Archive - Obituary
January 18th, 2012
Robert Allen Smith passed away on Jan. 10, 2012, at the age of 81. He was the second of seven sons born on Aug. 27, 1930, in Hayford, Wash., to George and Ruth (Crofoot) Smith.
Robert had fond memories of spending time in his grandparents’ orchard along Peach Crest in Old Kettle Falls and of living near the “ Milk Bottle” in Spokane. He graduated from Newport High School and EWCE (now EWU.
He was a veteran of the Korean War, then a long-time draftsman and handyman.
January 6th
No services are planned for Springdale resident Donna Jo Peterson, 77, who passed away on Dec. 30, 2011, in Spokane.
Born on Sept. 20, 1934, to Clara J. (Staley) Karnes and Jesse C. Karnes, she was raised in Elk and was a long-time insurance representative in the Seattle and Spokane areas.
She and her husband, Lowell, later moved to Springdale to enjoy a quieter life. Mrs. Peterson worked with the Springdale Town Council and she and her husband enjoyed shooting darts and hanging out with friends
A graveside funeral service and interment will be held at 2 p.m. on Jan. 7 at the Wild Rose Prairie Cemetery, with the Rev. Sue Robinson officiating, for longtime Wild Rose Prairie resident Mike Burdega 93, who passed away on Jan. 3, 2012.
Born on April 9, 1909, on a farm in Colonsay, Saskatchewan, to Nick and Margaret Burdega, his family moved to a farm on the edge of Wild Rose Prairie and he graduated from Mead High School in1937.
January 5th
A funeral service will be held at 1:30 p.m. on Jan. 8, at the Hennessey Smith Funeral Home, Spokane, followed by a graveside service at 3 p.m. at Milan Cemetery for former Elk resident Rose E. Karg, 89.
Born on March 24, 1922, to Marie (Rudolph) and Charles Daubel on the family farm near Elk, when she entered grade school she could only speak German.
She met Alois Karg, a neighbor, and they were married Dec. 22, 1942 when he came home on leave from the military.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Alois; nine of her brothers and sisters and one granddaughter, Cherelyn.
January 3rd
Bruce M. LeBlanc, 55, of Shady Cove, Ore., passed away on Dec. 27, 2011, in Cataldo, Idaho.
His is survived by his son, Jesse LeBlanc; his daughter, Natalie LeBlanc; a granddaughter, Aurora Petersen; his mother, Zelda LeBlanc; a brother, Tony (Christy) LeBlanc, a brother, Thomas LeBlanc, a brother, Byron LeBlanc; a sister, Cheryl Adams; a niece Allissa LeBlanc and her children; and a nephew, Jonathon (Caitlin) LeBlanc.
Bruce was born in Spokane on Aug. 4, 1956 and graduated from Deer Park High School in 1974.
December 29th, 2011
A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. on Dec. 30 at Riplinger Funeral Home, Spokane, followed by a graveside service at 1 p.m. at Spokane Memorial Gardens for former Riverside teacher James R. Gady, 78, who passed away on Dec. 26.
Born on Aug. 18, 1933 in Spokane, he graduated from Mead High School and served with the Army Corps of Engineers as a sergeant in the Korean War. After returning from Korea, he married Marjorie Becker on Oct. 12, 1956.
He attended Whitworth College and earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees. He then taught in the Riverside and Mead School districts.
December 28th
A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. on Dec. 31 at Peaceful Valley Church on Allen Road in Elk for longtime Elk resident Harry Bland, 72, who passed away on Dec. 20
Family graveside services will be held at Fairmount Memorial Park.
Born on May 27, 1939, in Ardmore, Pa., to Dr. George W. and Helen Bland, he served in the U.S. Air Force from August 1961-65. He worked for Camp Chevrolet for 30 years.
Mr. Bland attended Peaceful Valley Church and enjoyed family, friends, and the great outdoors.
He was preceded in death by one son, Brad.
A funeral mass was celebrated on Dec. 28 at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Wenatchee for former Deer Park resident Jim D. Pleger, 72, who passed away on Dec. 22.
A 1957 Deer Park High School graduate, he was a business owner and independent truck driver and also worked in sales at a Ford dealership in Newport. He was part owner of Papas Trucking in Malaga, Wash.
He married Janet K. Pehling on May 5, 1962.
The couple lived in Newport until 1982. They lived in Malaga for 18 years before moving to Wenatchee.
His wife, Janet, predeceased him on July 27, 2011.
December 16th
Alice Caroline Adair, 72, passed away on Dec 6, 2011.
She is survived by a daughter, Caroline; granddaughter, Kjersty; great-grandson, Craig; brother, Basil; three nieces, Raeanne, Caroline and Corinne; and several great- and great-great nephews and nieces.
Alice was a lifetime member of the Inland Empire Philatelic Society, current member of the Clayton Grange and Deer Park TOPS No. 485.
Alice held an associate’s degree in accounting and spent 15 years as an entrepreneur owning The Junque’ Shoppe & Budget Motel Supply in Spokane.
December 13th
A funeral service is planned for a later date for area resident Michael S. Slocum, 59, who passed away on Dec. 11.
Born on Jan. 29, 1952, he graduated from Shadle Park High School in 1970 and later enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, where he spent time stationed in Thailand and at Nellis Air Force Base.
After being honorably discharged he worked for many years at Alcoa in Addy, Wash., as an emergency medical technician and security guard.
Mr. Slocum enjoyed hunting and hiking in his spare time.
