LINCOLN COUNTY OBITUARIES 1908 to present
Submitted by Marge Womach
File 3 Page N through P
___________________________
Nelson,
Candice,
8-14-1997
“A
favorite waitress and bartender at a trio of
Davenport
restaurants, Candice Nelson died Tuesday, Aug 5, 1997, at
Sacred
Heart
Medical
Center
in
Spokane. Born May 23, 1947, she was 50 years old. A resident of
Davenport
for nine years, Nelson originally hailed from Burbank, CA. She leaves
behind two sons, two daughters and three grandchildren. While in
Davenport
, Nelson worked at Ellie’s Deli, then owned by Eleanor MacDonald, the
Cottonwood Inn and Old Pioneer Bakery. Bakery owner Karen Wilson remembers
Nelson as ‘a person who made your time with her enjoyable. She was a
hoot to joke around with.’ At her own request, there will be no services
for Nelson. The Cremation Society of Washington is in charge of the
arrangements.” (Davenport Times: 8-14-1997)
Nelms,
Leroy,
12-01-1939
“Lee
Nelms Dies at
Halleck
,
Nevada, Nov 13th. Word
from J. E. Harmon at
Halleck, Nevada, brings word of the death there of Leroy Nelms on Nov 13 in the Elko
general hospital. Mr Nelms was an old-timer here and knew the late
Billie Cormana and E. C. Scott, besides other old-timers.” (Citizen:
12-01-1939)
Nichols,
Amanda W.,
6-14-1912
“M.
F. Gibson was this week appointed administrator of the estate of Amanda
W. Nichols, upon the petition of the husband, J. J. Nichols, and has
filed a $3,000 bond. The petition of W. M. Watkins for the appointment
under an alleged will left by the deceased was denied, upon the ground
that deceased was too ill to have been in her right mind at the time
the will is alleged to have been drawn.” (Citizen: 6-14-1912)
Odgers,
Doris,
3-06-1936
“Word
at
Davenport
indicates that Mrs. Doris Slater Odgers, wife of Dr Allan Odgers, dean
of the Oregon Institute of Technology and a graduate of the Davenport
High School, died Monday at
Portland.” (Odessa Record: 3-06-1936)
Olsen,
Bethel
M.,
9-08-1977
“The
funeral services of Bethel Marie Olsen were held Wednesday, Aug 31 at
the Alwin Chapel, Hazen & Jaeger Funeral Home in
Spokane. The soloist was Phil Crosbie and organist was Eleanor Dittrich. The
casket bearers were Alvin Stangland, Marvin Koegler, Bud Bundy, Butch
Griffith, Bob McNeilly and Dick Simpson. Interment was at Fairmount
Memorial Park. Rev John W Martin of
Edwall officiated.
Bethel
(or Betty as she was known to most of us) was born at La Harpe, KS on
March 30, 1902. Thirty-two years later, on Sept 30, 1934 in
Spokane
, she married Sidney Olsen and she shared the good and bad times for 43
years. They worked together as far as possible, reared a family and
established a home in Edwall. Betty
Olsen is survived by her husband, Sidney Olsen of Edwall, a daughter
Betty, Mrs Arthur Robinson of Hauser Lake, ID, a son, Kenneth Olsen of
Ferndale, WA; 7 grandchildren; 11 great grandchildren; one great-great
granddaughter; a sister, Elsie Mildred Moore of Spokane; several nieces,
nephews and friends. Betty’s
preoccupancies were the railroad, her faith and her family.
Betty loved the railroad, not the streamlined Amtrak with its
stainless steel corridors, but the old-fashioned kind with its freight
cars and the passenger cars, the sweat of the section gangs, the clang
of the mauls as they stroked the spikes, the ‘howdy’ of the engineer
and fireman, the clatter of the dishes in the mess hall and the heat of
the old wooden cook stove in a cook shack. She would cook for the
section crews in order to be with
Sidney. Her other devotions were
her faith and family. When
Sidney was given a choice of two sections, either Quincy or Edwall, the
criteria for choosing was a danger to the children crossing several
tracks or the less dangerous route to school in Edwall. So the family
settled in Edwall. In John 14:27, the Bible mentions peace and although
Betty was not a regular church goes, she had a quiet and serene faith.
This high moral standard she tried to give to her family.” (Davenport
Times: 9-08-1977)
Olson,
Carl P.,
7-14-1977
“Carl
P. Olson, a lifetime resident of
Davenport, died Tuesday, July 12, in
Lincoln Hospital. Olson was born in
Davenport
in 1896. His father was one of the original homesteaders in the area.
