Obituaries
James Lynch Spokane
Service for James E. Lynch, 60, is planned for 2 p.m. Wednesday at Thornhill Valley Funeral Home. Burial will be at Pines Cemetery.
Mr. Lynch, a 55-year Spokane resident, died Thursday.
He was born in Red Cloud, Neb.
He worked for Inland Motor Freight and A&R Trucking Co. before retiring in 1990.
He was a member of the National Rifle Association and the Teamsters Union.
His wife, Vernagene Lynch, died in 1979.
He is survived by four sons, Ron, Bill, Dean and Scott Lynch, all of Spokane; four brothers, Richard Lynch of Little Rock, Ark., and Wayne, Don and Gary Lynch, all of Spokane; four sisters, Arlene Frey of Otis Orchards, JoAnn Andrews of Portland, Janet Wilbanks of San Antonio, Texas, and Kay Dutton of Palouse, Wash.
Phyllis Dillon Spokane
Service for Phyllis Dillon, 70, is planned for 11 a.m. Wednesday at Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home. Burial will be at Holy Cross Cemetery.
Mrs. Dillon, who died Saturday, was born in Minneapolis.
She graduated from North Central High School in 1944 and worked as a bookkeeper for The Crescent for many years and at Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home for 25 years. She retired in 1989.
Mrs. Dillon is survived by a son, Steve Dillon, a daughter, Vicki Springer, and a brother, Herbert Reinhardt, all of Spokane; six grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Heart Association.
Phyllis Babin Spokane
Family graveside service for Phyllis G. Babin, 76, will be at 11 a.m. Thursday at Spokane Memorial Gardens. Memorial service will follow at 1 p.m. Ball and Dodd Funeral Home-South is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Babin died Friday.
She was born in Almira, Wash., and graduated from high school there. She was a homemaker.
Her husband, Howard Babin, died in 1992.
Survivors include three sons, Greg Babin of Spokane, Randy Babin of Federal Way, Wash., and Russ Babin of Salt Lake City; and two brothers, Howard Doane of Wenatchee and Gordon Doane of Winslow, Ariz.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society.
Alfred Roberg Spokane
Funeral Mass for Alfred Joseph “Fred” Roberg, 83, was Monday at St. Augustine Catholic Church with burial at Holy Cross Cemetery.
Mr. Roberg, who was born in Kendrick, Idaho, died Wednesday.
He was a heating operating engineer for Fairchild Air Force Base.
He was a member of St. Augustine Parish and was a World War II Navy veteran.
Survivors include his wife of 38 years, Hazel Roberg; two sons, Alfred Roberg of Seattle and Daniel Roberg of Austin, Texas; three stepdaughters, Patricia Smolich of Seattle, Shirley Hirzel of Hat Island, Wash., and Patricia Helmbrecht of Spokane; a sister, Margaret Wallace of Spokane; eight grandchildren, six greatgrandchildren and eight great-great grandchildren.
Norman Holt Springdale, Wash.
Funeral Mass for Norman L. Holt, 66, was Monday at St. Philip Benizi Church in Ford, Wash. Burial was at Hubert Cemetery in Ford. Ball and Dodd Funeral Home-South was in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Holt died Friday.
Born in Lewiston, he had lived in Springdale for 27 years and was a member of the Spokane Tribe of Indians.
He was an officer with the tribal police and the Bureau of Indian Affairs. He retired last year.
Mr. Holt was a member of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 10711.
Survivors include four daughters, Noreen Wynne, Althea Ford, Margo Abrahamson and Robin Stearns; seven sons, Tim Flett, Clarence, Jason and Troy Holt, John Holt LaSarte, Todd Holt Johnson and Sean Ford Hillard; his mother, Sue Ford of Nespelem, Wash; 10 brothers, Reginald Seltice, Maynard, Ronnie, Louie, Levi, David, Virgil and Adrian “Horse” Holt, and Lawrence “Happy” Ford and Donnie Ford; four sisters, Marcie and Claudia Holt, and Geneva Stearns and Nadene Ford; 38 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
Gene Erickson Coeur d’Alene
Service for Gene Erickson, 54, is planned for 2 p.m. today at English Funeral Chapel in Coeur d’Alene.
