Obituaries
Joyce Jones
Coulee City
Memorial services for V. Joyce Jones, 84, will be Saturday at 2 p.m. First Presbyterian Church in Coulee City. Neptune Society is in charge of the arrangements.
Mrs. Jones died Thursday. She was born in Wray, Colo.
Her family later moved to Chadron, Neb., where, in 1939, she married Ralph Jones. The couple raised seven children while living in Nebraska, Montana, Northern Idaho and finally Coulee City. Her husband died in 2000.
Mrs. Jones was a longtime member of First Presbyterian Church of Coulee City, where she sang in the choir, served as clerk of the session and represented her church at the Central Washington Presbytery and the Synod of Alaska Northwest.
For years Mrs. Jones was a fixture in the Coulee City Last Stand Rodeo parade riding side saddle on an Arabian horse that she had trained. She served as secretary/treasurer for the Coulee City Rodeo Committee. She and her horses won several ribbons in shows throughout the state.
Mrs. Jones was a longtime driver for Meals on Wheels for the Coulee City Senior Center and for People-for-People, providing services for seniors who needed transportation. In 1991 she was awarded the Senior Citizen of the Year by the Coulee City Chamber of Commerce.
Survivors include seven children, Nancy Gohl and Thomas Jones of Auburn, Wash., Steven Jones of Key West, Fla., Michael Jones of Kirkland, Wash., Larry Jones of Mill Creek, Wash., Donald Jones of Denver, Pa., and Charlotte Dietsch of Buckley, Wash.; a sister, Carol Keim of Chadron, Neb.; 18 grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren.
Barbara Norton
Tekoa, Wash.
Private service will be held today for Barbara Norton, 82, at Kramer Funeral Home in Tekoa.
Mrs. Norton died Sunday. She was born in Dayton, Wash., and attended Hubbard Elementary School near Colfax.
Her family moved to Spangle in 1936, and she graduated from Spangle High School in 1940. She enrolled at Lewiston Normal School and received her teaching certificate, graduating in 1942.
Mrs. Norton taught school for five years, teaching in Stanford, Ore., for two years and in Waitsburg, Wash., for three years.
She married John Norton in Waitsburg in 1948, and the couple moved to Oakesdale, Wash., in 1949. They farmed in the Thornton-Oakesdale area for 50 years.
Mrs. Norton moved to the Tekoa Care Center in 2000 for health reasons.
She was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Colfax. She served on the Oakesdale School Board for 15 years during the 1960s and 1970s, was a former 4-H leader in Oakesdale, former Granite Hill Club member and had served on the Whitman County Republican Women’s Committee.
Her hobbies included canning, knitting, crocheting and sewing. She also enjoyed playing Scrabble and working crossword puzzles.
Survivors include her husband; two sons, Ken Norton of Oakesdale and William Norton of Phoenix; two daughters, Theresa Pfaff of Garfield, Wash., and Melissa Hanley of Palouse; a brother, James Woods of Walla Walla; eight grandchildren and one great-grandson.
Leslie ‘Swede’ Hanson
Dover, Idaho
Visitation for Leslie L. “Swede” Hanson, 83, will be today from noon to 6 p.m. at Coffelt Funeral Service in Sandpoint. Service will be Friday at 11 a.m. at the Sandpoint First Lutheran Church with burial teacher Dale Keiser at Pinecrest Memorial Park in Sandpoint.
Mr. Hanson, who was born in Priest River, Idaho, died Monday.
He attended school in Priest River and graduated from high school there in 1939.
Mr. Hanson then joined the Civilian Conservation Corps and worked in local area camps. He married Marge Koepplin in 1943.
Mr. Hanson worked as a motorman at Silver Summit Mine in Osburn, Idaho, from 1943 to 1952.
The couple moved to Dover, Idaho, in 1953, and he began working as a kiln operator at Pack River Lumber Co., retiring in 1983.
Mr. Hanson was a member of the Sandpoint First Lutheran Church and had served as the church custodian since 1989.
He enjoyed hunting and fishing.