The family has farmed on the same site since 1880.
Olson was honorary master of the Bluestem Grange and honorary
chapter father of Future Farmers of America. He was involved in many
youth affairs. During his
career, he was involved in diversified farming activities. He has raised
several types of crops and livestock. He was also a WW I veteran.
Olson is survived by his wife, Lea; two sons, Dale and Jerry
Olson; two daughters, Janet Koeller of Reardan and Mary Jane Schultz of Lakewood; 18 grandchildren, and four great grandchildren.
Funeral services will be Friday, July 15 at 11 a.m. at the
Zion
Lutheran
Church
with Pastor Stanley Williamsen officiating. Military grave site serves
are to follow interment at Mt Louise Cemetery. Strate Funeral Home is
arranging the services.” (Davenport Times:
7-14-1977)
Olsen,
Sidney M.,
1-14-1988
“Sidney
M. Olsen, 79, of
Williston, ND, died Jan 10, 1988, in the Williston Nursing Home.
Mr. Olsen was born April 21, 1908, in
Duncan,
WA. He was the son of Sievert and Mary Olsen. He was raised in Spring Valley
and
Fairfield, WA. ON Sept 30, 1934 he married Bethel M. McConnel. The couple made their
home in
Spokane
until 1947. The Olsens then moved to Edwall.
Mr. Olsen was a 41-year employee of Great Northern Railroad. He
retired in 1968. He lived in
Edwall until 1987 when he moved to Williston. He became a resident of the
Williston, North Dakota Nursing Home in June 1987.
He was preceded in death by his wife
Bethel
in August 1977. Also preceding him in death were three brothers, three
sisters and a step daughter. He was a member of the Spokane Eagles and
Brotherhood Maintenance of Way Railroad Union. He is survived by one son,
Kenneth Olsen of
Williston,
ND; one step-daughter, Betty Robinson of
Hauser Lake,
ID; one sister, Mabel Weborg of
Spokane; 7 grandchildren; 14 great grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.
Services will be held Friday, Jan 15 at 1 p.m. at the Fairmont
Memorial Park Chapel,
Spokane. Interment will follow at the
Fairmont Cemetery. Hazen and Yaeger Funeral
Home is in charge of local arrangements.” (Davenport Times: 1-14-1988)
O’Malley,
Keith,
6-12-1997
“A
head-on collision southeast of Reardan Sunday night took the life of a
Post
Falls teenager. Keith M O’Malley, 18, of
Post
Falls, died of massive internal injuries when the car he was driving eastbound
on
Hallet Road
collided with a west bound vehicle at the crest of a hill at about 8:35
p.m. Sunday evening. Both vehicles apparently were traveling in the center
of the gravel toad when the accident occurred, according to Trooper Rich
Jaeger of the Washington State Patrol, who investigated the accident just
east of
Waukon Road. Neither O’Malley, whose chest broke the steering column of the car,
nor his passenger, Jeremy J. Lickfold, 18, of Curlew, were wearing their
seat belts…” (Davenport Times: 6-12-1997) “Memorial service for
Keith M. O’Malley, 18, of
Post
Falls, who died June 8, 1997 after an automobile accident southeast of Reardan,
will be held today at 10 a.m. at the Chapel of Strate Funeral Home in
Davenport. Keith was born May 18,
1979, in
Citrus Heights, CA. He is survived by his
mother, Kimberly Peavy, at the home in
Post
Falls, and his father, Michael O’Malley, of
Sacramento, CA. Strate Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.” (Davenport
Times: 6-12-1997)
Ostenberg,
Norman B.,
6-22-1995
“Memorial
service for Norman B. Ostenberg, 82, will be held at 1 p.m. on Saturday,
June 24, at the Presbyterian Church in
Moses
Lake. Born to Walter and
Gertrude Ostenberg on Jan 17, 1913, in Malott,WA, Mr. Ostenberg died on June 18, 1995 in
Davenport. He owned and managed an
apple orchard and dairy farm on the
Okanogan River
near Monse until moving his family to
Moses
Lake
in 1953. There, he built and managed five apartments, and worked as an
inspector for the Dept of Agriculture. In his younger days, Mr. Ostenberg
liked to fly his seaplane, ice skate, snow and water ski, fish and hunt.