Mr. Erickson died Friday at home.
He was born in Colfax, Wash., and graduated from North Central High School. He graduated from Washington State University in 1963.
During his career in the hotel and restaurant business, he worked in Denver, Chicago, Great Falls, Mont., Washington and Indiana before returning to Idaho. Mr. Erickson helped develop the Osprey Restaurant and Lounge in Coeur d’Alene in 1983.
After working in Arizona, he returned to Idaho again in 1990 and joined Bob Templin’s staff at Templin’s Resort in Post Falls.
He was a member of First United Methodist Church and the Washington State University Alumni Asscoiation and was a board member for Coeur d’Alene Homes.
Survivors include his wife, Faith Mason Erickson, Mesa, Ariz.; two daughters, Dana Erickson of Spokane and Renee Erickson of Mesa, Ariz.; his parents, Olai and Irene Erickson of Spokane; and one brother, Craig Erickson of Kirkland, Wash.
Memorial contributions may be made to First United Methodist Church in Coeur d’Alene.
Leroy Wimmer Spokane
Service for Leroy D. Wimmer, 54, was Monday at the Pines Mausoleum.
Mr. Wimmer, a 52-year Spokane resident, died Friday.
He was born in Valley City, N.D.
Mr. Wimmer was a member of Local 44 of the Plumbers and Steamfitters Union and had been a plumber since 1960.
He was also a member of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1435 and had been a member of the Northwest Super Stock Racing Association.
He is survived by his wife of 34 years, Sharon Wimmer; two sons, James Wimmer of Spokane and Jeffrey Wimmer of Santa Monica, Calif. ; a daughter, Julie Adams of Spokane; two brothers, Larry Wimmer of Newport, Wash., and Dickie Wimmer of Seattle; two sisters, Bev McGrath and Ginger Silliman, both of Rathdrum, Idaho; and one granddaughter.
Memorial contributions may be made to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, 508 W. Sixth, Spokane Wash., 99204, or Alcoholics Anonymous, 1614 W. Riverside, Lower Level 55, Spokane, WA 99201.
Ruth Glasco Spokane
Service for Ruth M. Glasco, 79, was Monday at Opportunity Baptist Church. Burial was at Coeur d’Alene Memorial Gardens.
Mrs. Glasco died Wednesday. She was born in Spokane.
She graduated from Lewis and Clark High School and attended Deaconess School of Nursing. She worked as a licensed practical nurse at Deaconess Hospital, Coeur d’Alene Hospital, Swedish Hospital in Seattle, and the Enumclaw (Wash.) Hospital. She retired in 1960.
Mrs. Glasco was a member of Opportunity Baptist Church.
She is survived by two daughters, Anita Glasco of Enumclaw and Joy Coghill of Spokane; three stepdaughters, Dorothy DeMerritt of Bellevue, Wash., and Lois Holecek and Donna Willadsen, both of Coeur d’Alene; a stepson, William Glasco of Coeur d’Alene; a sister, Mary Pescheck of Eugene, Ore.; 34 grandchildren and numerous great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the hymnal fund at Opportunity Baptist Church.
Holland ‘Bunny’ Boone Palouse, Wash.
Service for A. Holland “Bunny” Boone, 78, is set for 2:30 p.m. today at Kramer Funeral Home Palouse. Graveside service will follow at Greenwood Cemetery in Palouse.
Mr. Boone died Friday at home of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
He was a lifetime Palouse resident.
Mr. Boone graduated from Palouse High School in 1934 and attended Washington State University for one year. In 1935 he began farming with his father near Palouse.
He was a member of the Palouse Grange.
He is survived by his wife of 47 years, Hazel Boone; two sons, Thomas Boone of Chewelah, Wash., and Timothy Boone of Palouse; and six grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Palouse Scholarship Fund or the St. Joseph Hospital Foundation in Chewelah, Wash.