Survivors include his wife of 61 years, Marge; a daughter, Cindy Salfeld of Sandpoint; three brothers, Paul Hanson of Dover, Wallace Hanson of Seattle and Aleck Hanson of Coeur d’Alene; a sister, Vera Fowler of Denver; and three grandchildren.
Hazel (Amundson) Bjerkestrand
Coeur d’Alene
Service for Hazel Bernice (Amundson) Bjerkestrand, 103, will be Saturday at 10 a.m. at Trinity Lutheran Church in Coeur d’Alene, with burial at Radcliffe Cemetery in Iowa at a later date. Yates Funeral Home in Coeur d’Alene is in charge of local arrangements.
Mrs. Bjerkestrand, who was born in Radcliffe, died Nov. 7.
She graduated from high school in Radcliffe and then attended Iowa State College and Ellsworth College in Iowa.
She worked briefly as a teacher in Iowa prior to traveling to India with the Lutheran Santal Mission Society.
She married Ole Bjerkestrand in 1925, and the couple worked among the Santal people in Bihar Province and Assam in Northeast India for 33 years.
They returned to the United States in 1958 and served congregations in Gardner, Sandwich and Peoria, Ill., before moving to North Idaho where they served at Trinity Lutheran Church.
Her husband preceded her in death.
Survivors include three sons, Albert Bjerkestrand of Spokane, David Bjerkestrand of Coeur d’Alene and Joel Bjerkestrand of Phoenix; six grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.
Memorials may be made to Trinity Lutheran Church Endowment Fund, 812 N. Fifth St., Coeur d’Alene, ID 83814.
Roy Soejima
Spokane
Memorial service for Roy Soejima, 82, will be Friday at 7 p.m. at the Spokane Buddhist Church. Ball and Dodd Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Soejima died Nov. 1.
He was born and raised in Veronia, Ore. During World War II, he and his family Interned at the Minidoka Interment Camp in Idaho. While in the camp, he enlisted in the Army and eventually served as a staff sergeant in the 442nd Infantry. He enlisted with the National Guard and served in the Korean War with the 453rd Engineering Battalion.
He returned from the war, married his wife, Jean, and settled in Spokane. He worked for Kaiser Aluminum for many years before retiring in 1980.
Mr. Soejima was a well-known figure in Spokane’s Japanese-American community. He was among the founding members who raised the new Spokane Buddhist Church, and served as president and board member of the church for more than 17 years. He also was a board member of the Japanese American Citizens League.
In January 2000 he received the One Thousand Cranes Award for his contributions to the Japanese American community.
Survivors include his wife; four children, David, Ron, Shari and Greg; and four grandchildren.
Jean (Sciuchetti) Stowe
Kellogg
Memorial service for Jean Gena (Sciuchetti) Stowe, 88, will be Monday at 11 a.m. at the Kellogg Funeral Chapel.
Mrs. Stowe, who was born in Harrison, Idaho, died Tuesday.
She graduated from Kellogg High School in 1935 and married Leland Stowe in 1936.
The couple lived in Kellogg until her husband’s retirement and then settled in Spirit Lake, Idaho.
Mrs. Stowe was a homemaker.
She was a Ham radio operator and a Senior Companion volunteer in the Rathdrum area.
She recently moved closer to family in Kellogg.
Her husband died in 2000.
Survivors include a daughter, Linda Garner of Pinehurst, Idaho; three sons, Charles Stowe of Black Diamond, Wash., David Stowe of Central Point, Ore., and Pete Stowe of Renton, Wash.; four sisters, May Vidman of Spokane, and Marjorie Burrell, Helen Bailey and Betty Howard, all of Kellogg; 17 grandchildren, 21 great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren.
Memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society.
Richard Thiel
Spokane Valley
Private service will be held for Richard F. Thiel, 54. Thornhill Valley Funeral Home handled the arrangements.
Mr. Thiel, who died Oct. 21, was born in Spokane.
