Obituaries
Hazel Vehrs Ritzville, Wash
Visitation for Hazel L. Vehrs, 94, is scheduled from 10 a.m. to noon today at Danekas Funeral Home in Ritzville. Service will follow at 1 p.m. at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Ritzville. Private burial will be Friday at Mountain View Cemetery in Tacoma.
Mrs. Vehrs, who was born in Spokane County, died Monday.
She worked in dime stores in Spokane and in 1923, married Joechen Vehrs in Spokane.
They moved to Adams County three years after their marriage and farmed near Ralston, Wash.
Her husband died in 1945, and a year later she moved into Ritzville. She returned to Spokane in 1949 and worked at The Crescent for 18 years.
She retired in 1967 and returned to Ritzville.
She was a member of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, the Ralston Grange, the Gritman Senior Center in Ritzville and Zenith Chapter No. 55 of the Order of the Eastern Star in Ritzville.
Survivors include two daughters, Shirley Telecky of Ritzville and Delores Dick of Olympia; a brother, Laurence Richert of Spokane; six grandchildren, 11 great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Gritman Senior Center.
Gaylene Bontrager Spokane
Vigil service for Gaylene A. Bontrager, 45, is planned for 7 p.m. today at Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home. Funeral Mass will be at 10 a.m. Friday at St. Joseph Catholic Church. Burial will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery.
Mrs. Bontrager, a lifetime Spokane resident, died Saturday.
She was a teacher’s aide with Spokane School District 81 and a member of the National Education Association.
She played softball in Spokane for 16 years, was a league bowler and twice served as Parent Teacher Association president.
Mrs. Bontrager is survived by her husband, Steve Bontrager; two sons, Chris and Scott Bontrager, both of Spokane; her parents, Nan and Mel Baker of Tum Tum, Wash.; and three brothers, Ken Baker of Colville, Wash., Paul Baker of Kettle Falls, Wash., and Steve Baker of Spokane.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Wishing Star Foundation.
Ronald Upp Spokane
Memorial service for Ronald L. Upp, 64, is planned for 11 a.m. today at Northview Bible Church. Private burial will be at Fairmount Memorial Park.
Mr. Upp, who was born in Pullman, died Monday.
He graduated from North Central High School and attended Whitworth College.
He owned Ron Upp’s Conoco from 1957 to 1964 and since 1970 had worked in real estate. He was a real estate broker and manager with Alvin J. Wolff’s North Side office, an associate broker for Van Skaik Realty, and most recently an associate broker with Windermere’s North Wall office.
Mr. Upp was a longtime member of the Shadle Park Booster Club and the Spokane Central Gideons.
He is survived by his wife of 39 years, Carol Upp; two daughters, Nancy Othmer and Leslie Mitchell, both of Spokane; a brother, Dwayne Upp of Kennewick; a sister, Gwen Nienhuis of Spokane; and five grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Spokane Central Gideons or the Shriners Hospital for Children.
Dorothy Wolfe Spokane
Memorial service for Dorothy E. Wolfe, 86, will be at 2 p.m. Friday at Holman Gardens Retirement Community. Private burial will be at Pleasant View Cemetery in Post Falls. Thornhill Valley Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Wolfe died Sunday.
She was born and raised in Kulm, N.D.
She received a teaching degree from Ellendale Teachers College in Ellendale, N.D., and worked as an elementary school teacher in North Dakota and principal in Idaho and Spokane.
She was a 40-year Spokane resident and was a member of the German Baptist Church.
She was also involved with children’s Bible clubs for churches in Idaho and Spokane.
Mrs. Wolfe was preceded in death by her husband, Emil Wolfe.
Survivors include a sister, Phyllis Carlson of Easton, Pa., and a brother, Rodney Tjernlund of St. Paul, Minn.
Robert Yochum Spokane
Memorial service for Robert L. Yochum, 72, will be at 11 a.m. Friday at St. Ann’s Catholic Church. The Cremation Society of Washington is in charge of cremation.
Mr. Yochum, who was born in Jamestown, N.D., died Monday.
He moved to Lewiston in 1926 with his family.
He served in the Navy during World War II and was a member of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1263.
