Obituary: Speller, Herbert Sidney
Age 95
Herb was born on September 12, 1919 in Northport, WA, the son of Hubert and Emma Meriam (Hallenius) Speller.
Herb was raised in Northport, WA; graduating from high school in 1936.
After graduation, Herb went to work for his father.
In 1939 he moved to St. Maries, ID to work for B.J.
Carney & Co. in their large forest operations until 1943.
It was in St. Maries that he met his sweetheart, Ida Helen Dodson.
They wed on Valentine’s Day 1941.
Answering a need for interstate/city bus drivers for North Coast Lines, Seattle, WA, Herb drove bus until 1946.
Then it was back to Idaho to logging and cedar poles for another five years.
As word came to him in 1951 that heavy-haul drivers were needed in Portland, OR, he took this opportunity.
For 10 years he drove for Consolidated Freightways (tanker operations included).
Herb bought a logging truck in 1961, in order to return to the “old days”.
He made his own way in the forest industry until 1972.
He switched then to hauling equipment and grain until retiring in 1984.
In retirement, Herb worked with his son, Kerry, rebuilding D-50 Dodge pickups.
Carpentry, woodworking and family obligations took up most of his spare time.
In 1994, Herb sold his home (that he had built in 1953-54) on Rowan Street in Spokane.
He and Ida had lived there 40 years.
After Ida’s passing, he moved to Post Falls, ID until 2009 when he moved to Colville, WA.
In 2010, Herb made his final move down to Spokane where he lived the rest of his years.
Preceding Herb in death were his son, Delbert Gerald Speller (1941), his wife Ida (1993) and another son, Kerry Speller (2008).
Surviving him are his daughter, Sherry Holmes (Gary) of Nine Mile Falls, WA, sister Mapel Howell of Colville, WA, grandchildren: Bradley and Brandon Holmes, Kyle and Kristen Speller; and great- grandchildren: Kayla, Kierstin, and Trent Holmes, nephew, Jerry Honeycutt, nieces Janell Howell and Rolinda Brown.
Memorial donations may be given to the Shriner’s Hospital, American Cancer Society, National Kidney Foundation and to the Special Olympics- Panorama Land Wolves team P.O.
Box 1640, Richland, WA 99352.
Visitation will be at Hazen & Jaeger Funeral Home, Spokane, Monday, April 6, 2015, from 10am-1pm.
A graveside service will be held on Monday, April 6, 2015, 3pm, at Spokane Memorial Gardens.