Obituaries
Eleanor (Wamre) VanCara
Four Lakes
Graveside service for Eleanor Joyce (Wamre) VanCara, 73, will be today at 1 p.m. at Spokane Memorial Gardens, followed by a memorial service at the Tinker home. Ball and Dodd Funeral Home-South is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. VanCara, who died May 14, was born in Palermo, N.D.
She taught in North Dakota before marrying Leo VanCara in 1951, when she became a homemaker.
For the next 20 years they traveled the world as an Air Force family and finally settled in Four Lakes.
Her husband died in 1991.
Survivors include a son, Buster VanCara of Four Lakes; three daughters, Janiece Kinn of Four Lakes, LaWana Matthews of Anchorage, Alaska, and Devon Tinker of Spokane; two brothers, Donovan Wamre of California and Calmer Wamre of Nebraska; a sister, Delores Vietzke of Ellensburg; four grandchildren and one great-granddaughter.
Memorial contributions be made to Hospice of Spokane or St. Josephs Care Center.
LeRoy Ackaret
Orofino, Idaho
Funeral for LeRoy David Ackaret, 68, will be Saturday at 10 a.m. at Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home.
Mr. Ackaret died May 14.
He was born in Milan, Wash., and spent his school years in Greenacres.
He served in the Army in the Korean War.
He lived with his family on a farm on Mount Spokane, moving to Peck, Idaho, following his retirement.
Mr. Ackaret was an active member of the Clearwater Community Church in Orofino.
Survivors include his wife of 47 years, Henrietta; five daughters, Pamela Reiner of Chewelah, Wash., Joyce Lizarraga and Ramona Ackaret, both of Deer Park, and Theresa Coleman and Louise Potts, both of Orofino; two brothers, Adelbert and Robert Ackaret, both of Spokane; 10 grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to Compassion International, P.O. Box 65000, Colorado Springs, CO 80962-9951.
Harold Fischer
Spokane
Private service will be held for Harold E. Fischer, 78. Riplinger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Fischer, who died May 15, was born in Manning, N.D. He was a longtime resident of Spokane.
Following his service in the Army, he worked as an independent framing contractor for 30 years.
He was a member of Assumption Roman Catholic Church, and enjoyed fishing and gardening.
Survivors include his wife of 56 years, Nettie; a son, Roland Fischer of Spokane; two daughters, Sheila Pfeffer of Spokane and Claudia Rodriguez of Pendleton, Ore.; three sisters and five brothers; three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Mary ‘Schelly’ Dygert-Betts
Baton Rouge, La.
Service for Mary Mae Mischelle “Schelly” Dygert-Betts, 34, will be Saturday at 11 a.m. at the Community Bible Chapel in Spokane.
Mrs. Dygert-Betts died May 7.
Born at Shaw Air Force Base in Sumter, S.C., she moved with her family to Spokane in 1977.
She lettered in varsity volleyball and varsity softball at Gonzaga Preparatory School, where she graduated in 1988.
She married Frank Betts in 1991, and they moved to Baton Rouge. She was attending Louisiana State University and was scheduled to graduate this year with a bachelor’s degree in education.
Survivors include a daughter, Franchesca Betts, and a son, Patrick Betts, both of Baton Rouge; her parents, Hank and Kandys Dygert of Spokane; a brother, H.J. Dygert of Spokane; her former husband, Frank Betts of Baton Rouge; and her grandparents, Ernie and Nellie Dygert of Helena, and Esther Ricks of Billings.
Ercel Miller
Deer Park
Memorial service for Ercel Agnes Miller, 96, will be Saturday at 11 a.m. at Open Door Congregational Church in Deer Park. Lauer Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Miler, who was born in Meyers Falls, Wash., died May 12. She was a resident of Deer Park since 1978.
She attended schools in Meyers Falls.
She and her husband, Jerry Nixon, owned and operated Nixon Electric in Colville for many years, then owned Nixon’s Resort at Twin Lakes in Ferry County.
Mrs. Miller was the bookkeeper at both businesses.
She was a member of the Open Door Congregational Church in Deer Park.
Her first husband died in 1979, and her second husband, Arthur Miller, died in 1994.
Survivors include a sister, Eselene Rice of Colville; two grandsons, 11 great-grandchildren and 19 great-great-grandchildren.
Demuth (Carpenter) Huck
Hayden, Idaho
Private service for Demuth Leon (Carpenter) Huck, 91, was held.
Mrs. Huck, who was born in Dodge City, Kan., died Saturday.
She graduated from Garfield Rural High School in Kansas in 1931 and married Cecil Bird later that year. Her husband died in 1962.
In 1969, she married Elmer Huck.
Mrs. Huck worked as a riveter at Boeing Aircraft in Wichita for 15 years. She retired in 1970.
She and her husband moved to Hayden in 1994.