Sara ‘Sally’ Brown Spokane
Vigil service for Sara M. “Sally” Brown, 79, is set for 7 p.m. Wednesday at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church. Funeral Mass will be at 10 a.m. Thursday at the church with burial at Holy Cross Cemetery. Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Brown died Friday.
She was born Lamont, Wash.
Mrs. Brown worked as a library assistant for 32 years at The Spokesman-Review and Spokane Chronicle.
She is survived by a daughter, Maureen Pring of Spokane; three sisters, Mary Alice Burrow, Kathleen Tulley and Rose Brophy, all of Spokane; and five grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the journalism scholarship fund at Whitworth College.
Phyllis Mann Ritzville, Wash.
Service for Phyllis A. (Menkel) Mann, 74, will be at 11 a.m. today at Zion Congregational Church. Burial service will be at Hillcrest Cemetery in Harrington, Wash. Danekas Funeral Home of Ritzville is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Mann, who was born in Edwall, Wash., died Thursday at Moses Lake.
She graduated from high school in Edwall in 1938.
She and her first husband, William Eastman Jr., farmed outside Sprague, Wash. He died in 1961.
She moved to Harrington and married Arthur Mann in 1962. They lived in Lind, Wash., before moving to Ritzville in 1984. He died in 1989.
Mrs. Mann was a member of Zion Congregational Church of Ritzville, Zenith Chapter 55 of the Order of Eastern Star in Ritzville, the Ritzville American Legion Auxiliary, the Adams County Cattlewomen, and the Washington Association of Wheat Growers.
Survivors include her mother, Ethel Menkel of Ritzville; two daughters, Diane Eastman of Ritzville and Gail Heide of Edwall; two stepsons, Michael Mann of Everett and Christopher Mann of Tahuya, Wash.; and eight grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to Zion Congregational Church.
Francis Abrahamson Wellpinit, Wash.
A wake will be held for Francis X. Abrahamson, 65, at 7 p.m. today at Spokane Tribal Longhouse in Wellpinit. Funeral Mass will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday at Spokane Tribal Longhouse. Burial will be at Sacred Heart Catholic Cemetery in Wellpinit. Ball and Dodd Funeral Home-South is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Abrahamson, who was born in Ford, Wash., died Saturday.
He worked in logging and mining and was a plant manager with the Bureau of Indian Affairs from 1968 until 1988, when he retired.
He served in the Marine Corps during the Korean War. He was a member of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 10711, Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Wellpinit, the Spokane Tribal Cultural Committee, the Mary Owhi/Alex Sherwood Language Trust, and the Tshimikain Singers and Drum Group. He was also involved with an archaeological dig in Wellpinit by Eastern Washington University.
He is survived by his wife of 42 years, Anita Abrahamson; his mother, Cecila Abrahamson; a sister, Pauline Stearns; two daughters, Diane and Debbie Abrahamson; six sons, Steve and Calvin Rodrigues, and Danny, Howard, Paul and Clyde Abrahamson; 28 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Edith McIrvin Palouse, Wash.
Memorial service for Edith S. McIrvin, 87, is set for 11 a.m. today at Palouse Federated Church. Private burial service will precede at 10 a.m. at Greenwood Cemetery in Palouse. Kramer Funeral Home of Palouse is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. McIrvin, who died Thursday, was born in Vancouver, Wash.
She and her husband operated a cattle ranch near Orient, Wash., from 1936 until 1942. They lived in Vancouver for a few years and then moved to Colville, Wash.
In 1959 they moved to Odessa, Wash., where she worked for Empire Electronics as a secretary and bookkeeper. She retired in 1977, and they moved to Palouse.
Mrs. McIrvin was a member of the Palouse Federated Church, the Odessa Grange, the Palouse Senior Citizens Club and the Help One Another Club.
