Obituaries
James Maguire
Pullman
Memorial Mass for James Dale Maguire, 73, will be Saturday at 11 a.m. at Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church in Pullman. Kimball Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Maguire died Sunday.
He was born in Chelan, Wash., where graduated from Chelan High School.
He attended Washington State University and graduated in 1952 with a Bachelor of Science in agriculture. He also completed the ROTC program and was commissioned as a lieutenant in the Army.
Mr. Maguire served in Japan and Korea until 1954, became company commander and later was the commander of the local Army Reserve unit. He retired with the rank of major.
In 1955 he married Janet Purcell.
Mr. Maguire was a settler assistance agent with the Bureau of Reclamation on the Columbia Basin Project from 1954 to 1956.
He then was a graduate research assistant at Iowa State University, graduating in 1957 with a Master of Science in agronomy. In 1968 he completed his Ph.D. in farm crops at Oregon State University.
In 1957 he began his career at Washington State University, serving as an assistant and associate professor from 1957 to 1980. He was the assistant chair for the agronomy department from 1980 to 1986. He was the chief party for the Jordan National Agricultural Development Project USAID in Amman. He was professor of crops and soils and director of the Seed Technology Laboratory at WSU until his retirement in 1997.
Mr. Maguire was involved with international students and for 15 years sponsored French agricultural interns. His focus was also on seed technology and later international development including work in various countries, including India, Sudan, Jordan, China and Cameroon.
He was a golden graduate of WSU. He was an active member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church and the Boy Scouts, serving as assistant scoutmaster and scoutmaster. He was a member of the Whitman County Park Board and helped in saving Kamiake Butte, creating Wawawai Park and also helped save Pullman’s Kruegel Park.
He also was a member of the American Society of Agronomy and the International Seed Testing Association.
Mr. Maguire enjoyed big-game hunting, cross-country skiing, woodworking and sailing. He enjoyed the family cabin at Lake Chelan he and the family built.
Survivors include his wife; four sons, Jeffrey Maguire , Peter Maguire of Hollister, Calif., Gary Maguire of Kirkland, Wash., and Christopher Maguire of New York; four siblings, Doris Stamps of Chelan, Larry Maguire of Port Orchard, Wash., Mary Bailiff of Manson, Wash., and Bob Maguire of Fairbanks, Alaska; and six grandchildren.
Manuel Riddle
Spokane
Private service will be held for Manuel Ray Riddle, 41. Neptune Society handled the arrangements.
Mr. Riddle, who was born in Modesto, Calif., died Sunday. He was a resident of Spokane for 11 years.
He was an avid KISS fan and memorabilia collector. He enjoyed watching football and going to the park.
He was disabled.
Survivors include his mother and stepfather, Marlene and Daniel Villalpando of Spokane; two sisters, MaNon Webber of Cathedral City, Calif., and Melanie Riddle Cavazos of Spokane; six brothers, Richard Washington of Oakland, Calif., Derek Riddle, Joaquin and Paul Villalpando and Ronnie Campbell, all of Spokane, and Damian Villalpando of Yucca Valley, Calif. ; and his grandmother, Josephine Soza of Orange Grove, Calif.
Helen Spangle
Spokane
Visitation for Helen E. Spangle, 95, will be Saturday and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. Funeral is planned for Tuesday at 10 a.m. at Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home, with burial at Spangle Cemetery.
Ms. Spangle, a lifelong area resident, was born in Spangle.
She graduated from high school in Spangle and worked for Sears in Spokane for 29 years as a clerk in the receiving department.
She was a member of Fowler United Methodist Church and the Rebekah Lodge.
Survivors include nieces and nephews Margaret Moore, Joanne Grytdal-Medhus, Earl Spangle and Lois Molter, all of Spokane, and Keith Spangle of Quincy, Wash.
Irene (Swartz) Minard
Spokane
Memorial service for Irene (Swartz) Minard, 100, will be today at 2 p.m. at Veradale United Church of Christ. Ball and Dodd Funeral Home-South is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Minard, a longtime resident of Spokane, died July 5.
She was born in Enid, Okla., her family moved in a covered wagon to South Dakota.
To attend school, she lived with a physician’s family in town, helping them in return for room and board. Before leaving the Dakotas, she taught in a one-room school built of sod.
She attended Midland College in Nebraska, where she met and married L. Glen Minard. They then attended the University of Oregon.
The couple camped, raised dogs, traveled and built houses.
Mrs. Minard was a kindergarten teacher until the birth of her son.
She was involved events associated with her husband’s jobs, and the local MG Club and Children’s Home Auxiliary. She was a member of the American Association of University Women, where she participated in a writers’ group and a Shakespeare group.
Her husband died in 1983. In 1985 Mrs. Minard moved to Rockwood Manor.
