Obituaries 4/14/2011

Elmira Gudmunson

A memorial service for Elmira Caryl Gudmunson, 82, a resident of Colfax for 58 years, will be Monday, April 18, at 11 a.m. at the First Baptist Church in Colfax.

The Rev. Thomas Gudmunson and the Rev. Don Moore will officiate. Mrs. Gudmunson died early Sunday morning, April 10, 2011, at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane.

She will be cremated and her ashes will be buried at the cemetery in Park, Idaho.

Born on May 28, 1928, at Plummer, Idaho, to Charles and Thelma Campbell Stratton, she attended the Park Country School and later graduated from Deary High School in 1946.

She and Donald R. Gudmunson were married Sept. 5, 1946, at Lewiston. The couple made their home at Moscow, Park and Juliaetta, before moving to Colfax in 1953. Elmira was a homemaker most of her life and her husband worked in building construction.

She was a member of the Colfax Church of the Nazarene, Grandmother’s Club and served as treasurer of the Thrifty Grandmothers for several years. She was voted Woman of the Year by Beta Sigma Chi.

Survivors include her husband, Donald Gudmunson at the Colfax home; her mother, Thelma Stratton, Colfax; two sons, Rev. Thomas (Kerry) Gudmunson, Miles City, Mont .; Mark (Lori) Gudmunson, Colfax; four daughters, Thelma (Roy) Morris, Colfax; Donna (Ed) Phillips Clarkston; Alicia (Anthony) Napier, Colfax; Tina (Chad) Kincheloe, Colfax; one sister, Eunice Rasch, Sweet Home, Ore .; 30 grandchildren; 30 great-grandchildren, and two great-great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by two sons, Dale and Daniel Gudmunson, and one daughter, Caryl Lemon.

Memorials may be given to the Colfax Teens of the Nazarene, c/o Nazarene Church 1103 N. Morton, Colfax.

James A. Kirtley

A memorial service for James A. Kirtley, 84, Moscow resident since 2003, was Wednesday morning, April 13, at Kramer Funeral Home in Palouse. The Rev. Toby Sumpter of the Trinity Reformed Church officiated and the Potlatch VFW post and a U.S. honor guard participated. Mr. Kirtley died last Thursday, April 7, at the Aspen Park Healthcare in Moscow. He was cremated.

Born Nov. 7, 1926, at Chicago, to Harry and Margaret Merriman Kirtley, he attended the Oak Lawn grade school and graduated from Parker High School there in 1944. He joined the Navy Feb. 6, 1945, and was discharged June 10, 1945.

In 1947, he moved to Indianapolis, Ind., and worked for the United States Postal service as a clerk. He also worked on the family farm and retired in 1984.

Mr. Kirtley moved to Pullman to be near his family in the Princeton area.

He was very active with the Pullman Senior Center and enjoyed playing cards, especially bridge and pinochle. James and his sister Margaret were very active square dancers and attended a square dancers cruise with the Sensation Cruise Line in 1994.

In 1995, James and his sister took a trip with the Idaho Road Runners to Washington D.C. In February of 2003 James moved to Aspen Park Health Care where his niece Alaina worked as a nurse. He enjoyed playing cards with the Men’s Club, helping as a cashier in the facility gift store and frequently visiting the family farm in Princeton.

He was a member of the Trinity Reformed Church at Moscow and the Masonic Lodge and Order of the Eastern Star at Potlatch.

Survivors include one sister, Margaret Hanks, Princeton; one nephew, two nieces, and numerous great nieces and nephews.

Memorials may be given to the Trinity Reformed Church, Box 9029, Moscow, 83843 or to the Shriners Hospitals for Children, Box 2472, Spokane, 99210-2472

Thelma McLaughlin

A memorial service for Thelma McLaughlin, 99, Garfield, will be Saturday, April 16, at 1 p.m. in the Methodist Church at Garfield. She died in Colfax, Saturday, April 2, 2011.

Born Jan. 8, 1912, in Vancouver, she lived in Tacoma; San Diego; Nagasaki, Japan; Whidbey Island, and several other locations. She was a secretary at the Rerseil Veterans’ Home, Puyallup Fair and the National Guard. She also taught English at a college in Japan. When she was more than 70 years old she worked at a clock shop at the SeaTac Mall.

She enjoyed golf, cross stitch, knitting, traveling, walks on the beach collecting frogs, creating and collecting porcelain dolls and reading.

Surviving are a daughter, Kay Patricia Craig, Garfield a son, Ralf Ernest Sampson, Lynnwood; one sister, Virginia May Thomas, Oak Harbor; half sister Sandra Lui, of Maple Valley; six grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren; three great-great-grandchildren, as well as her special friend, Clayton.

She was proceeded in death by her daughter Sharon Patricia Sampson, two husbands, Ernest Floyd Sampson and Dan McLaughlin, and great-granddaughter, Katelyn Marie Thelma Mikolasy.

Ruth Brede Glover

A memorial service for Ruth Brede Glover, 76, will be at 2 p.m., Saturday, April 16, at the Goldenrod Cemetery in Tekoa. A gathering for family and friends will be after the service at The Feeding Station in Tekoa.

She died Dec. 5, 2010, in Bellingham.

Ruth was born Dec. 8, 1933 in Tekoa to Andrew and Nora Brede. She graduated from Latah High School in 1951 and from the University of Idaho with a teaching degree. She taught in western Washington for many years.

She enjoyed writing poems and short stories.

She is survived by a daughter, Susan Middleton of Bellingham; two sons, Scott Jenkins of Bellingham and David Jenkins of Pittsburgh; three grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Obituary

correction

Allan Schmoe, 73, former Steptoe and St. John resident who died March 29, was preceded in death by Betty McGhee, a long-time companion, and his brother, John Schmoe.

These two people were incorrectly listed in last week’s obituary in the Gazette. The Gazette apologizes for this error.

A memorial service for Mr. Schmoe will be at a later date.