In Lewiston, Mr. Yochum worked for McMonigh Chevrolet Co. as credit manager and business manager until he moved to Portland in 1971.
In Portland he worked as finance supervisor for the city of Portland Development Commission, retiring in 1986.
He returned to Spokane after he retired.
Mr. Yochum is survived by his wife, Janet; two stepsons, James Ward of Kent, Wash., and Steven Ward of Boise; and a brother, Sherman Yochum of Lewiston.
Frank Jares Spokane
Service for Frank Delmar Jares, 62, will be held Friday at 1:30 p.m. at English Funeral Chapel in Coeur d’Alene. Private burial will follow.
Mr. Jares, who was born in South Dakota, died Monday.
He moved to Coeur d’Alene in 1939 and graduated from high school there. He had worked as a manager at Singer for many years and had also worked as an insurance salesman.
Mr. Jares moved to Spokane in 1970 and was a member of the Spokane Eagles Lodge.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Marlene.
Survivors include two sons, Chad Goodwin of Mountain Home, Idaho, and Jason Jares of Spokane; two daughters, Janine Eakin and Teresa Mathers, both of Coeur d’Alene; a sister, Vivian Stackhouse of Coeur d’Alene; several stepchildren and seven grandchildren.
Correspondence should be sent to Vivian Stackhouse, c/o English Funeral Chapel, 1133 Fourth St., Coeur d’Alene, ID 83814.
Rose Foster Harrison, Idaho
Memorial service for Rose M. Foster, 103, will be held Saturday at 11 a.m. at the Harrison Community Baptist Church. Burial will be at the Harrison City Cemetery. Yates-Hodge Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Foster, who was born in Chewelah, Wash., died Sunday.
She attended schools in Tekoa and Colton, Wash., later moving to Harrison and becoming a homemaker.
Mrs. Foster’s family was once featured in the Guinness Book of World Records for having six living generations, all female.
She was preceded in death by two husbands, Frank Smith in 1948 and Donald Foster in 1979.
Survivors include a daughter, Helen Patterson of Spokane; six grandchildren, one great-grandchild and one great-great-grandchild.
Memorials may be made to the Veterans of Foreign Wars Gazebo Fund, Box 183, Harrison, ID 83833.
Gertrude Gust Spokane
Service for Gertrude Irma Gust, 76, is set for 11 a.m. Friday at Riplinger Funeral Home. Burial will follow at Fairmount Memorial Park.
Born in Paha, Wash., Mrs. Gust died Tuesday.
She had lived in Spokane for more than 45 years and was a homemaker.
She was a member of Holy Cross Lutheran Church.
Her husband, Rudolph Gust, died in 1980.
Mrs. Gust is survived by three daughters, Pamela Kennedy, Linda Corigliano and Gloria Wood, all of Spokane; a sister, Elsie Haag, and a brother, Raymond Schutz, both of Kent, Wash.; and two grandsons.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Diabetes Association.
Elenore Brown Spokane
Memorial service for Elenore M. Brown, 59, will be at 2 p.m. Friday at First Friends Church of Spokane. Heritage Funeral Home is charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Brown, a lifetime Spokane resident, died last Thursday.
She graduated from Rogers High School and was a homemaker.
She is survived by a son, Dale Brown of Spokane; two daughters, Kathleen Denbroder of Spokane and Pamela Brightwell of Orofino, Idaho; two brothers, Gordon Zehm of Spokane and Kenneth Zehm of Tacoma; a sister, Dee Kennedy of Spokane; and three grandchildren.
Susan Koshman Spokane
Memorial service for Susan E. Koshman, 92, will be at 7 p.m. Friday at Opportunity Kingdom Hall. Private burial will be at Fairmount Memorial Park. Thornhill Valley Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Koshman, who died Monday, was born in Twisp, Wash.
She came to Spokane from Twisp in 1921 and married John Koshman in 1923.
She was a homemaker and was a member of the Opportunity Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses for 43 years.
Her husband of 45 years, John Koshman, died in 1968.
She is survived by a daughter, Thelma Weyen of Spokane; two grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Catherine Martin Cusick, Wash.
Service for Catherine Ann Martin, 72, will be at 1 p.m. Friday at Sherman-Knapp Funeral Home in Newport. Cremation will follow.
