Archive - Obituary
May 18th, 2012
Vera A. (Wind) Spaulding, 91, entered into rest on April 16, 2012, at her home in Clayton surrounded by her children.
Vera was born in Spokane on Nov. 13, 1920, and moved to Clayton a short time later. She graduated from Deer Park High School in 1938 and then attended St. Luke's Hospital for nurses' training in Spokane, graduating in 1941.
Vera married Jack Spaulding on Oct. 18, 1941, and they moved to Seattle.
She worked at West Seattle General Hospital until she moved back to the family homestead in Clayton in 1975.
Jack preceded Vera in death, in 2004.
A funeral service will be 2 p.m. on May 21 at Wild Rose Prairie United Methodist Church, with the Rev. Betty Smith officiating and the Scottish Rite Rose Croix Funeral Team participating, for lifelong Wild Rose Prairie resident John E. Yingst, 92, who passed away on May 14.
Born in 1920 on Wild Rose Prairie, he graduated from Deer Park High School in 1938. He served as a U.S. Army radioman during World War II in the Aleutian Island and the Philippines.
After his discharge, he worked for years at Deer Park Pine Industries.
May 9th
A Mass of Christian Burial was held on May 9 at St. Philippe Benizi Church in Ford for former area resident for Irvin W. Abrahamson, 80, who passed away on May 4 at his Plummer, Idaho, home.
Born on April 2, 1932, at Ford to Milo and Millie (Wynne) Abrahamson, he attended grade school at Ford and high school in Springdale, WA. He then enlisted in the U.S. Army and served in the Korean Conflict. Following his discharge, he returned to the Spokane Indian Reservation.
April 26th
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on April 27 at the Spokane First Assembly of God Church, W828 Indiana, for former Deer Park area resident Paule Michelle Kroeze, 35, who passed away on April 24, 2012.
Born on Jan. 16, 1977, to Tom and Norma Crary in Denver, Colo., she graduated from Deer Park High School in 1995. She received bachelor’s degrees from Kansas State and Eastern Washington universities and was currently working on her master’s degree at EWU.
April 24th
No funeral services are planned for Deer Park resident Frances J. Dalton, 86, who passed away on April 19, 2012.
Mrs. Dalton and her husband, Richard, lived in various locations as a Navy family.
She enjoyed cooking, reading, knitting and the Atlanta Braves.
Her husband of 59 years, Richard, predeceased her as well as her parents, Obed and Millie Loomis, her siblings and a great-grandson, Jeremy.
She is survived by one daughter, Katherine (Bill) Dalziell of Deer Park; seven grandchildren, Andy, Rich, Naomi, Paul, Lurane, Jessica and Johan; and 14 great-grandchildren.
A funeral service will be April 29 at the Deer Park Open Door Congregational Church, with the Rev. Daniel N. Berg officiating, for longtime Deer Park resident Verne E. “Pinky” Pakker, 92, who passed away on April 4, 2012.
Mr. Pakker was the owner of “Pinky’s Variety” and “Pinky’s Tinker Shop.”
His wife, Beatrice (Wiese) Pakker, passed away in 2005.
He is survived by a daughter, Linda (Jim) Miller of Spokane; a sister, Celia (Arden) Modin of Longview, Wash.; two grandchildren, Dave (Sarah) Miller and Mike (Jen) Miller; and four great-grandchildren, Allie, Katie, Alaura and Moira.
April 20th
A memorial service will be 1 p.m. on April 29 at the Loon Lake Elementary School, 4001 Maple St., for area resident Michael D. “Big Mike” VanDenElzen, 36, who passed away on April 13.
Mr. VanDenElzen was a student at Spokane Community College and worked as a building contractor.
He was a member of the Colville Confederated Tribe and several Native-American organizations.
He is survived by his mother, Linda Dyer; a brother, Tim Dyer; five children; a niece; two nephews and many friends.
A funeral service will be 11 a.m. on April 21 at Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home, N1306 Monroe, Spokane, for Deer Park area resident Irvin Steffen, 84, who passed away on April 14, 2012, in Spokane.
Born on Aug. 27, 1927 in Dickinson, N.D., to Fred and Emelia Steffen, he served in the Army and worked for the Veterans’ Administration Hospital for 30 years.
He was a member of the Deer Park Lutheran Church and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 1474 in Spokane.
A son, Kevin; a sister; and six brothers predeceased him.
April 18th
Doris Leone Dezotell, 84, passed away on April 12 at her home near Deer Park. Doris was born on July 14, 1927, in Didsbury, Alberta, Canada.
She is survived by three children, Dianne, Melvin and Joann; five grandchildren, Connie, Karen, D.J, Jessica and Amanda; nine great-grandchildren; and three great-great-grandchildren.
Doris moved to the United States in the 1950s and lived the rest of her life in Spokane and Deer Park, working as a cook in many different restaurants. She also worked a year in the Prod Bay Oil Fields in Alaska.
April 14th
A celebration of life was April 14 at the Deer Park Open Door Congregational Church, with the Rev. Daniel Berg officiating, for former area resident Rand C. Maurer, 59, who passed away on March 23 in his Tacoma home.
Born on Aug. 13, 1952, in Spokane to Charles D. and Elaine Maurer, he graduated from Mead High School in 1970 and from Western Washington State College in Bellingham with a degree in music. He was currently employed as a district manager for Subway stores in the Tacoma area.
