Obituaries
Gladys (Lease) Galland
Priest River, Idaho
Visitation for Gladys M. (Lease) Galland, 99, will be Thursday from noon to 7 p.m. at the English Funeral Chapel in Coeur d’Alene. Service will be Friday at 1 p.m. at the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Coeur d’Alene, with burial at Coeur d’Alene Memorial Gardens. English Funeral Chapel in Coeur d’Alene is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Galland, who was born in Turner County, S.D., died Saturday.
She married Clay Galland in 1926, and they lived in Spearfish, S.D., before settling in North Idaho in 1937.
They moved to Coeur d’Alene in 1941.
Mrs. Galland was a teacher and a homemaker.
She was a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
She enjoyed crocheting and sewing, especially making accessories for her dolls.
Her husband died in 1979.
Survivors include three children, Alan and Duane Galland, both of Priest River, and Loretta Kenny of Coeur d’Alene; three sisters, Agnes Garrett of LaCrosse, Wash., Vada Garrett of Rainier, Wash., and Joyce Sweeney of Hayden Lake, Idaho; 10 grandchildren, 23 great-grandchildren and 10 great-great-grandchildren.
Memorials may be made to Lake City Junior Academy, 111 E. Locust Ave., Coeur d’Alene, ID 83814.
George Pearson
Spokane
Private inurnment will be held for George D. Pearson, 101, at Greenwood Memorial Terrace. Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Pearson, who died last Wednesday, was born in Ponca, Neb.
He grew up in Spokane, graduated from North Central High School and attended Gonzaga University. He served in the Army and did clerical work in California.
After his retirement he returned to Spokane and for the past 19 years had resided at Rockwood Manor.
Survivors include his nieces and nephews, Janet Rowles, Ann Welch and Ellen Klohe, all of Spokane, Barbara Lucas of Portland, Keith Pearson of Prospect, Ore., Stuart Pearson of Elma, Wash., and Robert Pearson of Coronado, Calif.
Florence Fiedler
Spokane
Graveside service for Florence May Fiedler, 92, will be today at 1 p.m. at Evergreen Cemetery. Sherman-Knapp Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Fiedler, who died Saturday, was born in Montpelier, Idaho.
She was a nurse for many years at the Newport (Wash.) Community Hospital.
She enjoyed bingo, sewing and crocheting and was a member of Freeman Lake Grange.
Her husband, Howard, died in 1988.
Survivors include two daughters, Doris Armstrong of Everett and Carol Chichester of Reno, Nev.; two sons, Don Fiedler of Oldtown, Idaho, and Gene Fiedler of Mount Vernon, Wash.; 12 grandchildren and numerous great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren.
Evelyn Claassen
Marlin, Wash.
Visitation for Evelyn Claassen, 87, will be Thursday from 2 to 5 p.m. and Friday from 10 a.m. to noon at the Menno Mennonite Church, near Ritzville. Graveside service will be Friday at 1 p.m. at the Menno Mennonite Cemetery, with service at 2 p.m. at Menno Mennonite Church. Nicholes Funeral Home in Ephrata is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Claassen, a 62-year resident of Marlin, died Friday. She was born in Ruff, Wash.
She attended a country school and graduated from Ritzville High School in 1935. She attended Washington State College and Eastern Washington College.
In 1941 she married Clinton Claassen at the Andrew Jantz Ritzville Ranch. They resided at the Ritzville Ranch until fall 1942, when they moved to the Andrew Jantz Ruff Ranch, which they purchased and operated.
Survivors include her husband; four children, Sharon Meyer of Moses Lake, Eugene Claassen of Marlin, Patrice Claassen of Newton, Kansas, and Cleon Claassen of Moses Lake; seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Robert Birdsall
Coeur d’Alene
Service for Robert Eugene Birdsall, 77, will be Friday at 2 p.m. at Blanchard Community Church in Blanchard, Idaho. Sherman-Knapp Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Birdsall, who was born in Sidney, N.Y., died Monday.
He joined the Air Force in 1946 and was stationed at Hamilton Field, San Francisco, until his honorable discharge in 1948.
In 1948 he married Lillian Chenette in San Francisco.
Mr. Birdsall became a licensed contractor in 1955 and started Birdsall Construction in Mountain View, Calif. He brought his family to Coeur d’Alene in 1976 and started Birdsall Construction and Foundations with his sons.
He was an avid outdoorsman.
Survivors include his wife; nine children, Carol Abelow, Kathryn Halstead, Aurore Markell, Helen Eriksen, Barbara Schvon, and Robert, Bruce, Archie and Fred Birdsall; a brother, Allen Birdsall; 25 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren.
Dana Geer
Medical Lake
Memorial service for Dana Allyson Geer, 39, will be Saturday at 1 p.m. at Shiloh Hills Fellowship Church. Heritage Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Geer, a lifelong resident of the Spokane area, died Oct. 12.
In 1969 she moved to Lakeland Village in Medical Lake.
Survivors include her parents, Leo and Donna Geer of Spokane; three sisters, Tami Geer of Renton, Wash., Brenda Trowbridge of Kennewick, Robin Brown of Spokane; and two brothers, Dennis Binns of Roanoke, Va., and Bruce Geer.
Eugene Slater
Spokane
Visitation for Eugene L. Slater, 84, will be today from 3 to 6 p.m. at Heritage Funeral Home. Memorial service will be Thursday at 2 p.m. at Northview Bible Church.
