Obituaries

Virginia Marshall

Spokane

No service will be held for Virginia Lee Marshall, 82. Spokane Cremation and Burial Service handled the arrangements.

Mrs. Marshall, who was born in Deary, Idaho, died Sept. 20.

A resident of Spokane for more than 70 years, she graduated from North Central High School and attended Holy Names College.

During World War II she was a civil service clerk at several military bases, including Ephrata Air Base and Gowen Field in Boise. After the war she returned to Spokane and worked in the advertising departments of local department stores, including The Palace, The Crescent, The Bon Marche and Sears Roebuck.

She had operated her own advertising agency since 1953.

Mrs. Marshall was a member of the Avant Toastmistress Club, Spokane Advertising Association and the Philomathea Club for Gonzaga University and Gonzaga Preparatory School. She also participated in many civic activities, such as the Spokane Charity Ball Committee and the Private Industry Council.

She became a paraplegic after an automobile accident in 1970. After the accident she became an active and outspoken member of several disability-related organizations, such as the citizens advisory committee on transportation, which she served as chairperson for three years. She was active with the Spokane Citizens Against Alcohol Related Traffic Accidents and the governor’s committee on disability issues.

Mrs. Marshall was one of the original plaintiffs in a class action lawsuit requiring the city of Spokane to provide public transportation to handicapped riders.

She enjoyed live performance theater and was a member of the Spokane Opera Club. She was an avid reader.

She was a member of the National Rifle Association, the American Civil Liberties Union and both the Democratic and Republican parties.

Survivors include two sons, Greg Bayes and Jaye Marshall; a sister, Audrey Trusty; and two brothers, Darrell and Jack Bogar.

Ryan Wasmund

Spokane

Memorial service for Ryan K. Wasmund, 42, will be Saturday at 2 p.m. at the Moose Lodge, 6363 N. Lidgerwood St. Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Mr. Wasmund died Sept. 23 from injuries suffered in a motorcycle accident.

Born in Seattle, he had been a resident of Spokane since 1968. He graduated from North Central High School in 1980.

He worked in construction as a heavy-equipment operator.

He enjoyed hot rods and motorcycles.

Survivors include a daughter, Nicole of Omak, Wash.; his mother, Joy West of Spokane; his father, Kenneth Wasmund of Concrete, Wash.; and two brothers, Scott and Skip Wasmund, both of Spokane.

Elaine ‘Cissie’ Ravio

Spokane

Memorial service and potluck for Elaine P. “Cissie” Ravio, 75, will be Saturday at 2 p.m. at Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 51, 300 W. Mission Ave. Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Mrs. Ravio, who died Sept. 25, was born in Circle, Mont.

She was a resident of Spokane for more than 50 years and was a homemaker.

She was a longtime member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Ladies Auxiliary.

Survivors include a son, Denny Stewart; a daughter, Debbie Tschirley; three sisters, Eldora Simmons, Caryle Red and Rita Mayo; a brother, Perry Morton; and four grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Spokane.

Jerry (Dickson) Stoicheff

Sandpoint

Service for Jerry Louise (Dickson) Stoicheff, 69, will be today at 1 p.m. at Sandpoint United Methodist Church. Coffelt Funeral Service in Sandpoint is in charge of arrangements.

Mrs. Stoicheff, who was born in Indianapolis, died Friday.

She moved to Texas as a child and attended “fresh air school” to treat a lung problem.

Mrs. Stoicheff received twirling and bassoon scholarships and studied English at Sul Ross State College in Texas, where she met her future husband, Jim Stoicheff.

The couple married in 1954, and they taught school in a series of one- and two-room schools in Washington and Idaho before settling in Sandpoint.

They adopted four children, and she was a stay-at-home mom until her youngest child started kindergarten. She then returned to teaching.

Mrs. Stoicheff taught grades K-5 at Sandpoint schools for 25 years and earned a Master of Arts in school administration from Whitworth College.

Her husband served as an Idaho legislator for most of the period between 1966 until his death in 1999. Mrs. Stoicheff finished out the rest of his term in 2000.

She was active in retired teachers organizations, Democratic politics, playing bridge and Sandpoint United Methodist Church.

She enjoyed traveling, especially to Africa.

Survivors include four children, James Jr. of Santa Barbara, Calif., Cynthia Gossett of Ely, Nev., Robert of Coeur d’Alene, and Deborah Stoicheff-Welker of Seattle; two sisters, Alice Walters of Muskegon, Mich., and Norma Travis of Georgia; and three grandchildren and Ahkailia

Ronald Rhodes Sr.

Kellogg

Memorial service for Ronald Clyde “Ronnie” Rhodes Sr., 47, will be Thursday at 2 p.m. at Kellogg Funeral Chapel.

Mr. Rhodes, who was born in Wallace, died Sunday.

He graduated from Wallace High School in 1975 and then served in the Army with the 82nd Airborne Rangers. He also took college courses during his military service.

Mr. Rhodes worked as a miner at the Sunshine Mining Co. until he was injured in 1980 and then at the Sunshine Assay Lab until 2000.

He married Brenda Nowlin in 1979.

Mr. Rhodes was a former member of the Kellogg Elks Lodge. He enjoyed participating in wheelchair races and Bloomsday. He was among the 1984 Olympic torch carriers in Boise.

He was a qualified gunsmith, a licensed ham radio operator and a second degree martial artist.

Mr. Rhodes enjoyed hunting and fishing.

Survivors include his wife, Brenda; three children, Jennifer Goltz of Middleton, Colo., Ronnie Rhodes Jr. of Kellogg, and Meranda Rhodes of Smelterville, Idaho; his mother, Sharon “Butch” Howard of Absarokee, Mont.; grandparents, Norma Richardson of Harrison, Idaho, and Marie and Louie Berkshire of St. Joe City, Idaho; and two grandchildren, Jordan and Dusti.

Memorials may be made to the Shoshone Humane Society, P.O. Box 1005, Kellogg, ID 83837.

John Berrier

Post Falls

Funeral Mass for newborn John Luke Berrier was held Saturday at Immaculate Conception Church in Post Falls, with burial at Evergreen Cemetery in Post Falls.

John was born Sept. 28 to Charles and Catherine Berrier and died the same day.

He also is survived by six brothers and sisters, William, Benjamin, Charles, Bernadette, Mary Margaret and Emma Rose.

Carrie Cooper

Ephrata, Wash.

Memorial service for Carrie Elizabeth Cooper, 78, will be Friday at 2 p.m. at St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church in Ephrata.

Mrs. Cooper, who was born in Sandpoint, died Thursday.

She spent her childhood years in North Idaho and Spokane, graduating from Rogers High School and Central Washington College of Education. She settled in Ephrata, and for the last 25 years has wintered at San Felipe, Baja, Mexico.

Mrs. Cooper was a caseworker for the Department of Social and Health Services, and was instrumental in writing the original grant to establish Grant County Family Planning.

She was a member of St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church and Epsilon Sigma Alpha sorority.

Survivors include her husband of 31 years, W.T. Cooper; seven children, Peter Swanson of Honolulu, Erik Nelsen and Loris Nelsen Blair, both of Ephrata, Nels Nelsen of Spokane, Sally Nelsen-Bustetter of Yakima, Tom Cooper of Kennewick and Gery Cooper Rosemurgy of Sonoma, Calif.; 11 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Geraldine Ellis

Spokane

No service will be held for Geraldine “Gerrie” Ellis, 75. Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Ms. Ellis was born in Spokane and lived in the area most of her life. She died last Wednesday.

She worked as a beautician in Spokane for several years and was a caregiver for her parents until their death.

Ms. Ellis was a member of the Central Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Survivors include a sister, Josephine Pierce of Walla Walla; and two brothers, Robert Ellis of Anacortes, Wash., and Kenneth Ellis of Everett.