Mrs. Martin, a longtime Cusick resident, died Saturday.
She was born in Port Huron, Mich.
In 1941, she married Herman Martin in Reno, Nev.
She was a salesperson for Avon and Herbalife.
Mrs. Martin is survived by her husband; three sons, Edward Martin of Ione, Wash., Ronald Martin of Walnut Creek, Calif., and Robert Martin of Fairbanks, Alaska; three daughters, Darlene DuPont of Fairbanks, Mary Lou Akai of Cusick and Linda Martin of Pittsburg, Calif.; two sisters, Freda VanEver of Midland, Mich., and Joyce Bartley of Port Huron; 25 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Church of Christ in care of the Rev. Alan Jones, Route 2 Box 165, Usk WA 99180.
Olive ‘Tiny’ Myers Spokane
Memorial Mass for Olive May “Tiny” Myers, 80, is planned for 10 a.m. Saturday at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Lourdes. Ball and Dodd Funeral Home-South is in charge of cremation.
Born in Spokane, Mrs. Myers died Sunday.
She graduated from North Central High School and had worked as a sales clerk for The Bon Marche and Dodson’s Jewelers.
Her husband, Danny Myers, preceded her in death.
She is survived by a nephew, David Cox of Hayward, Calif.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Rockford Cemetery Association.
Glenn Aplin Eugene, Ore.
Memorial service for Glenn R. Aplin, 77, will be at 1 p.m. Saturday at United Lutheran Church in Eugene.
Mr. Aplin, a retired Eastern Washington University professor, died Jan. 7.
He was born in Lakewood, Ohio.
He served in the Army Air Corps during World War II and was a teacher in secondary schools and also served as a high school principal. He later taught at the college level in Texas and Oregon and then for 17 years at EWU. He retired from Eastern in 1984.
He married Verna Paulson in 1944.
He and his wife moved to Eugene in 1985.
Mr. Aplin was a member of the Lions Club, Phi Delta Kappa, the Masonic Lodge, Obsidian Hiking Club, Volksport and the Lutheran Church.
He is survived by his wife, and a daughter, Kathy White, both of Liberty Lake.
Memorial contributions may be made to United Lutheran Church, 2230 Washington, Eugene OR 97405 or the Alzheimer’s Association, 5125 N. Market, Spokane WA 99207.
Carolyn Maurer Sun City, Ariz.
Memorial service for Carolyn P. Maurer, 89, will be at 2 p.m. Saturday at Millwood Presbyterian Church.
Mrs. Maurer, who died Friday in Sun City, Ariz., was born in Hoquiam, Wash.
She graduated from Washington State College and taught at Cooper Elementary in Spokane.
She moved to Arizona in 1982.
Mrs. Maurer was a member of the American Association of University Women, Chi Omega, the Washington State Retired Teachers Association, Psi Sigma Alpha and the Order of the Eastern Star.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Ward Maurer, a former West Valley High School teacher and coach.
Mrs. Maurer is survived by a son, Barry Maurer of Spokane; a daughter, Kay Haskins of Portland; and two grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Washington State University Foundation in care of the Ward and Carolyn Maurer Scholarship Fund, PO Box 642114, Pullman WA 99164-2114.
Katherine Lewis Seattle
Memorial service for Katherine L. Lewis, 72, will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at Green Lake Funeral Home in Seattle.
Born in Portland, Mrs. Lewis died Jan. 8.
She attended the University of Oregon in Eugene and lived in Stockton, Calif., and Yakima before moving to Moses Lake in 1955.
She worked for the Columbia Basin Herald as a lifestyles editor for 10 years before going to work for Pacific Northwest Bell in Spokane in 1980.
She stayed in Spokane for about four years and then moved to Seattle, where she worked for US West as the editor of the Telephone Pioneer Herald. She retired in 1990.
Survivors include three daughters, Leslie Lewis Piper of Royal City, Wash., Libby Lewis of Edmonds, Wash., and Linda Lewis Keeney of Seattle; and three grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Katherine Lewis Nursing Scholarship, in care of Big Bend Community College Foundation, 7662 Chanute, Moses Lake, WA 98837.