Survivors include a son, Jim of Spokane Valley; two granddaughters and two great-grandchildren.
Leland Plato
Bonners Ferry, Idaho
Service for Leland Plato, 76, will be Saturday at 11 a.m. at the Bonners Ferry Trinity Lutheran Church with burial at Grandview Cemetery. Bonners Ferry Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Plato, who was born in Bonners Ferry, died Tuesday.
He graduated from Bonners Ferry High School in 1946 and then served with the Army during the occupation of Japan after World War II.
He then studied accounting at Kinman Business College in Spokane and married Beverly Satterlund in 1953. The couple raised their family in Bonners Ferry.
He was a Hereford rancher, farmer and logger.
He developed Plato Nursery, one of the first plant nurseries in Boundary County, and sold seedlings to the Forest Service to be used in reforestation programs throughout the Northwest. He also produced Christmas trees and landscaping greenery.
Survivors include his wife, Beverly; four children, Donald, Roger, Carol and Corinne; and two brothers, Jack and Gale.
Memorials may be made to Trinity Lutheran Church, 6784 Cody St. or Grandview Cemetery Association, P.O. Box 1182, Bonners Ferry, ID 83805.
Kevin Cowell
Spokane
Viewing for Kevin D. Cowell, 42, will be today from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Riplinger Funeral Home. Memorial service will be Saturday at 3 p.m. at Rock of Ages Christian Fellowship.
Mr. Cowell, a lifelong resident of Spokane, died Tuesday.
The 1980 Mead High School graduate also was a wrestler in high school. In 1983, he graduated from Spokane Community College.
Mr. Cowell worked for 13 years at Kaiser Aluminum, retiring on a medical disability in January.
He was involved with the Mead High School Band boosters and designed and fabricated equipment for the instrument bus.
He enjoyed fireworks and worked for EFI, where he was able to enjoy this interest.
He enjoyed woodworking, camping, hunting, snowmobiling, skiing and motorcycling.
Survivors include his wife, Sharon; three children, Kira, Kaitlin and C.J. Cowell; his parents, Harry and Grace Cowell; and two sisters, Kari Rydholm and Kristen Conroy.
Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Spokane.
John Maglaras
Spokane
Funeral for John Maglaras, 56, will be Saturday at 10 a.m. at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, 1703 N. Washington St. Heritage Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Maglaras, a lifelong resident of Spokane County, died Tuesday. He was born in Spokane.
He graduated from University High School in 1967. He served with the Army in the Vietnam War.
Mr. Maglaras was a maintenance worker at a nursing home.
He was an avid fan of Spokane high school and college sports.
Survivors include his aunt, Bessie Kallas.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Greek Orthodox Church.
Deen Frizzell
Coeur d’Alene
Viewing for Deen Yager-Robins-Anderson-Frizzell, 74, will be today from noon to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 9 to 10:30 a.m. at the English Funeral Chapel in Coeur d’Alene. Service will be Saturday at 11 a.m. at the chapel, with burial at Riverview Cemetery. An Irish wake will be at Coeur d’Alene Elks Lodge, 1170 W. Prairie Ave.
Mrs. Frizzell, who was born in East Greenacres near Post Falls. , died Tuesday.
A lifelong resident of North Idaho, she graduated from Coeur d’Alene High School.
She worked as a designer for Evergreen Floral for 10 years and was a seamstress.
Mrs. Frizzell was a 49-year member of Beta Sigma Phi.
She enjoyed crafts, home decorating, gardening, traveling and sailing.
Survivors include her husband of 27 years, Earl; four children, Rod Robins of Post Falls, Ron Robins of Lewiston, Randy Robins of Uniontown, Wash., and Linda Thomas of Federal Way, Wash.; a brother, Don Yager of Coeur d’Alene; 11 grandchildren, 15 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren.
Jessie Pressler
Spokane
Funeral for Jessie B. Pressler, 89, will be today at 1:30 p.m. at Shadle Park Presbyterian Church, with graveside service at Riverside Memorial Park. Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Pressler, a longtime resident of Spokane, died Tuesday. She was born in Linwood, Darvel, Scotland.
She arrived in the United States in 1923 and grew up in Connecticut.
In 1946 she married Glen Pressler. The couple moved to Spokane, and Mrs. Pressler was a homemaker. She also worked as a waitress at Trio Restaurant and Madge’s Hedgehouse.
Mrs. Pressler was a member of Shadle Park Presbyterian Church and the Common Threads, and the Women of the Moose.
Her husband died in 1994.
Survivors include two daughters, Elizabeth Thompson and Mary Owen, both of Spokane; a brother, William Blackwood of Oxford, Conn.; seven grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Spokane.
Dr. Ralph ‘Tor’ Torney
San Diego
No service will be held for Ralph “Tor” Torney, 92, retired veterinarian.