Memorial contributions may be made to Central Seventh-day Adventist Church, 828 W. Spofford Ave., Spokane, WA 99205.

Darlene Bowsher

Spokane

Memorial service for Darlene Leeta Bowsher, 72, will be Thursday at 1 p.m. at North Addison Baptist Church. Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Mrs. Bowsher died Saturday.

The homemaker and lifelong resident of Spokane was preceded in death by her husband, Jack.

Survivors include six children, Linda Moberg, Don and John Garigen, Pam Kvasnicka, Orie Bowsher and Cindy Lutje; two sisters, Georgia Strebeck and Edith Boyd; seven grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

Florence (Vandenberg) Baslington

Kingston, Idaho

No service will be held for Florence (Vandenberg) Baslington, 94, at her request. Shoshone Funeral Service is in charge of arrangements.

Mrs. Baslington, who was born in Baldwin, Wis., died Saturday.

She married Delbert Baslington in 1948. He died in 1993.

Mrs. Baslington was a 55-year resident of the north fork area of the Coeur d’Alene River and helped manage the family farm.

She was a homemaker and enjoyed reading and doing crossword puzzles.

Survivors include two daughters, Evelyn Baslington Whisner of Kingston and Donna Leathman of Ogden, Utah; two sons, Robert Hill of Osburn, Idaho, and David Baslington of Tacoma; a sister, Evelyn Haynes of White Bear Lake, Minn.; and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Memorials may be made to the Prichard/Murray Volunteer Fire Department.

Marilyn (Barsness) Nixon

Coeur d’Alene

Graveside service for Marilyn June (Barsness) Nixon, 71, will be Friday at 1 p.m. at Coeur d’Alene Memorial Gardens with a reception at Yates Funeral Home Hayden Chapel Gathering Center.

Mrs. Nixon, who was born in Plentywood, Mont., died Saturday.

She grew up in Marcus, Wash., near Colville. After graduating from high school there, she worked as a bank teller in Colville.

In 1952 she married Ted Nixon, and they lived in New Meadows, Idaho, and other areas of Idaho and in Oregon before settling in Coeur d’Alene in 1965.

They moved to Hayden in 1973, and she worked as a teller at the Hayden branch of Bank of America, retiring in 1994. She recently moved back to Coeur d’Alene.

She enjoyed music and fishing.

Survivors include her husband; two sons, Kirby Nixon of Rathdrum, Idaho, and Kerry Nixon of Coeur d’Alene; a brother, Jim Barsness of Spokane; and two grandchildren.

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

Joris Wigen

Spokane

Funeral for Joris P. Wigen, 94, was Tuesday at Bible Baptist Church.

Mr. Wigen, who was born in LaCrosse, Wash., died Thursday.

He graduated from LaCrosse High School in 1928. He worked for his father and several area farmers in LaCrosse.

In 1939 he married Lillian Jergensen, and the couple moved to Spokane in 1942.

Mr. Wigen retired from The Crescent department store as a painter in 1975, after 20 years of service.

After his retirement, he enjoyed fishing, restoring his Model A Ford, building small steam engines, gardening and puttering in his shop.

His wife died in February.

Survivors include four sons, Morris Wigen of Priest River, Idaho, Boyd Wigen of Liberty Lake, and Norman and Ron Wigen, both of Spokane; nine grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.

Lee Siekerman

Medical Lake

Visitation for Lee Siekerman, 68, will be Thursday from 2 to 8 p.m. at Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home. Funeral will be Friday at 2 p.m. at the funeral home, with burial at Greenwood Memorial Terrace.

Mrs. Siekerman, who was born in Spokane, died Friday.

She was a homemaker and a longtime volunteer at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Spokane and was a lifetime member of the American Legion Auxiliary.

Survivors include her husband of 49 years, Ted; and four children, William, Sherry, Michael and Jamie.

Memorial contributions may be made to volunteer services at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, 4815 N. Assembly St., Spokane, WA 99205.