Obituaries

Vernon Nelson M.D.

Spokane

Memorial service for Dr. Vernon Jack Nelson, M.D., 56, will be Sunday at 3 p.m. at the Davenport Hotel. Heritage Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Dr. Nelson died Saturday.

Born in Ashtabula, Ohio, he spent most of his youth . In 1976 he graduated from the University of Washington medical school. He completed his internship and residency at Deaconess Medical Center in 1977.

Dr, Nelson worked as an emergency room physician at Valley and St. Luke’s hospitals, and was the director of both departments.

He restored vintage cars; remodeled, designed and built homes; and instructed paramedics for Spokane Community College. He volunteered for Spokane Public Schools, Habitat for Humanity, Meals on Wheels and the American Cancer Society.

His hobbies included camping, gardening, outdoor activities, cooking, woodworking and traveling to Disney World, western Montana and the Oregon coast.

Dr. Nelson also was a Harley-Davidson enthusiast.

Survivors include two daughters, Darci Hastings and Kristen Lobdell; his companion, Mary Moltke; his mother Henrietta Glaus; and a brother, Bruce Nelson.

Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Spokane or the Browne’s Addition Steering Committee.

Norman Donder

Spokane

Graveside service for Norman Nesbitt Donder, 77, will be Saturday at 2 p.m. at Greenwood Memorial Terrace. Heritage Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Mr. Donder, who was born and raised in Spokane, died Tuesday.

He served with the 116th Fighter Squadron from Geiger Field where they flew F-86s to England. It was during his service that he met his wife, Pansy.

Mr. Donder worked at Kaiser Mead until his retirement in 1983. He was a voracious reader and enjoyed doing crossword puzzles and watching the wildlife from his back yard.

He was preceded in death by his wife of 51 years.

Survivors include two daughters, Jill Murphy and Kay Donder; and two grandsons.

John Oestreich

Ritzville, Wash.

Memorial service for John Henry Oestreich, 62, will be held at a later date. Danekas Funeral Home, Ritzville is in charge of arrangements.

Mr. Oestreich, who was born in Portland, died last Friday.

He graduated from Ritzville High School in 1961. He attended Washington State University, Ambassador College in Pasadena, Calif., and Columbia Basin College in Pasco.

He worked as a welder at Hanford before moving back to Ritzville in 1983. Through his business, East Empire Enterprises, he was a custodian at the Adams County Courthouse and Ritzville Library. He also did landscaping work.

Survivors include three sisters Joan Schwisow and Mary Pickens, both of Ritzville, and Jean Galbraith of Yakima.

Floyd Pope

Springdale, Wash.

Visitation for Floyd Lee Pope, 72, will be today from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon at Danekas Funeral Home in Colville. Funeral will be Monday at 1 p.m. at the Springdale Community Church, with graveside service and vault interment to follow at Springdale Cemetery.

Mr. Pope, a 20-year resident of Springdale, died Sunday. He was born in Weiser, Idaho.

In 1950 he graduated from Grandview (Idaho) High School, then entered the Air Force. He later graduated from Kinman Business University. He received a Master of Accounts in 1959 and Business Administration in 1960.

Mr. Pope then worked as an accountant for Sceva Construction in Spokane for many years. In 1977 he purchased his first grocery store in Greenacres, which he operated until 1985, when he purchased a store in Springdale. Mr. Pope had operated the Springdale Grocery and Hardware for the past 20 years.

Mr. Pope was a longtime member of the Springdale City Council. He served as Springdale mayor from January 2003 until July, stepping down due to health concerns.

He loved the outdoors, hunting and fishing, and taking his dog, Suzy, for an evening drive to look for deer.

Survivors include two sons, Gary Pope of Otis Orchards and Arron Pope of Richland; a daughter, Amber Ruby of Mead; two brothers, Ben and Del Pope, both of Spokane; a sister, Jean Lasnick of Fruitland, Idaho; and two granddaughters.

Memorial contributions may be made to the N.E. Washington Hospice, P.O. Box 808, Chewelah, WA 99109.

Esther Read

Sandpoint

Memorial service for Esther Lulu Read, 88, will be Saturday at 2 p.m. at Sandpoint United Methodist Church. Burial will take place at Willamette National Cemetery in Oregon at a later date. Lakeview Funeral Home in Sandpoint is in charge of arrangements.

Mrs. Read, who was born in Elgin, Neb., died Tuesday.

She grew up in Lincoln, Neb., and graduated from Jackson High School.

As a youngster she enjoyed spending time with her father while fixing everything from cars to the family home.

She moved to Sandpoint with her family in 1939 and joined the United Methodist Church.

She married Ward “Bud” Robinson in 1947. He died in 1986.

She married William “Bill” Read in 1989, and the couple spent many years traveling around the country and in Canada in their RV. They settled in Sandpoint in 1995 to be near family.

Mrs. Read is a member of Sandpoint United Methodist Church women’s group, Order of the Eastern Star Martha Chapter 34, and served as Past Noble Grand in the Rebekah Lodge.

She enjoyed sewing, knitting, tatting and woodworking.

Survivors include her husband; two sons, Allen Robinson of Tacoma and Errol Robinson of Orofino, Idaho; two sisters, Hope Jones of Lee’s Summit, Mo., and Barbara Blood of Sandpoint; a brother, Hugh Whitmore of San Diego; four grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Judy Spiesman

Coeur d’Alene

No service will be held for Judy O. Spiesman, 58, at her request. Hodge Funeral Home in St. Maries is in charge of arrangements.

