Obituaries
Anna Johnson Spokane
Service for Anna C. Johnson, 82, is planned for 11 a.m. Monday at Hazen & Jaeger Funeral Home. Burial will be at Spokane Memorial Gardens.
Mrs. Johnson, who died Wednesday, was born in Penderoy, Mont.
She moved to Spokane with her parents 70 years ago. She farmed with her husband on Paradise Prairie Farm, which his parents had homesteaded. She was a member of First Presbyterian Church and was a charter member of the Paradise Grange. In 1970 she was named Mother of the Year by the Spokane Area Chamber of Commerce.
Her husband, Ernest Johnson, died in 1987. She is survived by five daughters, Helen Weston, Rosemarie Zaring and Sandy Kay White, all of Spokane, Shirley Leipham of Davenport, Wash., and Betty Thompson of Snohomish, Wash.; two sons, Donald Johnson of Spokane and Ken Johnson of Anchorage, Alaska; two sisters, Lena Ribovich of Spokane and Corky Tighe of Renton, Wash.; three brothers, Louis and Albert VanBelle, both of Spokane, and Bill VanBelle of Priest River, Idaho; 20 grandchildren, 26 great-grandchildren and 19 foster children.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Vanessa Behan Crisis Nursery.
Elva Heldstab Spokane
Service for Elva E. Heldstab, 84, will be at 10 a.m. Monday at Reardan Presbyterian Church with burial at Reardan Cemetery. Strate Funeral Home in Davenport is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Heldstab, who was born in Reardan, Wash., died Wednesday.
A homemaker, she graduated from Reardan High School in 1928. She was a member of the Spring Creek Grange, Order of the Eastern Star Chapter No. 131, Reardan Presbyterian Church, Reardan Senior Citizens, and the Washington Association of Wheat Growers.
Her husband, Casper “Casey” Heldstab, died in 1980. She is survived by a daughter Joyce Nonnemacher of Davenport; a sister, Velma Speegle of Yakima; three grandchildren and twin great-grandsons.
Memorials may be made to the Reardan Presbyterian Church or the Lincoln Hospital Foundation.
Kenneth Sillivan Silverton, Idaho
Service for Kenneth Marvin Sillivan is set for 2 p.m. March17 at Shoshone Funeral Chapel, Wallace. Burial will be at Coeur d’Alene Memorial Gardens. Shoshone Funeral Service in Wallace is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Sillivan died Thursday at home.
He was born in Nickwall, Mont., and graduated from Wolf Point High School.
He worked for the Civilian Conservation Corps from 1936 to 1938 before serving in the merchant marine for three years. He worked as a lineman, water system foreman and manager for the Citizens Utilities Co. in Wallace for 35 years before retiring in 1983.
He was an avid gardener and enjoyed bringing roses to local businesses for 20 years.
He was a longtime member of the Northwest Electric Light and Power Association, the Eagles Aerie No. 1, the Wallace Elks Lodge, the Wallace Chamber of Commerce, the Silver Valley Chamber of Commerce, the Wallace Rotary Club and the Shoshone Golf and Country Club.
His wife, Verda, died in 1975. His survivors include two sons, Pat Sillivan of Spokane and Gerry Sillivan of Silverton; one sister, Marjorie Fuller of Clarkston, Wash.; and two grandchildren.
Erlene Foos Spokane
Graveside memorial service for Erlene (Thomas Gray) Foos, 67, was held Friday at Riverside Memorial Park.
Mrs. Foos, a former Grand Coulee, resident, died Wednesday. She was born in Spokane and had lived here for the last three years.
She lived in Grand Coulee for 20 years and was a former co-owner of Smitty’s Pancake House there.
She was a member of the Methodist Church and of the Grand Coulee Moose and Eagle Lodges.
She is survived by two daughters, Martha Florin of Spokane and Margaret Busenbark of Lake Stevens, Wash.; one son, Edward Thomas Gray of Texas; eight grandchildren and one great-grandson.
Lola Hagan Fairfield
Service for Lola (Bliesner) Hagan, 69, will be at 3 p.m. Sunday at Zion Lutheran Church in Fairfield. Burial will be at Rosewood Cemetery in Fairfield. Schanzenbach Funeral Home in Fairfield is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Hagan, who died Wednesday of cancer, was born in Spokane.