Survivors include her husband; two sons, Daniel Bird of Monroe, Va., and Richard Bird of Coeur d’Alene; a daughter, Carolyn Martinez of Sisters, Ore.; 10 grandchildren, and 30 great-grandchildren.
Herold Schilling
Sandpoint
No service will be held for Herold A. Schilling, 87, at his request. Yates Funeral Home in Coeur d’Alene is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Schilling, who was born in Princeton, Minn., died April 29.
He moved with his family to Hope, Idaho, in 1925 and attended school there and did various work locally.
Mr. Schilling later served with the Army until his honorable discharge.
He settled in Spokane and married Violet Frye. She preceded him in death.
Mr. Schilling worked in the maintenance department at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center for several years before retiring.
He then moved to Hayden Lake, Idaho.
He was active with the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars, where he held various offices.
Survivors include three stepchildren, Claude, Eldon and Jim Fry; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Thomas ‘Frank’ Goodson
Spokane
Funeral for Thomas Franklin “Frank” Goodson, 79, will be today at 2 p.m. at Riplinger Funeral Home.
Mr. Goodson, who was born in Ivanhoe, Wash., died Tuesday.
He attended Ivanhoe High School before joining the Navy in 1942. After his discharge from the Navy in 1945, he went to Ann Arbor, Mich., where he was employed by Kaiser-Frazer Co. and later owned a milk business.
He came to Spokane in 1967. He owned an apartment business and was employed with the city Water Department.
He was an avid fisherman and enjoyed the outdoors of the Pacific Northwest.
Survivors include his wife of 59 years, Florida; two daughters, Brenda Hayes of Marysville, Wash., Becky Middleton of Spokane; a sister, Frances Howlett of High Point, N.C.; a brother, Frederick Goodson of Richmond, Va.; three granddaughters and one great-grandson.
Dorothy “Betty” Weir
Spokane
No service will be held for Dorothy Elizabeth “Betty” Weir, 96, at her request. Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Weir, who was born in Seymour, Ind., died May 13.
She came to Spokane with her parents as a child, and was a longtime resident of the area.
She was a graduate of Holy Names Academy and attended Dominican College in San Rafael, Calif.
She married Lloyd Weir in 1929; he died in 1984.
Mrs. Weir was a charter member and a longtime resident of the Waterford Retirement community.
She was a former parishioner of St. Augustine and Sacred Heart Roman Catholic churches.
Survivors include numerous nieces and nephews.
Norman Smith
Athol, Idaho
Private memorial service for Norman John Smith, 91, will be held. A memorial for friends will be held at a later date. Yates Funeral Home in Coeur d’Alene is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Smith, who was born in Buffalo, N.Y., died Saturday.
In 1939 he married Alzina Smith, and they joined Jehovah’s Witnesses that same year.
They moved to Temple City, Calif., in 1948, and he worked as a milkman for Driftwood Dairy.
He separated from his wife in 1957, and they divorced in 1970.
He had lived in Arizona, Colorado, New York, Oklahoma and Canada and served each area as a Jehovah’s Witness.
He married his second wife, Ann, in 1971 and that marriage ended in 1987.
He moved to Lake Arrowhead, Calif., in 1997 to live with his daughter’s family. In 1999 he moved to Athol.
Mr. Smith enjoyed chocolate and reading.
He was a member of the Rathdrum congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses.
Survivors include two daughters, Leilani Emerald of Lake Ellsinore, Calif., and Deborah Laning of Athol; six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Memorials may be made to Hospice of North Idaho, 9493 N. Government Way, Hayden, ID 83835.
Robert Thomas
Post Falls
Visitation for Robert Earl Thomas, 84, will be at Yates Funeral Home in Coeur d’Alene Monday from noon until the service at 2 p.m. Burial will be at Evergreen Cemetery in Post Falls.
Mr. Thomas, who was born in Philadelphia, died Tuesday.
He grew up in Philadelphia, and after graduating from high school, served in the Merchant Marines for six years.
Mr. Thomas then went to work for Boeing in Philadelphia until he retired after 38 years as a crew chief.
In 1951 he married Evelyn Shive, and they lived in Maple Shade, N.J.
The couple moved to Post Falls in 1987.
He was a member of the American Helicopter Museum and Education Center in Pennsylvania.
Mr. Thomas enjoyed raising fish and gardening.
Survivors include his wife; a son, Robert Thomas of Post Falls; a daughter, Evelyn Hobbs of Ohio; two brothers, Edward Thomas of Philadelphia and George Thomas of Marmora, N.J.; three grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Charles ‘Dickie’ Floyd
Spokane
Funeral for Charles “Dickie” Floyd, 80, was May 11 at Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home.
Mr. Floyd, who was born in Centralia, Wash., died May 4. He was a longtime resident of the Spokane area.
He worked many years shining shoes at the Ridpath Hotel and resided at Moore’s Boarding Home for the past 10 years.
There are no surviving family members.