He graduated from Gonzaga Prep in 1968 and served in the Air Force in Vietnam for two tours, first as a radar operator, then as an air traffic controller. He worked for the Veterans Affairs Medical Center for two years and the U.S. Postal Service as a letter carrier for nine years.
Survivors include three sisters, Patty Couch and Rosemary Thiel, both of Spokane, and Mary Aldrich of Spokane Valley; and a brother, Martin Thiel of Carrollton, Texas.
James ‘Artie’ Johnston
Spokane
Memorial service for James Jay ‘Artie’ Johnston, 48, will be Saturday at 11 a.m. at Heritage Funeral Home.
Mr. Johnston, who was born in Spokane, died Thursday.
After living for a few years in Spokane, the family moved to Bainbridge Island, Wash., where he attended high school and graduated in 1974. There he enjoyed sports, especially playing on local softball teams.
After high school Mr. Johnston worked a few odd jobs, including as a fish and wildlife protection officer for two summers in Alaska.
In 1980 he went to work for Pacific Northwest Bell. He stayed with the company for 25 years and was the third generation of Johnstons to work for PNB, now Qwest Communications. In 1995 he returned to Spokane and
Took on a position in marketing, and later as a field operations supervisor, managing a team of CD technicians.
In 2000 he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
He loved flying, camping with his family and swimming in Long Lake, Wash.
Survivors include his wife, Gail; two sons, Christopher and Matthew; two daughters, Amanda and Nicole; his parents, Ida Mae and Alson; and a sister, Katherine.
Betty (Callihan) Williams
Wallace
Visitation for Betty Mae “Betts” (Callihan) Williams, 78, will be Friday from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Kellogg Funeral Chapel. Celebration of her life will be Saturday at 11 a.m. at the United Church of Kellogg, with burial at Greenwood Cemetery in Kellogg.
Mrs. Williams, who was born in Kellogg, died Monday.
She graduated from Kellogg High School in 1943 and from the University of Idaho in 1947.
Mrs. Williams taught business at Wallace High School for 22 years and also worked as the office manager at Osburn Drug.
She was a member of the Laureate Tau of Beta Sigma Phi, Alpha Phi sorority, and served as past treasurer at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church.
Mrs. Williams was involved in various community groups, including Friends of Sather Field, the Wallace All-class Reunion, and Dylan Dean Day, and served on the committee for the dedication of the new Wallace High School.
Survivors include two sons, Mike Williams of Spokane and Gary Williams of Lewiston; four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Memorials may be made to the Dylan Dean Fund, c/o Mike Williams, 16517 W. Bluebird Lane, Spokane, WA 99224.
Gerald Weitz
Spokane
Graveside service for Gerald “Jerry” Weitz, 83, will be Saturday at 10 a.m. at Pines Cemetery, with memorial service at 11 a.m. at Valley Fourth Memorial Church. Ball and Dodd Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Weitz, who was born in Endicott, Wash., died Friday. He was a resident of Spokane for 48 years.
He graduated from Endicott High School in 1939, earned a bachelor’s degree from Washington State College and a master’s degree from Eastern Washington University, both in education.
Mr. Weitz was an English teacher at various high schools, including Reardan, Wash. He taught at Rogers High School for 28 years, retiring in 1981.
He was a member of Valley Fourth Memorial Church and the Boys’ Brigade.
Survivors include his wife of 53 years, Dorothea; a son, Lynn Weitz of Spokane; three daughters, Dianne Geivett of Brea, Calif., Jan Janke of Spokane and Judy Revell of Auburn, Wash.; two sisters, Gloria Menzies of Redmond, Wash., and Mary Hughes of Endicott; and 11 grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, Inland Northwest Chapter or Valley Fourth Memorial Church.
Katherine (Buechner) Goad
Coeur d’Alene
No service will be held for Katherine A. (Buechner) Goad, 81, at her request. English Funeral Chapel in Coeur d’Alene is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Goad, who was born in Brawley, Calif., died Sunday.
She grew up in Reno Valley, Calif., and in 1944 married Doug Goad Sr. He died in 1973.
Mrs. Goad was a bookkeeper for United Way in Riverside, Calif., until retiring in 1987.