She was a longtime Fairfield resident and worked many years as a waitress and cook for Harold’s Cafe in Rosalia, Wash., and at the Steak House in Fairfield. In 1956 she started working as a bus driver for the Fairfield School District and continued in the Liberty School District until she retired in 1993.
She is survived by her husband of 50 years, Bud Hagan; two sons, Larry Hagan of Tekoa, Wash., and Mike Hagan of Fairfield; one daughter, Sandy Jamison of Fairfield; one brother, Wayne Bliesner of Portland; and six grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to Zion Lutheran Church or Hospice of Spokane.
James Henry Lelia Henry Spokane
A joint memorial service for Lelia V. and James L Henry will be held at 11 a.m. Sunday at Thornhill Valley Funeral Home.
Mr. Henry, 70, died Thursday. He was born in Spokane. Mrs. Henry, 69, died Monday. She was born in Albion, Wash.
They had lived in the Spokane Valley for 69 years and had been married 46 years.
He was a self-employed contractor and had served in the Army during World War II and helped liberate prisoners from the Dachau prison camp.
She was a bookkeeper and secretary for several Spokane businesses.
Their survivors include four sons, Terry and John Henry, both of Spokane, Jerry Henry of Springfield, Ore., and Jim Henry of Alaska; two daughters, Theresa Bunger of Seattle and Sandy Billings Bob of Spokane; Lelia’s mother, Addie Featherkile, and sister, Elgene Coy, both of Spokane; nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Bernice Schalock Edwall, Wash.
Service for Bernice O. Schalock, 90, is planned for 11 a.m. Monday at Cheney Funeral Chapel. Burial will be at Spokane Memorial Gardens.
Mrs. Schalock, who was born in Reardan, Wash., died Wednesday.
She worked as a cook in the public schools.
She was a charter member of the Waukon Grange and a member of the Edwall Food and Fellowship Club.
Her husband, Gilbert Schalock, died in 1966. She is survived by two daughters, Alvina Simpson of Edwall and Donna Bucher of Ritzville; nine grandchildren; 20 great-grandchildren; one great-great-grandchild.
Thomas Eigeman Spokane
Memorial Mass for Thomas G. Eigeman, 72, will be at noon today at Assumption Catholic Church. Private inurnment will be at Holy Cross Cemetery. Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Eigeman, who was born in Missoula, died Tuesday.
He was traffic manager for a trucking company. He was a pilot with the Air Force during World War II.
He was a member of the Spokane and Coeur d’Alene chambers of commerce and Assumption Parish. He lived in Spokane for 47 years.
He is survived by his wife of 46 years, Marie Eigeman; four daughters, Mary Sandall of Deer Park, Maureen Goins and Sally Murphy, both of Spokane, and Patricia Erwin of Everett; and six grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Northeast Washington Home Health Agency.
John Ramey Spokane
Service for John Ramey, 65, is planned for 11 a.m. today at Riplinger Funeral Home. Burial will be at Greenwood Memorial Terrace.
Mr. Ramey died Wednesday. He was born in Whitehall, Mont., and had lived in Spokane for 27 years.
He owned Northwest Sewer Service from 1971 until 1988, when he retired.
Survivors include his wife of 32 years, Dolores Ramey; one daughter, D’Ette Middleton of Sumter, S.C.; two stepsons, Don Moon Jr. of Fort Worth, Texas, and Clay Moon of Spokane; one stepdaughter, Carla Pullman of Spokane; and 10 grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to Calvary Chapel Building Fund.
Ralph Bushnell Spokane
Service for Ralph A. Bushnell, 84, is set for 10:30 a.m. today at Ball and Dodd Funeral Home-North. Cremation will follow.
Mr. Bushnell, a lifetime Spokane resident, died Wednesday.
He graduated from Gonzaga Preparatory school in 1929 and attended Eastern Washington College.
He began working at the Manito Grocery when he was 12. He later was a partner in Lowe’s market at 20th and Lincoln from 1939 to 1945 and operated Ralph’s Grocery at 38th and Grand from 1946 to 1952. He worked as a salesman at J.W. Graham and later worked for the Olympia Brewing Co. as a sales representative from 1953 to 1973, when he retired.
His wife, Eleanor Bushnell, died in 1988. He is survived by one daughter, Barbara Baker of Spokane; one sister, Florence Davis of Deer Lake; five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Heart Association.