When he retired, Mr. Ostenberg built a house at Keller Ferry,
where he enjoyed fishing, swimming, photography, gardening and
houseboating on a boat he designed. He also liked traveling to
Mexico
and
Arizona. Mr. Ostenberg is survived
by his wife Alice in Moses Lake; three daughters, Beverely Wagonner and
her family of Brewster, Judy Hampton of Moses Lake, and Norma Lynn
Ostenberg of Conconully, WA; and one son, Daniel Ostenberg of
Davenport.” (Davenport Times: 6-22-1995)
Overmyer,
Clarence,
9-18-1997
“Funeral
service was held Tuesday at the
Cedonia
Community
Church
for Clarence E. (Casey) Overmyer of Hunters, who died Sept 12, 1997 at
Lincoln
Hospital
in
Davenport
after battling cancer. He was 80. Pastor
Ed Dashiell officiated the Tuesday service. Interment followed at the Cedonia
Cemetery
. He was born June 18,
1917, to Ralph E and Clara (Runyan) Overmyer at the family’s homestead
in Hunters. He graduated with top honors from Hunters High School
and attended some college. As a young man, he helped on the ranch. He
picked apples for the Hunters Land Company and it was said he was the
fastest, picking an average of 150 boxes, sometimes 200, a day. He also
worked thinning apples in
Wenatchee
during the 1930s with his brothers and some of the local boys. Later, he
went to
Seward, Alaska, and built barracks for the government. Mr. Overmyer was a World War II
veteran, serving in the US Navy. He was a member of the Veterans of
Foreign Wars Post 7480. Returning
to Hunters after the war, Mr. Overmyer attended
Gonzaga University
for a short time. His interests then turned to farming and ranching, and
he also hauled grain. In
addition, Mr. Overmyer was a licensed plumber and electrician, and a
skilled carpenter. He helped build several homes in the Fruitland,
Hunters and Bissel area. Mr.
Overmyer was best known in both Lincoln and Stevens counties for his
letters to the editor that appeared regularly in several local
newspapers, including the Davenport Times. His family recalls his varied
letters being the topic of conversation in local restaurants over
morning coffee. The lifelong Hunters resident is survived by one sister,
Margaret Warren of Hunters; two brothers, Dave Overmyer of Harrington
and Roy Overmyer of
Spokane; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Mr. Overmyer was preceded in death by his parents; three sisters,
young Martha Overmyer, Mary Cox and Clara Burke; and one brother, Jim
Overmyer. Strate Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.”
(Davenport Times: 9-18-1997)
Paul,
Alice,
8-25-1988
“Alice
C. Paul, 99, died Aug 22, 1988 in
Spokane. Mrs. Paul was born Dec 7, 1888 in Deep Creek to W. L. Magers and Nancy
T. Magers. She received a
teaching degree in 1909 and taught school until she was 28 years old.
She then met and married Malcolm Paul on Jan 2, 1917 and began her new
career as a mother, raising six children. The couple farmed and lived
mostly in the Deep Creek area with one short move to the Palouse
before returning to Deep Creek. The couple raised its children in Deep
Creek and later in Reardan. They
retired in 1944 and moved to Reardan, later moving to
Spokane
in 1961. Mr. Paul died in
1964 and Mrs. Paul remained a resident of
Spokane
in her own home until she
was 98 years of age. She then moved to a care facility in
Spokane
where she lived until her death. She and her twin brother were
recently selected as the Pioneer twins of the year for
Washington
State. She is survived by two
daughters, Doris Miller of Valley Ford, and Mary Mercer of
Kennewick; four sons, Richard Paul and Jack Paul of Reardan, and Bill Paul and
Joe Paul of Edwall; nine
grandchildren and 8 great grandchildren; a twin brother, Walter Magers;
and numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by two
sisters and four brothers. Services
will be held Friday, Aug 26, at 11 a.m. in the chapel of the Strate
Funeral Home,
Davenport. Rev Phil Falk will officiate. Interment will be in the West
Greenwood Cemetery, Deep Creek. Strate Funeral Home is in charge.” (Davenport Times:
8-25-1988)
Peck,
Amos M.,
11-30-1923
“Appraisers
appointed in the estate of Amos M. Peck are A. Alexander, A. X.
Riplinger and G. Thompson.” (Odessa Record: 11-30-1923)
Pease,
Ingraham,
11-10-1950
“Ingraham
Parker Pease, 66, business man in
Davenport
for 21 years, died in a Spokane
hospital Friday, having been taken there the previous Monday. A native
of
South Dakota, he resided in
Iowa
for many years, then in
Alberta
and then in
Spokane
where he was stage manager of the American Theatre. From there he went
to Newport
to operate a restaurant, and came to
Davenport
in 1929 and operated hotels and cafes here until about nine years ago,
when he took over the Clack service station. He was prominent in the
Inland Empire Iowa association and in the Spokane Greeters and belonged
to the Masonic lodge in
Newport. Surviving are his widow, Mrs. Bessie Pease, who operates the Pease
Hotel in
Davenport, and a son, Dwight E. Pease, Washington Water Power company employee.”