Dr. Torney, who was born in Spokane, died Aug. 25.
He was a carrier for the Spokane Chronicle when he was 12 and attended North Central High School.
He graduated from Washington State University School of Veterinary Medicine and was a member of Tau Kappa Epsilon.
Dr. Torney was in veterinary practice with Dr. Phil Pfarr at the Animal Clinic on North Wall Street for 24 years.
After leaving private practice in l968 he became a U.S. Department of Agriculture veterinary medical officer in Bloomington, Utah, until 1980. He returned to Spokane in 1997 and moved to San Diego in 2003.
Survivors include his wife of 61 years, Alberta; two daughters, Pat Berg of Post Falls and Sue Dunn of San Diego; three grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Robert Puskash
Coeur d’Alene
Private memorial service for Robert F. Puskash, 75, will be today at English Funeral Chapel in Coeur d’Alene. Inurnment will be at Coeur d’Alene Memorial Gardens.
Mr. Puskash, who was born in Detroit, died Wednesday.
He served with the Navy in Korea and married Be Ho in 1969.
He was a policeman in Detroit and then worked as an engineer for Exxon for 12 years prior to settling in North Idaho in 1988.
Mr. Puskash had been an amateur boxer and was an active golfer, making a hole-in-one in Singapore and also took second place in a golf tournament in Thailand.
He was a Republican and a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
He enjoyed hunting, fishing, writing and golfing.
Survivors include his wife, Be; two children, Martin Puskash of Coeur d’Alene and Lynn Puskash-Lowry; and three grandchildren.
Vera Zanetti Levesque
Silverton, Idaho
No service will be held for Vera Zanetti Levesque, 87, at her request. Shoshone Funeral Service is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Levesque, who was born in the Blackcloud area near Wallace, died Monday.
She married Harry Graff, and they later divorced. She married Ivan Levesque in 1967. He preceded her in death.
Mrs. Levesque lived in the Silver Valley, moved to Missoula, and in 1991 returned to the Silver Valley.
She was a homemaker and enjoyed camping, fishing and hunting.
She was a member of Wallace United Methodist Church.
Survivors include two brothers, Herb Zanetti Sr. of Wallace and William Zanetti of Silverton, Idaho; and a sister, Mabel Rogers of Silverton.
Memorials may be made to a charity of choice.
Henrietta (Jones) Walker
Post Falls
Graveside service for Henrietta May (Jones) Walker, 94, will be today at 2 p.m. at Greenwood Cemetery in Kellogg. Shoshone Funeral Service in Kellogg is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Walker, who was born in Anthony, Kan., died Tuesday.
She married Doc Walker in 1950. Mrs. Walker moved to the Silver Valley in 1956 from Nebraska.
She was a homemaker and enjoyed gardening, flowers and embroidery.
Her husband died in 1982.
Survivors include five sons, Ernest Jenkins of Juniata, Neb., Frank Jenkins of Joplin, Mo., Dean Jenkins of Ravenna, Ohio, Elvis Jenkins of Caldwell, Idaho, and Calvin Walker of Kellogg; three daughters, Eva Walker of Smelterville, Idaho, Sue Christmann of Post Falls, and Elizabeth Gilman of Coeur d’Alene; a sister, Thelma Smith of Blaine, Neb.; 33 grandchildren, 48 great-grandchildren and several great-great-grandchildren.
DeMorise (Hoose) Schelling
Spokane
Viewing for DeMorise (Hoose) Schelling, 83, will be today from 9 a.m. to noon, with funeral at 1:30 p.m. at Heritage Funeral Home.
Mrs. Schelling, who was born in Havre, Mont., died Tuesday. She was a longtime resident of Spokane.
She was employed by Sacred Heart Medical Center for many years.
She enjoyed cooking large dinners for the holidays, baking pies from scratch, cake decorating and sewing costumes or party clothes.
Her crafting, cake decorating and sewing won numerous prizes at the Spokane Interstate Fair.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Joseph.
Survivors include two sons, Ronald and Jerry Schelling, and two daughters Lynette Thompson and Melody Hendrickson, all of Spokane; nine grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.
Richard Alm
Spokane
No service will be held for Richard Lee “Dick” Alm, 67, at his request. Neptune Society handled the arrangements.
Mr. Alm, a 50-year resident of Spokane, died Monday.
Born in Chewelah, Wash., he grew up in Deer Park and graduated from high school there.
Mr. Alm was a retired Washington State Patrol trooper. He served 40 years, with more years in his car than any road trooper in Washington.
Survivors include his wife, Denny; two sons, Steven and Mike Alm; two stepdaughters, Kim and Kelly; a sister, Marilyn Lindi; and two grandsons.
Memorial contributions may be made to Cancer Care Northwest.