Serving Whitman County since 1877

Obituaries July 7

William W. "Bill" Armfield

William W. “Bill” Armfield, 93, Pullman, died June 28, 2016, in Spokane.

Born in Spokane March 22, 1923, to Walter and Rebekah Armfield, he attended grade school in Spokane and Glenora School near Spangle, and graduated from North Central High School in 1941.

Bill attended Eastern Washington State College for one quarter and then, along with most of his friends at college, enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps on Christmas Eve, 1941.

He served for four years and when discharged on Nov. 30, 1945, returned to school at Washington State College where he received a degree in 1949 in Agricultural Chemistry.

Bill worked at Spokane Seed Company, Spokane, for two years and then returned to WSC to pursue a degree in Veterinary Medicine (DVM), graduating in 1955.

Bill continued to be on the Board of Directors for Spokane Seed Company for more than 60 years, never missing a board meeting except once.

Later, he was elected senior vice-president of the company.

Bill married Corinne Whealy of Spokane in April, 1948. The couple had four children and separated in 1973. Bill married Carolee Neill Henning from Pullman on June 27, 1992.

He started Palisades Animal Clinic of Pacific Palisades, Calif., Nov., 1956, and later was a partner in the Pacific Coast Animal Hospital in Malibu, Calif., splitting his time between the two practices. Bill practiced for 32 years in California before retiring in 1987. While practicing in California, Bill attended the first rabies clinic sponsored by the Southern California Veterinary Medicine Association (SCVMA) in Pacific Palisades as the areas faced a rabies outbreak. He was a Life Member of both the American Veterinary Medicine Association (AVMA) and SCVMA.

After retirement, Bill purchased 60 acres near Priest Lake, Idaho. He designed and built a log home in the middle of his old growth forest. He enjoyed fishing Priest Lake as well as developing his property and establishing a Wildlife Preserve. While in Pullman, Bill reconnected with the WSU Cougars by becoming a member of the President’s Associates and enjoyed going to football and basketball games. His favorite Cougar memory was walking into the Rose Bowl Jan. 1, 1998.

Surviving are his wife, Carolee; four children; Kristine Randal of Mariposa, Calif .; Juliana Bourget of Seattle; Mark Armfield of Malibu, Calif., and Lori Padden of Pacific Palisades, Calif .; three step-children, Julie Munson of Spokane, Heidi Abbott of Auburn, and Paul Henning of Los Angeles; eight grandchildren; four step-grandchildren, one great-grandchild, and a brother, R.L. Armfield of Redmond, Wash.

The family suggests memorial gifts be made to WSU School of Veterinary Medicine or Pullman Regional Hospital. A memorial service will be held at a later date. Kimball Funeral Home of Pullman has been entrusted with cremation arrangements.

James Curtis Nebel

A memorial ceremony for James Curtis Nebel, 75, Rosalia resident since 1986, will be Saturday, July 9, at 11 a.m. in the Rosalia United Methodist Church. Mr. Nebel died June 30, 2016, after a battle with cancer. To show how active he was even when cancer came back on him in a big way, he walked with his wife, Diane, to finish the 2016 Bloomsday run in Spokane for the 33rd time.

Born at Great Falls, Mont., to Herman and Frances Nebel of Belt, Mont., June 22, 1941, he graduated from Belt Valley High School in 1960 and later from the University of Montana.

He married Karen Veleber and they had four children. They moved to Whitman County and he served as an environmental health inspector for the Whitman County Health Department. He was later named director of the department. In 1993, he joined the Spokane Regional Health District and retired from that position in 2002.

He married his second wife, Diane Stober Bierlein, in 1988 and with her two children they had a family of six and now a total of eight grandchildren.

Mr. Nebel was active in Rosalia where he helped restore and maintain the Steptoe Battlefield site, the 1923 Texaco station, Rosalia museum and library. They operated the Budding Rose Art Gallery and Clayworks and worked with Rosalia students on their art projects. Mr. Nebel enjoyed skiing, fishing, hunting and traveling.

Surviving in addition to his wife are four children, John (Julie) Nebel, April (Jack) McCann, Heather (Mike) MacPherson and Andrew Nebel; two step-children, Shawnda (Graig) Maley and Tanya Bierlein, and the eight grandchildren.

Memorial donations are suggested to the Rosalia United Methodist Church, Box 202; Budding Rose Gallery scholarship fund, Box 347; Rosalia Fire Department, all Rosalia, Wash., 99170.

Ianna J. Woltering

A memorial service for Ianna J. Woltering, 70, will be Friday, July 8, at 2 p.m. at the Federated Church in Palouse. Pastor Cory Laughary will officiate, and inurnment will be at Greenwood Cemetery in Palouse. Mrs. Woltering died Saturday, July 2, at Whitman Health and Rehab Center in Colfax.

Born Sept. 23, 1945, at Newport to Adrian and Annice Waddington Schofield, she was raised in Cusick and attended schools there, graduating in 1963. She married Bill Woltering in June of 1963 at Cusick. The family moved to Pullman in 1967 and settled in Palouse in 1969. She was later divorced.

Ianna worked as a secretary for Palouse Insurance for one year in 1976 and then went to work at Washington State University as a photo type setter for the extension office for the next 32 years. She retired from WSU in 2009.

Ianna was a member of the Palouse Federated Church, sang in the church choir and was a Sunday School teacher for several years. She was a Campfire Girls leader and a Viking Crew Booster Club member. Her hobbies included playing pinochle, listening to music, cooking and baking, reading and going to see movies. She especially enjoyed attending sporting events in Colfax and Palouse to watch her grandkids.

Survivors include her children, Evanna (Mike) Morgan of Colfax, Willy (Robin) Woltering of Palouse; six grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. Also surviving is her mother, Annice Schofield of Cusick, and her siblings, Rose Gagnon of Newport, Duane Schofield of Cusick and Glen (Melinda) Schofield of Spokane.

Memorial gifts may be given to the Palouse EMS, Box 250, Palouse, Wash., 99161 or to the Palouse Viking Crew Booster Club, PO Box 484, Palouse, Wash. 99161.

 

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