
Mrs. Schimanski, who was born in Mountain Home, Idaho, died May 7.
She graduated from Central Valley High School as class secretary of 1937.
She was a welder and burner in Tacoma during World War II and in 1948 married Robert Schimanski.
Mrs. Schimanski was a secretary to the chief executive officer of Puget Sound Power and Light.
She attended University of Washington, Whitworth College and Spokane Falls Community College and graduated from Eastern Washington University at age 70.
Mrs. Schimanski was a member of Plymouth Congregation Church and became president of the Martha Group and chairman of the Women of Rotary. She was involved at the Spokane Club and golfed at the Manito Golf and Country Club.
Survivors include her husband; two children, Richard and Roger; and three grandchildren.
Dorothy Tiffany
Spokane
Private service will be held for Dorothy G. Tiffany, 89. Hennessey Valley Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Tiffany, who was born in Walla Walla, died May 7. She was a resident of Spokane for 20 years.
She was a homemaker.
She was preceded in death by her husband, William A. Tiffany.
Survivors include two sons, David Hanson and Greg Tiffany, both of Spokane; a daughter, Kathy Mills of Liberty Lake; nine grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Spokane or The American Cancer Society.
Jeffrey Williams
Ione, Wash.
Memorial service for Jeffrey “Jeff” Alfred Williams, 52, will be today at 2 p.m. at the Ione Baptist Church, with a military presentation at Riverside Cemetery in Ione. Sherman-Knapp Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Williams, who was born in Parkersburg, W.Va., died Tuesday.
From 1970 to 1976 he served as survival instructor in the Air Force.
His employment through the years included working as director of the J. Bar D Ranch in Ione, driving a long-haul truck and log trucks, and working for local logging companies.
He obained his commercial pilot’s and instructors licenses. While residing in Fort Myers, Fla., in 1990, he worked as chief pilot for Air Ambulance.
It was then that he became ill with pneumonia that caused cardiomyopathy and weakened his heart.
The family relocated to Ione. In 1991 Mr. Williams received his first heart transplant, and in 2001 he received his second transplant.
Mr. Williams enjoyed hunting and fishing and was an avid golfer and a member of the American Legion.
Survivors include his wife of 32 years, Toni; four children, Jacki Brady of Vancouver, Wash., Karri Newman of Colville, Lindsey Newman of Newport, Wash., and Sean Williams of Ione; a brother, Clyde-Jack Williams of West Virginia; and nine grandchildren.
Ronald ‘Ron’ Goodson
Coeur d’Alene
A gathering for family and friends of Ronald “Ron” Goodson, 61, was held.
Mr. Goodson, who was born in Kellogg, died May 5.
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He lived most of his life in the Coeur d’Alene area and served with the Army in Germany after high school.
Mr. Goodson, was trained as a dental technician and learned from Hal Moser.
He later changed occupations and worked as a carpenter. Some of his local work includes Wild Waters, Lake Villa Apartments, Coeur d’Alene North Condominiums, Pinecrest mental health facility, Fullwiler Dental Clinic, Magnuson, McHugh and Co., Lincoln Way Terrace, Coeur d’Alene Power Tool and numerous private homes.
Survivors include his wife of 35 years, Kathy; two children, Jenny and Chris; his mother, Evelyn Demchok; two brothers, Wally and Warren; and a granddaughter.
Memorials may be made to the Multiple Sclerosis Society, 1674 Hill Road, Suite 18, Boise, ID 83702.
John Layton
Spokane
Service for John David “Dave” Layton, will be today at 3 p.m. in the Sunset Chapel, Fairmount Memorial Park. Heritage Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Layton, who was born in Keyser, W.Va., died Tuesday.
He grew up in the Philadelphia area and graduated from Father Judge High School in 1957.
In 1979 he graduated from Eastern Washington University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in business administration, cum laude.
He served in the Navy for four years and another 11 years in the Air Force before being medically retired in 1970.
He enjoyed several hobbies, including model trains, stamp and coin collecting, geology, astronomy, genealogy, reading and birdwatching.
Survivors include a son, Richard Layton of Mead; a stepson, Dan Harris of Bothell, Wash.; two stepdaughters, Lori Duncan of Spokane Valley and Teresa Bell of Greenacres; his former wife, Judy Wakeley Layton of Spokane; two sisters, Carol Talipsky of Levittown, Pa., and Betty Milke of Uxbridge, Mass.; and 11 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Friends of 7 or the American Heart Association.