Bill Brown Sr. Spokane
Memorial service for William R. “Bill” Brown Sr., 80, will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. at the home of his son, Gary Brown. Riplinger Funeral Home is in charge of cremation.
Mr. Brown, who died Wednesday, was a lifetime Spokane resident.
He was a spotter for a dry cleaning company.
He is survived by his wife, Nellie Brown; two sons, William Brown Jr. and Gary Brown, both of Spokane; one daughter, Lonna Cosby of Silver City, N.M.; 11 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Spokane.
Roy Schofield Spokane
Memorial service for Roy Edward Schofield, 65, is set for 2 p.m. Tuesday at Pines Mausoleum. Burial will be private. Thornhill Valley Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Schofield died Thursday at the Veterans Nursing Home. He was born in Sanders, Idaho, and had lived in Spokane for 50 years.
He served in the Army during World War II and the Korean War. He worked as a carpenter for various contractors and as a cabinetmaker.
He is survived by four brothers, Kevin, Donald, David and Merwyn Schofield, all of Spokane; and two sisters, Betty Miller of Sandpoint and Marlene Deloney of Post Falls.
Roger Yongue Coeur d’Alene
Service for Roger D. (Stevenson) Yongue, 34, will be at 2 p.m. Tuesday, at the Rockford United Methodist Church. Burial will be at Fairview Cemetery in Rockford. Schanzenbach Funeral Home in Fairfield is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Yongue died Monday while on vacation in the Netherlands. He was born in Decatur, Ill.
He graduated from Coeur d’Alene High School and worked as a musician and songwriter.
He is survived by his mother and stepfather, Mary Ann and Jim Holmes of Post Falls; his father, Doyle Stevenson of Spokane; his adopted father, Bill Yongue of Hayden Lake, Idaho; two sisters, Jodale Kline of Rockford and Tammy Erickson of Spokane; one brother, Perry Yongue of Coeur d’Alene; and his companion, Donnie Stanislawski of Spokane.
Erven ‘Swede’ Christensen Spokane
Memorial service for Erven “Swede” Christensen, 87, will be at 1 p.m. Monday at Spokane Valley United Methodist Church. There will be a private burial at Pines Cemetery. Thornhill Valley Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Christensen, who died Wednesday, was born in Mercer, N.D.
He was a 65-year Spokane resident. He worked for Inland Asphalt for 10 years and farmed for 30 years on Peone Prairie. He retired in 1975 and volunteered with the Hutton Settlement.
He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Margaret Christensen; one brother, Roy Christensen of Spokane and one sister, Dora Hopper of Salome, Ariz.
Memorial contributions may be made to Spokane Valley United Methodist Church.
Alta Stewart Lewiston
Service for Alta L. Stewart, 82, will be held at 1 p.m today at Vassar-Rawls Funeral Home in Lewiston.
Mrs. Stewart died of a heart attack Wednesday at the Valley Rehabilitation and Living Center in Lewiston.
She was born in Clarkston, Washington, and graduated from the local high school. She married Melvin Stewart in 1941 in Clarkston.
They moved to Lewiston in 1942 and bought Lewiston Refrigeration. She was in charge of bookkeeping there.
Besides their two daughters, they raised their nephew, Paul Stewart, who lives in Foster City, Calif.
She was a member of PEO, a philanthropic and education organization; and the Daughters of the Nile and the Order of the Eastern Star.
Her husband died in 1992.
Survivors include two daughters, Cheryl Richmond of Hayden Lake and Valerie Watkins of Spokane; one sister, Choral Keyes of Everett; six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, North Idaho Chapter, Coeur d’Alene.
Thomas Rohr Spokane
Memorial service for Thomas Rohr, 37, will be at 3 p.m. Monday at Yates Funeral Home in Hayden Lake, Idaho.
Mr. Rohr, a civilian systems specialist, died Tuesday. He had a heart attack while on business for the Navy in Port Angeles, Wash.
He was born in El Paso, Texas. He graduated from Coeur d’Alene High School and attended North Idaho College for two years. He served four years as an aircraft electronics specialist for the Navy. For the past six years he had worked as a systems specialist at the Naval Bomb Scoring Station in Spokane.
Survivors include his wife, Janet, a son, Charles, and a daughter, Juliane all at home; his parents, Charles and Mary Rohr of Hayden Lake; one brother Charles Rohr of Spokane; and two sisters, Julia McHugh of Spokane and Susan Pruitt of Omaha, Neb.