She enjoyed cooking and sewing.
Survivors include a son, Doug Goad Jr. of Coeur d’Alene; five brothers, Ted, Charlie, Jim, John and Bob Buechner; a sister, Hazel Wheeler; three grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
Memorials may be made to Hospice of North Idaho, 9493 N. Government Way, Hayden, ID 83835.
Edmund Jones
Chattaroy
Viewing for Edmund J. Jones, 68, will be today and Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Riplinger Funeral Home. Funeral is planned for Saturday at 10 a.m. at the funeral home.
Mr. Jones, a longtime Chattaroy resident, died Monday. He was born in Mount Airy, N.D.
He grew up and worked on a tobacco farm. After graduation he served in the Navy as a restricted radio telephone operator and on board a U.S. submarine for four years.
After the Navy, Mr. Jones lived in Florida, where he enjoyed riding his chopper. He moved to Tucson, Ariz., where he owned a second-hand store.
Mr. Jones moved to Chattaroy in 1975 where he owned and operated E.J. Jones Farms and became a cattle and hay farmer.
He enjoyed fishing.
Survivors include his wife, Bernie; three daughters, Kimberly Jones, Zoya Jones and Charmein Harris; a son, Michael Jones; a stepdaughter, Rebecca Bruce; a stepson, Dom Felix; a sister, Lynda Marion; and six grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Salvation Army, c/o Sally’s House, 222 E. Indiana Ave., Spokane, WA 99203.
Ruth (Tansey) Stafford
Post Falls
Memorial service for Ruth Catherine (Tansey) Stafford, 75, will be today at 11 a.m. at Fellowship Bible Church in Post Falls. English Funeral Chapel in Coeur d’Alene is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Stafford, who was born in Lynn, Minn., died Tuesday.
She grew up in Lynn and moved to Hollywood, Calif., in 1954. She married Ivan Stafford in 1958. He died in 1979.
Mrs. Stafford lived in Spokane for 20 years and settled in Post Falls two years ago.
She was a pilot and served as a sergeant with the Women’s Civil Air Patrol.
Mrs. Stafford was a member of the Corbin Seniors Writers Workshop in Spokane and the Spokane Authors Self Publishers.
She enjoyed square dancing.
Survivors include three children, Thomas Stafford of Post Falls, Karen Phipps of Cape Coral, Fla., and Laura Weins of Colorado Springs; and 15 grandchildren.
Memorials may be made to Hospice of North Idaho, 9493 N. Government Way, Hayden, ID 83835.
Lydia Mayberry
Spokane
Memorial service for Lydia S. Mayberry, 84, will be today at 4 p.m. at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church. Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Mayberry, who died Saturday, was born in Farmington, Wash.
She was a secretary for Spokane Public Schools until her retirement.
She was a member of St. Mark’s Lutheran Church.
Her husband of 54 years, Edward, died in 2002.
Survivors include four children, Marilyn Mayberry Hall of Lynnwood, Wash., Marcia Mayberry Peters of Colbert, Linda McNeill of Renton, Wash., and Mark Mayberry of Kenmore, Wash.; two sisters, Diane Klug and Gladys Eason; two brothers, John and Henry Scheirman; and five grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to St. Mark’s Lutheran Church. Contributions will be donated to the St. Mark’s Organ Improvement Fund and to the Logan Elementary School Library.
Marie Lobdell
Spokane
Memorial service for Marie Watson Lobdell, 93, will be Saturday at 10 a.m. at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church. Heritage Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Lobdell died Oct. 25.
She was born in Havre, Mont., and arrived in Spokane in 1922.
After graduation from Whitworth College, she began her teaching career in Spangle, Wash., where she taught for two years. She taught in Spokane Public Schools for 28 years, retiring in June 1968.
Mrs. Lobdell was a volunteer teacher at the Barton School at First Presbyterian Church.
Survivors include her husband of 62 years, Charles; two sons, Charles of West Linn, Ore., and Robert of Spokane; and two grandsons.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Shriners Hospital for Children or Hospice of Spokane.