(Citizen: 11-10-1950)
Peterson,
Maude,
est. 11-13-1925
“J.
C. Johnson, N. K. Nansen and Paul Jessen, Almira, have been named
appraisers of the estate of Maude Peterson.” (Odessa Record:
11-13-1925) “Order appointing Jens Peterson administrator of the
estate of Mads Peterson has been signed.” (Odessa Record:
11-06-1925)
Pierce,
Raymond,
5-27-1982
“An
accident at an intersection on Highway 231 north of Reardan took the
life of a motorcycle rider from Ford, WA, Wednesday, May 19. Raymond
Pierce, 70, was killed when his motorcycle was struck by a 1975 For
pickup truck… eleven miles north of Reardan.” (excerpt Davenport
Times: 5-27-1982)
Plotts,
Merle H.,
7-14-1988
“Merle
H. (Ma) Plotts died July 3, 1988 in a Spokane Nursing Home. She was 83.
Mrs. Plotts was born June 5, 1905 in the Bald Ridge area north of
Mondovi to Thomas A. and Alice J. (Lang) Holman.
She had one younger brother, Royal L. Holman.
She graduated from
Washington
State
Normal School
at Cheney in 1927 with a lifetime teaching certificate. She taught at
Greer, Quincy, Tyler,
Davenport
and Deep Creek schools. On
June 5, 1935 she married Rezeau M. Plotts in
Davenport. They lived near Deep Creek before moving to the Edwall area in 1939
where they operated a wheat and cattle ranch.
After starting a family, she resumed her teaching career at
Tyler, Sprague and Reardan and taught piano in Edwall retiring in 1967.
She continued to substitute teach and in 1969 taught kindergarten
in Edwall. She was an active member of the Waukon Grange, serving many
years as lecturer, and as lecturer for the Lincoln County Pomona Grange.
She was a member of
the Washington State Retired Teachers Association. She and her husband
served as tour guides for the Washington State Grange Travel Service,
touring the
United States, Canada, Hawaii,
New Zealand, Fiji
Islands
and
Australia. Her husband preceded her in death in 1982.
Survivors include a son and daughter-in-law, Robert R and
Roseanne Plotts of Beaverton, OR; a son, Thomas Plotts of Reardan; three
grandchildren, Larry Plotts of Beaverton, Mike and Heather Plotts of
Potlatch, Idaho; one foster son, Les Wilson and family of Spokane; three
nieces, one nephew, and numerous cousins.
Memorial services were held July 8. Pastor Phil Falk
officiated.” (Davenport Times: 7-14-1988)
Plotts,
Rezeau M .,
1-28-1982
“Rezeau
Morley Plotts, affectionately known as ‘Pa’ by many of the area and
a stalwart of the Grange society here, died Friday, Jan 23 when he left
his stuck vehicle during the snowstorm and fell victim to a heart attack
on the Waukon Road near his home. He
was born in
Brandon,
Canada, on Oct 4, 1910. He was returned to his home in
Worthington, MN, when only a few weeks old. IN 1915 the family moved to
Warwick,
ND. In 1923 his father died,
leaving him to help his mother raise three younger brothers and a
sister. In 1927 they moved west and settled on a little farm near
Tyler,
WA. Besides working the family farm, he worked as a farm-hand and cut wood
to help provide for the family during the depression. He was determined
to finish high school and that dream came true when he graduated in 1932
from
Tyler
as a member of its last graduating class. In 1935 he was married to
Merle Holman, a teacher in the
Tyler
school. They resided near Deep Creek until 1939 when they moved to the
Big Bend Ranch near Edwall where she still resides.
