Obituaries
Will Riggen
Spokane
Private service was held for Will L. Riggen, 77. Heritage Funeral Home handled the arrangements.
Mr. Riggen, who was born and raised in Spokane, died Jan. 1.
While attending Rogers High School he was involved in many musical activities, including being a member of the Serenaders. After graduating in 1944, he served in the Navy as an electrician until the end of World War II.
Mr. Riggen earned a bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education from Washington State University, and completed two years of doctoral studies at the University of Oregon.
He met his wife, Jennie, while teaching music in Wilbur, Wash.
Mr. Riggen taught and was principal in the Washington communities of Farmington, Anatone, Prescott and Glenwood. In 1966 the family moved to Ketchikan, Alaska, where Mr. Riggen worked as assistant superintendent of the school district for eight years. The family later moved to Juneau, Alaska, where he served in the same capacity. He also was superintendent of the Yukon Flats, McGrath and Kake, Alaska, school districts.
He and his wife returned to Washington in 1986, and he worked as the school principal in Endicott, Wash., before retiring and returning to Spokane.
Mr. Riggen sang in barbershop quartets and was choir director and community symphony director in several communities. He also enjoyed woodworking, home remodeling, computers and electronics.
Survivors include his wife of 53 years; four daughters, Kit McLaughlin of Portland, Anne Colella of Prescott, Ariz., Mary Riggen-Ver of Juneau and Nancy Shields of Spokane Valley; a sister, June Klump; and 10 grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Spokane Valley office of Cancer Care Northwest.
Adrian Minor
Spokane
Memorial service for Adrian “Ade” M. Minor, 81, will be Thursday at 1:30 p.m. at Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home.
Mr. Minor, who died Friday, was born in Altus, Okla., and attended schools in Apache and Boone before graduating from Fairfax (Okla.) High School.
After he graduated he volunteered for military service and spent three years in the South Pacific as a member of the First Calvary Division. After his honorable discharge, he worked in the oil fields in the southwest for Halliburton Oil Co.
He moved to Spokane in early 1960 to reunite with his brother Morgan, and joined the Ironworker’s Union. He was the construction superintendent on the original Sheraton Waikik.
When an industrial accident in 1961ended his ability to work physical labor, Mr. Minor went back to school and received a degree in engineering. He created and ran the Ironworkers Apprenticeship Program for 10 years until his retirement.
He was was well-known in team roping in Eastern Washington and North Idaho. A longtime member of the U.S. Team Roping Championship, he qualified at age 71 for the National Team Roping Finals in Guthrie, Okla..
He was preceded in death by his first wife, Jody Parker, and his second wife, Ruby Hamil.
Survivors include his wife, Dolores; a daughter, Connie Sue Tarble of Chewelah, Wash.; four stepsons, Ron Hamil of Priest River, Idaho, Tom and Jim Quigley, both of Spokane, and Pat Quigley of Salt Lake City; a stepdaughter, Shirley Gardner of Spokane; two sisters, Connie and Vevia Haskins; a son, Bill Minor of Fairfax.; and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Memorial Contributions may be made to Horizon Hospice or Spokane Veterans Home.
Modelle Radford
Spokane
Memorial service for Modelle Radford, 84, will be today at 2 p.m. at Heritage Funeral Home.
Mrs. Radford, who died Friday, was born in Cadillac, Saskatchewan.
She entered nurses training at Deaconess Hospital in 1940 and graduated in 1943, when she entered the U.S. Army Nursing Corps. She was discharged in 1946 as a 1st lieutenant.
She married Charles Radford that same year.
Mrs. Radford worked at Deaconess Hospital as a registered nurse for more than 25 years.
Survivors include three children, David, Suzanne and Christopher; five siblings, AnnaMae, Russell, Pat, Keith and Kenny Ericksen; seven grandchildren and two great grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to Deaconess Foundation Alumni Memorial Wall Deaconess Foundation Deaconess Medical Center, P.O. Box 518, Spokane, WA 99210.