Mrs. Spiesman, who was born in Fort Morgan, Colo., died Tuesday.

She grew up in Nevada and moved to the Benewah Valley near St. Maries in 1978.

She married Jim Spiesman in 1984, and the couple lived in St. Maries and operated the Gem State Bar and Grill.

Mrs. Spiesman was instrumental in founding the Benewah County Humane Society in the mid-1980s and stayed involved with the group until 1990.

She also was involved with the Paul Bunyan Days street dance committee.

Mrs. Spiesman enjoyed crocheting, painting and fishing.

Survivors include her husband; a daughter, Teresa Arnold of St. Maries; two stepdaughters, Angela Lorenz and Dawn Weaver, both of Phoenix; her mother, Connie Dodge of Pahrump, Nev.; a brother, Steve Hovermale of Tulsa, Okla.; and one grandchild.

Susan Gregory

Spokane

Memorial service for Susan Kay Gregory, 56, will be Monday at 11 a.m. at Oakesdale (Wash.) Cemetery. Neptune Society handled the cremation.

Ms. Gregory, who was born in Fort Worth, Texas, died Oct. 28.

She moved to Oakesdale after her mother’s death in 1957. She graduated from Oakesdale High School in 1966. She attended Eastern Washington University for two years, then moved to Seattle. She graduated from Shoreline Community College with an Associate of Arts degree in accounting.

She worked as an accountant for a tax firm, and when she retired in 1994, she returned to Spokane to live.

Ms. Gregory was an accomplished poet, and enjoyed her small garden and raising cats.

Survivors include a daughter, Amy Lightbody; her father and stepmother, Don and Virginia Gregory; two sisters, Donna Morissette and Linda Haladyna; a brother, Steve Gregory; three stepsisters, Virginia Ann Utley, Diane Bruihl and Cheryl Bruihl; and a grandson.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, Cancer Patient Care or Sacred Heart Medical Center’s Chaplain Program.

William Irmer

Spokane

Graveside service for William A. Irmer, 83, will be today at Greenwood Memorial Terrace, with a memorial service to follow at 2 p.m. at St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church. Heritage Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Mr. Irmer, who was born in Farmer, Wash., died Saturday. He lived in the Garden Springs area of Spokane for 79 years.

He was a veteran of World War II, serving in the Army Medical Corps and in France. In 1946 he married Esther Jean Morris.

He worked 35 years at Alloy Trailers.

Survivors include his wife; two daughters, Peggy Koch and Julie Irmer; a sister, Dorothy Houseman; a brother, Melvin Irmer; and two grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church building fund.

Ralph Dieziger

Post Falls

An open house celebration of life for Ralph Joseph Dieziger, 69, will be Saturday from 1 to 4 p.m. at the family home in Post Falls. English Funeral Chapel in Post Falls is in charge of arrangements.

Mr. Dieziger, who was born in Lewistown, Mont.., died Friday.

He married Helen Danquist in 1954. The couple raised four children and a daughter preceded him in death in 2003.

They lived in Spokane before settling in Post Falls 41 years ago.

Mr. Dieziger worked as a machinist at Kaiser Aluminum until his retirement.

He enjoyed bowling, fishing, hunting and logging his property near Bonners Ferry, Idaho.

Survivors include his wife of nearly 50 years, Helen; three children, David Dieziger of Missoula, Linda Stolley of Post Falls and Donna Kim of Muskego, Wis.; and six grandchildren.

Memorials may be made to Hospice of North Idaho, 9493 N. Government Way, Hayden, ID 83835.

Danny Otto

Deer Park

No service will be held for Danny Lee Otto, 54, at his request. Neptune Society is in charge of arrangements.

Mr. Otto, who died Saturday, was born in Littlefork, Minn., and moved to Greenacres when he was 3.

He graduated in 1969 from Central Valley High School and served in the Army from 1970 to 1978 with tours of duty in Vietnam and Germany.

He enjoyed reading, the outdoors, working with wood and loved to tinker with and ride his Harley-Davidson motorcycle, which he built.

Survivors include his companion, Ronnie Pino; a daughter, Tracey Otto, and his companions daughter, Olivia Pino, both of Spokane Valley; his companions sons, Albert and Billy Pino, both of Spokane, and Chris Pino of Deer Park; his parents, Fred and Edith Otto of Greenacres; a sister Kathy Summers of Spokane; and his companions three grandchildren.

Michael Hitchcock

Coeur d’Alene

Graveside service for Michael Ray Hitchcock, 49, was Monday at Forest Cemetery in Coeur d’Alene. English Funeral Chapel in Coeur d’Alene was in charge of arrangements.

Mr. Hitchcock, who was born in Coeur d’Alene, died Nov. 4.

He graduated from Coeur d’Alene High School in 1973 and worked for Bunker Hill Mining Co. from 1973 to 1982.

Mr. Hitchcock then worked in maintenance at Lake Villa Apartments in Coeur d’Alene.

He was a member of First Christian Church and enjoyed woodworking, fishing and hunting.

Survivors include a son, Josh McKain; his parents, Vernon and Betty Hitchcock, and a brother, Clifford Hitchcock, all of Coeur d’Alene.

William Schuh

Spokane

Service for William H. “Bill” Schuh, 83, will be today at 1 p.m. at Thornhill Valley Funeral Home.

Mr. Schuh, who was born and raised in Spokane, died Sunday.

He was the co-owner of Dishman Concrete Products.

He was preceded in death by his wife of more than 40 years, Helen.

Survivors include a daughter, Cindy Beaver; a brother, Edward Schuh Jr.; and two grandchildren.