She is survived by her husband of 66 years, Vernon McIrvin; a son, Wayne McIrvin of Federal Way, Wash.; two daughters, Carolyn Dompier of Anchorage, Alaska, and Judy Richardson of Harrington, Wash.; one brother, John Burnett of Seattle; 17 grandchildren, 45 great-grandchildren and one great-great-granddaughter.
Eleanor Briscoe Spokane
Service for Eleanor E. Briscoe, 83, is set for 10 a.m. today at Ball and Dodd Funeral Home-North. Burial will be at Greenwood Memorial Terrace.
She died Friday.
Born in Rugby, N.D., Mrs. Briscoe moved to Montana and, in 1945, to Spokane.
She graduated from high school in Montana.
She worked at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Spokane for seven years and with the Immigration and Naturalization Service in Spokane for 14 years. She retired in 1972.
She was a member of the Audubon Chapter of the Order of Eastern Star, the National Association of Retired Federal Employees, and the Spokane Camera Club.
Her husband, Kenneth Briscoe, died in 1967.
She is survived by one daughter, Caryl Briscoe-Michas of Spokane; and two grandsons.
Alice Harsch Spokane
Vigil service for Alice Harsch, 87, is planned for 6 p.m. today at St. Paschal Catholic Church. Funeral Mass will be at 9 a.m. Wednesday at the church. Burial will be at St. Joseph Cemetery. Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Harsch, who died Friday, was born in Dalton, Minn.
She moved to Provost, Alberta, with her family. She and her husband, Clarence Harsch, moved to Spokane in 1936.
Mrs. Harsch was a homemaker and also had helped operate a store in Millwood many years ago.
She was a member of the Altar Society of St. Paschal Parish and the Steam Buffs.
Her husband died in 1993.
She is survived by a son, Gene Harsch of Spokane; and four grandchildren.
Esther Willis Spokane
Service for Esther E. Willis, 87, will be at 10 a.m. today at Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home. Burial will be at Riverside Memorial Park.
Mrs. Willis, who was born in Milan, Wash., died Friday.
A longtime Spokane-area resident, she was a member of Trinity United Methodist Church. She worked as a cook for the Phi Delta Theta fraternity in Pullman for more than 20 years.
Her husband, Jay Vern Willis, died in 1948.
She is survived by one son, John Willis of Chamblee, Ga.; one daughter, Margaret Smith of Spokane; one sister, Catherine Delmoe of Spokane; six grandchildren and two greatgrandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Lung Association.
Wilson ‘Bill’ Hart Deer Park
Graveside service for Wilson E. “Bill” Hart, 77, will be at 1 p.m. today at Spokane Memorial Gardens. Riplinger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Hart, who died Saturday, was born in Kitchener, Ontario.
He retired from Kaiser Aluminum after 24 years.
Mr. Hart was a member of Eagles Aerie 2.
He is survived by his wife, Ellen Hart; two daughters, Darlene Lande of Seattle and Susan Carlson of Nine Mile Falls; three sons, William Hart of Spokane, Jack Sanderson of Tacoma and Michael Hart of Chattaroy; a sister, Caroline Torbergson of Spokane; and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Steve Luikens Spokane
Memorial service for Steve Luikens, 43, is planned for 2 p.m. today at Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home.
Mr. Luikens, who died March 13, was born in Norfolk, Neb.
He had lived in Spokane for 17 years and was a long-haul truck driver for Glacier Carriers of Columbia Falls, Mont., for 11 years.
Survivors include by his wife of 19 years, Shirley Luikens; five children, Mindy, Terrie, Michael, Nickie and Angie; and his parents, two brothers, one sister and 11 grandchildren.
Halina Coble Spokane
Service for Halina M. Coble, 47, is planned for 10 a.m. Wednesday at Riplinger Funeral Home. Private burial will be at Holy Cross Cemetery.
Mrs. Coble, a longtime Spokane resident, died Friday.
Born in Germany, she was a homemaker.
She is survived by her husband, Chris Coble; two stepsons, Chris Coble of Colbert and Scott Coble of Spokane; and her mother, Francis Gorzelanczyk, and brother, Fred Gorzelanczyk, both of Spokane.