David Johnston
Spokane Valley
Funeral for David J. Johnston, 73, will be today at 11 a.m. at Thornhill Valley Funeral Home. Burial will be at Pines Cemetery.
Mr. Johnston, who died Friday, was born in St. John, Wash.
While he was growing up his family lived in including Wilbur, Leahy, Davenport, Ritzville, Wash., Pullman and later Greenacres.
Following his graduation from Central Valley High School in 1950, Mr. Johnston had various jobs that included working during wheat harvests, at vegetable canneries, Kaiser Aluminum at Trentwood, and as a caller for crews and railway fireman for Northern Pacific Railroad.
He served in the Korean War in the Air Force in the 3rd Liaison Helicopter Squadron, stationed in both Korea and Japan. When he returned to the states, he was stationed in Minneapolis, where he met his wife, Betty Nicholson. They married in 1955 in Wadena, Minn.
After returning to Spokane and purchasing a home in the Spokane Valley, Mr. Johnston went back to work for Northern Pacific Railroad as a fireman, and was later promoted to a railway engineer in 1961. About 1970, several railroads merged forming the Burlington Northern Railroad, where he worked until his retirement in 1990.
He also co-owned a used car dealership, Spokane/Seattle Auto Brokers, for nearly 30 years.
Mr. Johsnton was a member of the Elks Lodge for 35 years and a life member of Veterans of Foreign Wars.
Survivors include his wife; a daughter, Cheryl; two sons, Jerry and Dale; a brother, Donald Johnston of Vancouver, Wash.; a sister, Carol Ingalls of Spokane; eight grandchildren and one great-granddaughter.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society.
Bill Ruddell
Spokane
No service will be held for Bill Ruddell, 60, at his request. Inurnment will be at Goldenrod Cemetery in Tekoa, Wash. Kramer Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Ruddell, who died Tuesday, was born in Portland, but grew up in Texas, where he attended schools. He joined the Army in 1960 and served in Germany for 18 months. He was discharged in 1964 and returned to Oregon, where he worked on road and dam construction projects. He later worked as a long-haul truck driver for many years. He retired for health reasons in 1998.
He married Rosemarie Covey in 1982 in Jefferson, Wis., and in 1985, the couple moved to Redmond, Ore., where they lived for four years. They moved to Tekoa, in 1990, where he lived until 2001. The couple divorced and in 2002 he moved to Spokane.
His hobbies included fishing and hunting.
Survivors include two sons, Vincent Ruddell of Snyder, Texas, and James Ruddell of Spokane; a daughter, Renee McGrew of Texas; three stepchildren, Joey Overton of Tekoa, Justin Hill of Homer, Alaska, and James Corey of Boise; two grandchildren and three stepgrandchildren.
Georgia Kuehnle
Hayden, Idaho
Celebration of life for Georgia Micka Kuehnle, 84, will be Wednesday from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Leisure Park Clubhouse, 990 W. Leisure Drive in Hayden. Yates Funeral Home in Coeur d’Alene is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Kuehnle, who was born in Malin, Ore., died Jan. 7.
She grew up in Malin and later lived in Spokane from 1948 until moving to the Coeur d’Alene area in 1975.
She recently resided at Leisure Park in Hayden.
Survivors include two daughters, Kris Carey of Coeur d’Alene and Jan Thomas of Hayden; a sister, Bernice “Barney” Siewert of Central, Ore.; four granddaughters and six great-grandchildren.
Memorials may be made to Children’s Village, 1350 W. Hanley Ave., Coeur d’Alene, ID 83814.
Irene McKnight
Spokane
Private service will be held for Irene A. McKnight, 88. Ball and Dodd Funeral Home handled the arrangements.
Mrs. McKnight, a lifelong resident of Spokane, died Dec. 29.
She graduated from Lewis and Clark High School in 1935, and in 1937 married Everett McKnight in Coeur d’Alene.
Mrs. McKnight was a homemaker.
Her husband died in 2002.