Mr. Slater, who died Sunday, was born in Bismarck, N.D., and grew up in Scenic, S.D.
He served in the South Pacific during World War II, achieving the rank of sergeant. He married Dorothy Ing in 1949. The couple lived in Reseda, Calif., for 11 years, then moved to Spokane for a “better place to raise a family.”
Mr. Slater was a mechanic and small business owner in Los Angeles and Spokane, owning Slater’s Richfield, Slater’s Exxon and Slater’s Custom Signs.
He was an elder and member of Northview Bible Church. He also was an avid photographer and videographer, baseball player, bowler, runner and walker. He loved animals and the outdoors. He also organized the South Hill Christian Church’s softball team.
Survivors include his wife; two sons, Robert Slater of Port Townsend, Wash., and Bill Slater of Spokane; three daughters, Linda Cramer of Airway Heights, Nancee Kuykendall of Spokane and Judy Oehling of Seattle; and numerous grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to Northview Bible Church.
Marguerite Blessing
Spokane
Visitation for Marguerite E. Blessing, 95, will be Thursday from noon to 5 p.m. and Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home. There will be a private burial.
Mrs. Blessing, who was born in Tekoa, Wash., died Saturday. She was a resident of Spokane for 77 years.
She worked for Pacific Northwest Bell for 47 years, retiring as long-distance supervisor. She also owned Blessing Thue Music Studio.
She was an avid bridge player, and enjoyed gardening, flowers and animals.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Frank Blessing.
Survivors include her nephews, Brian West of Tigard, Ore., Robert Blessing of Spokane and Loren Blessing of Fresno, Calif.; and numerous great-great-great and great-great-great nieces and nephews.
Memorial contributions may be made to Spokane Humane Society, 6607 N. Havana St., Spokane, WA, 99217.
Carroll Johnson
Spokane
Memorial service for Carroll Johnson, 80, will be Friday at 1 p.m. at Thornhill Valley Funeral Home.
Mr. Johnson, a lifelong resident of Spokane, died Saturday.
He graduated from Lewis and Clark High School and served in the Army during World War II.
He attended Washington State University before beginning his career as a mortgage banker for Old National Bank. He later became president of Compass Group, investing union pension trust funds in various commercial real estate development projects in Washington, Idaho and Montana. He attended Northview Bible Church.
Survivors include his wife of 56 years, Frances; two children, Cheryl Strandy of Spokane and Jill Johnson of Renton, Wash.; and five grandchildren.
Michael Edelblute
Spokane
Memorial service for Michael Scott Edelblute, 48, will be Friday at 3 p.m. at Thornhill Valley Funeral Home.
Mr. Edelblute, who died Friday, was born in Fitchburg, Mass.
His early years were spent in Lewiston, and he moved with his family to Spokane in 1963.
He graduated in 1974 from Central Valley High School, and attended Eastern Washington University from 1974 to 1976. He served in the Army from 1976 to 1980, stationed mostly in Germany.
After the service he returned to EWU and graduated in 1982.
Mr. Edelblute was employed by Frito Lay as a warehouse manager and by Ben Hogan Golf as a quality control supervisor.
Survivors include his parents, Patricia and Robert Edelblute; a brother, Bill of Spokane; and two sisters, Karen Burns of Brier, Wash., and Kathi of Spokane.
Memorial contributions may be made to Multiple Sclerosis Inland Northwest Chapter.
Delbert Plumley Sr.
Spokane Valley
Memorial service for Delbert Porter Plumley Sr., 70, will be held at a later date. Neptune Society is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Plumley, who was born in Tippler, Wis., died last Wednesday. A resident of the Spokane area for more than 40 years, he had lived in Spokane Valley for the past two years.
He married Anne Marie Zimmerman in 1959.
Mr. Plumley served in the Air Force in the Korean War and worked as an assistant steam engineer at Washington State University for 18 years.
He enjoyed woodworking.
Survivors include his wife; a son, Delbert Plumley Jr., of Spanish Forks, Utah; a daughter, Michele Plumley of Spokane Valley; two brothers, Lawrence Plumley of Packwood, Wash., and Ernest Plumley of Bakersfield, Calif.; four sisters, Shirley Hubert of Taft, Calif., Gloria Vanderhoff of Tacoma, Lou Vanderhoff of Wilsonville, Ore., and Donna Trehern of Yucaipa, Calif.; four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Harvey Hoover
Spokane
Visitation for Harvey C. Hoover, 87, will be today at 11 a.m. at Thornhill Valley Funeral Home.
Mr. Hoover, who was born in Endiang, Alberta, died Friday.
He was a longtime Spokane Valley resident, living in Millwood since 1939.
He was in business for more than 50 years in the Spokane Valley, as owner of Orchard Avenue Printing and Valley Business Supply.
He also was a member and deacon at Millwood Presbyterian Church.
Mr. Hoover enjoyed family ski trips to Red Mountain in Canada, summers at his place on Priest Lake, Idaho, trips to the family farm in Canada and jogging in his earlier years with his dog, Sparky.
His wife, Geraldine, died in 1957.
Survivors include six children, Ronald, Rod, Vic, Merle and Kent Hoover, and Marilyn Burkhart; two sisters, Edith Hanson and Irene Richter, both of Spokane Valley; 15 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren.