Obituaries
Dwayne Blankenship
Washtucna, Wash.
Funeral for Dwayne Blankenship, 88, will be today at 11 a.m. at the Washtucna Community Church followed by a 3:30 p.m. vault interment at the Ritzville (Wash.) Memorial Cemetery. Danekas Funeral Home in Ritzville is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Blankenship, who died Tuesday, was born on a farm in Cunningham, Wash. When he was 5 the family moved from Cunningham to a farm east of Washtucna. He attended Washtucna schools, graduating from high school there in 1934. He attended one year at Washington State College before returning to Washtucna to take over the operation of the family farm after his father’s death.
In 1945 he married Beulah Sullivan in Washtucna, and together they farmed and raised their six children. All of his sons joined the farming operation by 1983.
He and his wife retired and moved to Pullman.
Mr. Blankenship was very active in his community. He was a member of the Washtucna Community Church and a charter member of the Washtucna Lions Club. He was a founding director of the Washtucna Fire Protection District and the Washtucna/Benge Soil Conservation District, served 10 years on the Washtucna School Board, served as a board member of the Washtucna Grange and was a member of the Washington Association of Wheat Growers.
He and his wife were avid Cougar fans and members of the Washington State Cougar Club for more than 45 years.
His wife died in 2000.
Survivors include a daughter Audrey Wilson of Pullman; five sons, Dwayne Blankenship of Pullman, Daniel Blankenship of Ritzville, and Perry , Scott and Brett Blankenship, all of Washtucna; 11 grandchildren and one great-grandson.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Washington State Athletic Foundation, 2580 NE Grimes Way, Pullman, WA 99163.
Shirley Telecky
Ritzville, Wash.
Family graveside service with vault interment for Shirley Hazel Telecky, 79, will be held today at Ritzville Memorial Cemetery, followed by a public memorial service at 2:30 p.m. at Trinity United Methodist Church. Danekas Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Telecky, who died Friday, was born in Spokane and grew up in Ralston, Wash. She graduated from Ritzville High School in 1943 and from business school in 1944.
She worked at Washington State University in the home economics department from 1944 to 1945. She then moved home and worked for Dr. Sweet from 1945 to 1949.
She married Russell Telecky in 1947 in Ritzville. From 1949 to 1955 they lived in Spokane, before moving back to Ritzville.
Mrs. Telecky was a member of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church and taught Sunday school. She also volunteered in several organizations, her favorite being the local county fair.
She was also very involved in her childrens and grandchildrens activities.
Survivors include her husband; her children; a sister; grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be to St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, Wheatland Communities’ Fair, the Heart Institute of Spokane or the American Cancer Society.
Betty Burton-Strand
Spokane
Graveside service for Betty K. Burton-Strand, 93, will be today at 1 p.m. at Greenwood Memorial Terrace. Heritage Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Burton-Strand, who died Thursday, was born in Pierre, S.D., and was adopted by Frank and Charlotte Babcock.
After she graduated from high school she went into nurses training.
She married Fredrick Fritz in Kadoka, S.D., and had a son. As part of her registered nursing career she ran a maternity hospital. Later the family lived in Valentine, Neb.
She and her husband divorced and she moved to Ogden, Utah, where she met and married Russell Kregar. They moved to Washington state, where she resumed her nursing career. They had a daughter and were later divorced.
She married Lowell Burton and they spent many years remodeling properties and built a home in Nine Mile Falls. They moved back to Spokane where he died.
After her retirement she met and married Earl Strand and they spent several years traveling, fishing and dancing.
Mrs. Burton-Strand worked in several nursing capacities in Spokane, including at Kaiser Mead’s first aid station, area hospitals, and as a private-duty nurse beginning in the 1950s.
She was a member of the Washington Nurses Association, and her nursing career spanned more than 40 years.
She enjoyed working in her yard and raising plants in her greenhouse.
Survivors include a son, Frederick Fritz Jr.; a daughter, Patricia Lauber; seven grandchildren, 20 great-grandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer’s Inland NW Chapter 601 W. Maxwell Ave., Suite 4, Spokane, WA 99201.
Alice (Mahar) Bigelow
Spokane
Funeral Mass for Alice (Mahar) Bigelow, 78, will be today at 10 a.m. at St. Charles Roman Catholic Church. Burial will be at Holy Cross Cemetery. Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Bigelow, who was born in Grandview, Wash., died Wednesday. She was a longtime resident of Spokane.
She worked as an analyst for an accounting firm.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Cliff.
Survivors include four children, Pat, Kathy, Connie and Steve; five grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.
Irene Retter
Hartline, Wash.
Funeral for A. Irene Retter, 84, will be today at 11 a.m. at Strate Funeral Home in Davenport, Wash.
Mrs. Retter, who was born in Irby, Wash., died Wednesday. She had been a resident of Hartline since 1924.
Along with her husband, Raymond, she ran a store in Hartline. Her husband died in 1997.
She was a member of Hartline Garden Club, the Grant County Community Concert Board, the PTA and was an election judge.
Survivors include two sons, Michael Retter of Boring, Ore., and Steven Retter of Woodbury, Minn.; and two grandchildren.
Kathleen Adams
Spokane
Memorial service for Kathleen Jane “Kitty Spangle” Adams, 44, will be today at 1 p.m. at Spokane Central Seventh-day Adventist Church. Heritage Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Ms. Adams, who died Feb. 12, was born in Walla Walla, and had been a resident of Spokane for most of her life.
She graduated from Riverside High School in 1978, Washington State University in 1994 and completed her masters of social work at Eastern Washington University in 1997.
Ms. Adams had been employed at Kaiser, Red Lion Motor Inn and The Spokane County Health District. She had been an instructor of drug and alcohol studies at EWU and Spokane Falls Community College.
Survivors include her twin daughters, Janine and Autumn.
Memorial contributions may be made to Cookie’s Retreat Center for Domestic Violence.
Michael Ludwick
Spokane
Visitation for Michael L. Ludwick, 77, will be today from 9 a.m. to noon at Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home. Funeral will follow at 1 p.m. at the funeral home.
Mr. Ludwick, who was born in Spokane, died Thursday.
He attended St. Aloysius School, Gonzaga Prep and graduated from North Central High School. He served in the Navy on the newly commissioned USS Cubera (SS347) in 1944 and was discharged from Bremerton Naval Air Station in 1946. He attended Farragut State College for two years, and worked at Kaiser Trentwood before joining the Spokane Fire Department in 1951.
He married Patricia Blancher in 1949.
Mr. Ludwick served at the old downtown Station 5 most of his career. In the late 1960s he went back to college and received an associate of arts degree.
He became captain and served at Station 2 until retirement in 1977.
Mr. Ludwick was an avid sportsman, and enjoyed hunting, fishing, golfing and bowling.
He built his cabin at Deer Lake and enjoyed being out there as much as possible. He was a member of the Fire Fighters Union Local 29, Retired Firemens’ Association, U.S. Submarine Veterans of World War II, and was a former member of the Moose and Eagles lodges.
Survivors include his wife; three daughters, Sherry Hayes of Coeur d’Alene, and Connie Feldhusen and Charlene Parrish, both of Spokane; a brother, Tom Ludwick of Spokane; numerous grandchildren and a great-granddaughter.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Morning Star Boys’ Ranch.
Maria Del Riccio
Spokane
Funeral Mass for Maria Gabriella Del Riccio, 88, will be today at 1 p.m. at St. Francis of Assisi Roman Catholic Church. Entombment will be at Holy Cross Cemetery. Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Del Riccio died Thursday. She was born in Jamestown, N.D., and was a longtime resident of Spokane.
She was a member of St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church.
She enjoyed cooking, gardening and worked as a tailor, along with her husband, Mario.
Her husband of 40 years preceded her in death.
Survivors include two sons, Antonio and Robert Del Riccio, both of Spokane; and four grandchildren.
Margaret Sampson
Spokane
Funeral Mass for Margaret B. Sampson, 89, will be today at St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church at 2 p.m. Burial will be at Holy Cross Cemetery. Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Sampson died Friday. She grew up in the Valleyford area and graduated from Sacred Heart School of Nursing in 1937.
She held various hospital and private-duty jobs, finishing her career with 23 years at Kaiser Mead. After retiring, she volunteered for the Red Cross.
Mrs. Sampson received many awards during her 35 years of service. She enjoyed gardening, cooking and genealogy, and was a member of St. Patrick’s Parish.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Sam.
She is survived by a son, George Weeks; a daughter, Diana Wetzler of Tacoma; a stepdaughter, Mickey Sperry; two brothers, Charles D’Hondt of Tacoma and Larry D’Hondt of Yakima; a sister, Agnes Gonder; and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Morning Star Boys’ Ranch.
John Semple
Sandpoint
Service for John Frederick Semple, 58, will be today at 10 a.m. at Lakeview Funeral Home in Sandpoint with burial to follow at the Semple home on Rapid Lightning Creek.
Mr. Semple, who was born in Redwing, Minn., died Wednesday.
He grew up and attended school in California. He was drafted into the Army in 1968 and served in Germany as a tank gunner during Vietnam.
He worked as a sanitation foreman at VandeKamp Bakery in Los Angeles for 15 years.
He moved to Sandpoint in 1978 and worked as a house painter. He married Barbara Seiber in 2000.
Illness forced him to retire in 2003.
He belonged to an alcohol recovery 12-step program and enjoyed growing his beard, cooking, fishing, gardening and walking his dogs in the woods.
Survivors include his wife; his parents, Virgil and Margaret Semple of Priest River, Idaho; a brother, Jerry Semple of Sandpoint; a sister, Janet Dacy of Valencia, Calif.; and his grandmother, Melvina Semple of Wisconsin.
Memorials may be made to Bonner Community Hospice, P.O. Box 1448, Sandpoint, ID 83864.
Jason Conklin
Post Falls
Memorial service for Jason Joseph Conklin, 35, will be Thursday at 1 p.m. at the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Coeur d’Alene. English Funeral Chapel in Coeur d’Alene is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Conklin, who was born in Rahway, N.J., died Sunday.
He lived in Clark, N.J., before moving to the Post Falls area in 1972.
Mr. Conklin was disabled and was active with a handicapped bowlers group.
He enjoyed social gatherings, shopping at thrift stores and yard sales, and collected trains and stuffed animals.
Mr. Conklin was a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Survivors include his parents, Roscoe and Maryann Conklin of Post Falls; three brothers, Jeffrey Conklin of Coeur d’Alene, Joshua Conklin of Post Falls and Jeremiah Conklin of Hayden Lake; and four sisters, Jill Judge of Post Falls, Jacalyn Glander and Jane Kenny, both of Coeur d’Alene and Jennifer Zirkle of Tempe, Ariz.