Virginia Patterson Tacoma
Memorial service for Virginia I. Patterson, 79, is set for 2 p.m. Saturday at Grace Lutheran Church in Spokane. There will be private inurnment at Greenwood Memorial Terrace in Spokane. Tuell-McKee Funeral Home in Tacoma is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Patterson, who was born in Spokane, died Saturday in Tacoma, where she was visiting.
She was a homemaker.
Her husband, Melvin Patterson, died in 1990.
She is survived by a son, James Patterson of Spokane; a daughter, Nancy Cook of Tacoma; four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Arthur Voitlein Deer Park
Graveside service for Arthur M. Voitlein, 90, was Monday at Woodland Cemetery in Deer Park.
Mr. Voitlein, who died last Thursday, was born in St. Louis.
He was an industrial and commercial electrician and retired in the early 1970s.
In 1972, he and his wife, Elvira, moved to Deer Park from California.
His wife died in 1990.
He is survived by a son, Wayne Voitlein of Deer Park; three daughters, Sharon Silva of Deer Park, Juanita Stretton of Costa Mesa, Calif., and Jacqueline Thomas of Granite Falls, Wash.; 13 grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren.
Luella Olson Fairfield, Wash
Graveside and memorial services for Luella R. Olson, 78, were Wednesday at Mount Hope Cemetery near Fairfield and at Zion Lutheran Church in Fairfield.
Mrs. Olson, a lifetime Fairfield resident, died Friday.
She was a member of Zion Lutheran Church and was a homemaker.
Her family was a double recipient of the Washington Centennial Farm award.
Her husband, Conrad Olson, died in 1982.
She is survived by two sons, Ray and David Olson, both of Fairfield; a daughter, Laura Gallaway of Rockford; and three grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Mount Hope Cemetery or the Fairfield Good Samaritan Center.
Mabel ‘Pat’ Harrington Spokane
Private service for Mabel L. “Pat” Harrington, 81, will be at a later date. The Cremation Society of Washington is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Harrington, a lifetime Spokane resident, died Monday.
She graduated from Lewis and Clark High School.
She was involved with the founding of Regina Hall, a rehabilitative home for young women, and served as a houseparent there with her husband, Elmer, for many years.
She was a member of the Sons of Norway.
Her husband died in 1992.
Mrs. Harrington is survived by two daughters, Sally Johnson and Jennifer Jenkins, both of Mead; three sons, Robert McGee of Cathedral City, Calif., and Richard and Timothy McGee, both of Spokane; three stepchildren, Michael Harrington of Spokane, and Mary Margaret and Pat Nolan, both of California; and numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society or St. Charles Catholic Church.
Gene Teves Seattle
Service for Gene A. Teves, 64, was held in Seattle.
Mr. Teves, who died Dec. 6, was born in Kealia, Hawaii.
He graduated from high school in Hawaii and served in the Air Force for four years.
He worked for Nabisco’s Flour Mill Division in Toledo, Ohio; Carthage, Mo.; and Cheney.
He lived in Cheney, where he served on the Cheney City Council, and in Spokane for 20 years.
Mr. Teves attended hotel/motel management classes at Spokane Community College and for the past eight years he and his wife, Felicia, worked in the hospitality industry as resident motel managers in California and Oregon.
He is survived by his wife of 38 years, Felicia of Seattle; a son, Christopher Teves of Eureka, Calif.; a daughter, Gloria Teves of Seattle; and his mother, Rose Teves of Koloa, Hawaii.
Memorial contributions may be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105.
Howard Brewer Pullman
Private graveside service for Howard W. Brewer, 86, a retired Washington State University botany professor, was Wednesday at Pullman City Cemetery.
Mr. Brewer, who died Friday, was born in Indianola, Iowa, and graduated from high school there.
He graduated from Simpson College in Indianola with a degree in business.
He received his master’s degree and a doctorate in botany from Iowa State University. During World War II, he served in the Army.
Mr. Brewer taught at Auburn University for several years and in 1948 moved to Pullman, where he taught at WSU. He retired in 1975.
During his teaching career he received a Fulbright Fellowship to Taiwan and was named Outstanding Alumnus at Simpson College.
Survivors include a sister-in-law, Frances Brewer of Chapel Hill, N.C.
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