Michael Ballin
Spokane
Funeral for Michael A. Ballin, 47, will be today at 11 a.m. at Emmanuel Lutheran Church. Heritage Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Ballin, who died Monday, was born in San Bernardino, Calif., and worked at Bank of America for over 20 years.
He married Trayci Thompson 1994 in Spokane.
Mr. Ballin was a member of Emmanuel Lutheran Church.
Survivors include his wife; two sons, Michael and Joshua; a daughter, Jennifer; his parents Arthur and Sally; a brother. Paul; and two sisters, Kristi and Sandra.
Lucile Pugh
Spokane
Visitation for Lucile M. Pugh, 81, will be today from noon to 5 p.m., Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Monday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Riplinger Funeral Home. Funeral will be Monday at 2 p.m. at the funeral home.
Mrs. Pugh, a lifelong resident of Spokane, died Wednesday.
She graduated from North Central High School and worked at Geiger Field during World War II.
She married Lloyd Pugh in 1943.
Mrs. Pugh was a member of the Holy Family Hospital Auxiliary in the 1970s. She enjoyed gardening, cooking, crossword puzzles, reading and playing cards and was an avid rock collector.
Her husband died in 1997.
Survivors include a daughter, Carole Williams of Medford, N.J.; a son, Jerald Phillips of Colbert; and three grandchildren
Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Spokane.
Tim Diaz
Spokane Valley
Visitation for Tim Diaz, 43, will be today from 9 to 3:30 p.m. at Thornhill Valley Funeral Home. Funeral will be Sunday at 3 p.m. at Grace Harvest Fellowship in Veradale. Burial will be Monday at 2 p.m. at Pines Cemetery.
Mr. Diaz, who died Wednesday, was born in Farmington, N.M.
He was a general contractor and a member of the Grace Harvest Fellowship Church.
Survivors include his wife, Cheryl; four children Nathan, Rachel and Rebecca Diaz and Craig Hanson; his mother, Nancy Diaz; three sisters, Rondi Farretta Mary Francis Seja and Anita Hansen; two brothers, Raymond Diaz and Pat Perkins; and one granddaughter, Alinah Napine. Memorial contributions may be made to the Tim Diaz Memorial Fund c/o Grace Harvest Fellowship, P.O. Box 531, Veradale, WA 99037.
Donna Robinson
Soap Lake, Wash.
Memorial service for Donna Elaine Robinson, 50, will be today at 10 a.m. at Nicoles Funeral Home Chapel in Ephrata, Wash.
Mrs. Robinson, a longtime resident of Soap Lake, Wash., died Wednesday. She was born in Williston, N.D.
She worked for the Ephrata Safeway store in the meat department.
Her husband, William, died earlier. She is survived by two daughters, Danielle Demar and Debbie LuMeister; her father and stepmother, Lyle and Hilda Thorpe of North Dakota; her mother, Jeanette Raulston of Medical Lake; seven siblings, Lanna Shuler of Soap Lake, Danni Thorpe of Williston, N.D., and Larry Halverson, Diane Hemingway, George and Randy Raulston, and Lori Hansen, all of Medical Lake; and four grandchildren.
Joanne Nelson
Spokane
Memorial service for Joanne Nelson, 51, will be today at 3 p.m. at 2604 N. Stevens St. Hazen and Jaeger Valley Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Nelson, who died Tuesday, was born in Yakima.
She was an licensed practical nurse for more than 30 years and worked at numerous facilities, including Lakeland Village, Eastern State Hospital and The Gardens.
She enjoyed gardening, canoeing, traveling, reading, dancing and sewing.
Survivors include two daughters, Kristine Nelson and Heather Dobney; her mother, Lorraine Sauve; a sister, Carolyn Antonelli; and four grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Marsha Rivkin Center for Ovarian Cancer Research.
Joan Wilson
Spokane
Funeral for Joan Wilson, 65, will be Sunday at 1 p.m. at Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home. Burial will be at Spokane Memorial Gardens.
Mrs. Wilson, who was born in East Orange, N.J., died Thursday.
A resident of Spokane for nearly 50 years, she and her husband owned and operated Kustom Upholstery for 23 years.
Survivors include her husband of 47 years, Gene; a son, Terry Wilson of Salt Lake City; two daughters, Heidi Seger of Spokane and Tammy Abab of Seattle; two sisters, Barbara Horton of Missoula and Grace Lytle of Cape Cod, Mass.; 11 grandchildren and two great granddaughters.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Spokane Humane Society or to the Ronald McDonald House, 1015 W. Fifth Ave., Spokane, WA 99204.