Besides his wife, he is survived by two sons, Bob of Beaverton,
OR and Mike and Heather of Spokane; one brother, J. Manning Plotts of
Chewelah; one nephew, Gary Plotts of Chewelah; three nieces, Sue Scott
and Kay LaPlante of
Spokane
and Jan Holman of
Seattle
, and a host of friends. He
was a member of Waukon Grange, receiving his 50-year pin in 1980. He has
been a State Grange deputy for the past 25 years. He served as district
finance chairman for the Boy Scouts during the 1950s. In 1979 he retired
from the Board of Directors of Lincoln Mutual Service No 2 at Reardan
after serving 25 years. On Jan 13 he retired from the Lincoln County
Fair Board, having served 16 years. Services were held at the Hazen
& Jaeger Funeral Home Wednesday, Jan 27, with the Rev Eldon Clark of
Lamont officiating. Music for the service was provided by Dennis Fiess
accompanied by Norman Fiess. Honorary pall bearers were Washington State
Grange Deputy masters and officers…; Active pall bearers were Dave
Harris, Bill Broyles, Keith Cederblom, A. Stangland, Norbert Lollis and
Dave Sperry. Interment was at the
Spokane
Memorial
Gardens.” (Davenport Times: 1-28-1982)
Polenske,
Elmer I.,
9-08-1977
“Funeral
services for Elmer I Polenske were held at the Strate Funeral Home in
Davenport
Monday, Aug 29. The songs
were sung by a neighbor, Betty Kintschi. Organist was Betty Martin.
The casket bearers were: Al Wollweber, K C Stack, Marvin Klein, Gerald
Klein, Ray Giles, and Bob Johnson.
Honorary casket bearers were Ted Manly, Marvin Koegler, Bud
Bundy, John Kuhn, Jim Kaiser, Lee Williams, Paul Kintschi and Art
Payne. Elmer was a native
son, born in Edwall June 8, 1902. He passed away Aug 26, 1977 in
Spokane. He was preceded in death by his wife, Evelyn, in Dec 1964, and his
son, Richard, in Nov 1976. He is survived by a daughter, JoAnn Moos;
grandson, Richard Moos; granddaughter, Mary Jo Moos, all of
Edwall; daughter-in-law, Judy Polenske; three granddaughters, Diane,
Mary Ann and Cheryl Polenske, all of Spokane; mother-in-law, Mrs
Bertha Berkey of Spokane; a sister, Mrs. Meta Klein of Edwall; a
brother, Oscar Polenske of Edwall; numerous nieces, nephews and
friends. Elmer was
involved in the lives of his family, his community and his friends. He
led an active life, being a Charter member of the Edwall Lions Club, a
member of the
Edwall
United
Methodist
Church
, a member of the Bluestem Grange, past director of the Edwall School
Board and past director of the Edwall Grain Growers. As he was active
in the social life of Edwall, he worked in the fair booth at the
Lincoln County Fair; was a member of the bowling league; enjoyed the
Saturday Night Bridge Group; was an avid sportsman, especially hunting
and fishing; made peanut brittle every Christmas for our Santa Claus;
smoke sausage, ham and bacon in the old-fashioned way; and was known
as a rockhound. The hearth he made for his daughter, JoAnn, is a
remarkable collection of agates and other stones.
Rev Martin gave a very ‘comforting’ eulogy stressing
Elmer’s love and compassion, which were returned by the community in
which he lived. Graveside services and interment were held at Spokane
Memorial
Gardens
Cemetery
in
Spokane.” (Davenport Times: 9-08-1977)
Polson,
Cliff,
11-02-1956
“Cliff
Polson, 62, died at his home in Chelan, Wednesday. Funeral services
will be held Saturday, at 2 p.m. (Nov 3) at Hazen & Jaegers in
Spokane. Burial will be in
Riverside
Park
Cemetery
there. Mr. Polson formerly
farmed in the Bluestem area.” (Citizen:
11-02-1956)
Pruitt,
Meryl G.,
6-12-1997
“A
memorial service for Edwall native Meryl Green Pruitt was held June 5 at
Eatonville
United
Methodist Church. She also will be remembered at a public dedication of the Meryl Pruitt
Memorial at
Pioneer Farm Museum
in
Seattle
on June 22 at 3:30 p.m. Mrs.
Pruitt died in the loving company of her family on June 1, 1997. She was
75. Born on Oct 13, 1921, in
Edwall, she was founder of Pioneer Place Children’s Museum in
Seattle
and
Pioneer
Museum in Eatonville. She is survived by five sisters, Marion Strunk, Rhoda
Williams, Ruth Duenwald, Esther Burns, and Lois Evanoff; her in-laws, Herb
Williams, Clem Duenwald, Victor Wulff and Bea Green; her children, Freeman
and Jean Pruitt, Danelle Pruitt, Wes and Patricia Pruitt, Steve and Kerry
Pruitt, Sharon Pruitt, Mark and Valerie (Pruitt) Sivertson, and Doug and
Merri (Pruitt) McBride; her grandchildren…; and her great
grandchildren… Mrs. Pruitt
was preceded in death by her husband, Robert T Pruitt; a brother, Robert
Green; and two sisters, Ellen Wulff and Dorothy (Monk) Jacobsen.”
(Davenport Times: 6-12-1997)
=====================================================