Survivors include a son, Loren McKnight of San Diego, Calif.; two brothers, Clifford and Stanley Larsen, both of Spokane; and three grandchildren.
Cecil Statton
Spirit Lake, Idaho
Private service will be held for Cecil “Tiger” Eugene Statton, 44. Sherman-Knapp Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Statton, who died Dec. 26, was born in Bakersfield, Calif.
In 1981 he married Roberta Evenson in Newport, Wash. The couple had lived in the Newport, Oldtown, Idaho, and Spirit Lake areas for the past 22 years.
Mr. Statton worked in the oil fields in Bakersfield, and stopped in 1985 due to an accident.
He enjoyed the outdoors and was an avid fisherman.
Survivors include his wife; a daughter, Tara Statton, and a son, Jay Statton, both of Spirit Lake; his parents, Cecil and Joyce Statton; four sisters, Vickie Statton of Coeur d’Alene, and Donna Holland, Karen Comstock and Diana Statton, all of Newport; and three grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of North Idaho.
Shirley Rouse
Spokane
Funeral for Shirley J. Rouse, 76, will be Wednesday at 10 a.m. at Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home.
Mrs. Rouse, who died Friday, was a lifelong resident of the Spokane area.
She attended Warsaw Grade School, a one-room school at the corner of Garfield and Seven Mile Road, and North Central High School.
She was a homemaker.
She married Laurence Rogers in 1946; he died in 1978. In 1980 she married Eugene Rouse.
Survivors include her husband; four sons, Don and Rick Rogers, and Ray and John Rouse; three brothers, George, Art and Larry St. Germain; two sisters, Bess Anderson and Marge Geissinger; and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Heart Association.
Jack Davis
Spokane
Memorial service for Jack W. Davis, 87, will be Thursday at 1 p.m. at Ball and Dodd Funeral Home.
Mr. Davis, who was born in Spokane, died Jan. 1.
He served in the Army Air Corps during World War II and in the Naval Reserve during the Korean War. He retired in 1972 after working more than 33 years for the federal government and with the Minute Man Missile Program.
His wife of 52 years, Helen, died in 1999.
Survivors include three sons, Mike and Mark Davis, both of Spokane, and Pat Davis of Nine Mile Falls; a daughter, Jackie Leyde of Mead; nine grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to Shriners Hospital for Children.
Kevin Marks
Spokane
No service will be held for T. Kevin Marks, 57, at his request. Ball and Dodd Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Marks, who was born in Des Moines, Iowa, died Dec. 26.
He graduated from Walla Walla High School in 1964 and served in the Navy Reserve in Vietnam on the USS Alamo from 1967 to 1972.
He married his first wife, Lois Zimmerly, in 1967, and the couple had two daughters.
He married Karen Rigas in 1981 in Spokane.
Mr. Marks worked in sales at Screen Tek for six years and retired from Lawton Publications in 2000.
He was a member of the Spokane Lions Club for 15 years, the Sharp Shooting Gun Club and CB Radio Club since 1997.
Survivors include his wife; two daughters, Nikki Marks of Portland and Jennifer Monds of San Antonio; his former wife, Lois Silbernagel of Tri-Cities; and four grandsons.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Humane Society.
Harry Pachosa
Spokane
Funeral for Harry Pachosa, 89, will be today at 1 p.m. at Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home. Burial will be at Fairmount Memorial Park.
Mr. Pachosa, who died Thursday, was born in Davis, W.Va.
He attended public schools in Davis and came west with his brothers. In 1936 he worked as a carpenter on Grand Coulee Dam. When work was completed on Grand Coulee Dam, he went to California and worked on Shasta Dam.
In 1945 he returned to Grand Coulee and in 1955 moved to Spokane and worked for Max Kuney Construction Co. He retired in 1972.
Survivors include his wife of 64 years, Lenora; a son, Lawrence Pachosa; a daughter, Linda Habbestad of Virginia; and one granddaughter.
Memorial contributions may be made to First Covenant Church.