Archived Marriage Records
Esther Wigen Owsley
Esther Wigen Owsley, 94, a Moscow resident, died of age-related causes Friday at Good Samaritan Village in Moscow, Idaho.
She was born Nov. 17, 1903, to Kari Kjísnes and George Wigen Jr. in Lacrosse, Wash. She attended schools in Lacrosse and college in Spokane. After her schooling, she worked as a bookkeeper and a stenographer at Myklebust's in Lacrosse.
She married Alfred Owsley in 1926 at Walla Walla, Wash. They lived in Arlington, LaGrande, and Enterprise, Ore., where he worked as a grain buyer and grain-grower manager. They moved to Sunnyside, Wash., in the early 1960s where he managed a grain company. He died in 1980.
After her husband died, she moved to the Good Samaritan Village retirement apartments in Moscow to be near her grandchildren. She had made her home in Moscow since.
She was active in her church, Rainbow Girls as mother adviser and grand deputy and she was a past matron of the Order of the Eastern Star. Her hobbies included candy making, knitting and making afghans.
She will be remembered for her love of children, her compassion for the sick, her wry sense of humor, and her homemade candy.
She is survived by her four grandchildren, Kathy Foster of Seattle, Pat Owsley and Linda Nixon, both of Moscow, and Chris Owsley of Potlatch, Idaho; and 10 great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband; her son Gerald in 1985; five brothers, Chester, Olai, Alfred, Willard and Joris Wigen; and seven sisters, Emma Carlson, Marie and Elma Olivia Wigen; Mable Chelmen, Clara Emerson, Elma Jones and Ella Stoneman.
A memorial service will be at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Good Samaritan Village lounge in Moscow. The Rev. Gordon Braun will officiate at the service.
Burial service will be held Tuesday afternoon at Hillcrest Cemetery in LaGrande, Ore. Viewing will be until 9 p.m. today at Kramer Funeral Home in Palouse, Wash.
Memorial gifts may be given to the Good Samaritan Village in Moscow, Idaho.
Henry W. Silha
Henry W. Silha, 82, of Moscow, Idaho, died Sunday at Deaconess Medical Center in Spokane. Arrangements are pending at Short's Funeral Chapel in Moscow.
Lawrence Steelsmith
Lawrence Steelsmith, 81, longtime Troy, Idaho, resident, died today at Gritman Medical Center in Moscow, Idaho. Arrangements are pending at Short's Funeral Chapel in Moscow.
Mary Conklin Duncombe
Mary Conklin Duncombe, 72, former longtime Moscow, Idaho, resident, died of congestive heart failure Dec. 30 at Veneta, Ore.
She was born July 1, 1925, to Howard and Anna Conklin in Goshen, N.Y., where she was reared and educated. She received a bachelor's degree from Iowa State University at Ames and a master's degree from Columbia University in New York City. She worked as a nutritionist at the New York State Health Department at Albany from 1949-53.
She married Herbert Sydney Duncombe Jan. 10, 1953, in Goshen. They lived in Columbus, Ohio, from 1954-58 and Olympia, Wash., from 1958-62.
They moved to Moscow in 1962 where he was a political science professor at the University of Idaho. They moved to Veneta, in 1988.
She enjoyed painting and camping and was a member of the American Dietetic Association.
She is survived by her husband at the family home in Veneta; three sons, Charles Knight Duncombe of Washington, D.C., William David Duncombe of Syracuse, N.Y., and Richard Riker Duncombe of Corvallis, Ore.; one daughter, Mary Ellen Haley of Idaho Falls, Idaho; one brother, Howard Conklin of Warwick, N.Y.; and nine grandchildren.
Services were held Saturday at Valley Methodist Church in Veneta. Burial was at Oak Hill Cemetery, also in Veneta.
Memorials may be made to the Valley Methodist Church Memorial Fund.
Chapel of Memories Funeral Home at Eugene, Ore., was in charge of the arrangements.
James W. 'Jim' Martin
James W. "Jim" Martin, 89, a longtime resident of Moscow and University of Idaho professor emeritus, died of age-related causes Sunday at the Good Samaritan Village in Moscow, Idaho.
He was born on Oct. 8, 1908, in Kent, Iowa. The family moved to Jewel City, Kan., when he was 5. After graduation from Sabetha High School in northeastern Kansas, he worked on a farm for two years before entering Kansas State College, now university, in Manhattan. He graduated in 1933 with a degree in electrical engineering. He then began working for the John Deere Co., first in Manhattan and later transferring to Wichita.
He married Beulah Callis in June 1934. In 1936 he returned to Kansas State University to study agricultural engineering, earning a bachelor's degree in 1938.
He attended Iowa State University at Ames where he earned a master's degree in 1939 and then served as assistant professor at both the University of Illinois and KSU. He entered the Navy in 1940 and served three years reaching the rank of captain. He was honorably discharged in 1944 and returned to his teaching and research position at KSU.
In October 1946 they moved to Moscow where he became head of the UI Department of Agricultural Engineering. He served in that capacity until 1966 when he returned to his first love of teaching and student counseling. He retired in 1973.
Under his guidance, the department of agricultural engineering grew from a small unit with a few students to a nationally-recognized department offering engineering degrees with an emphasis in agriculture. For his work at the UI, his advancement of the engineering profession in Idaho and his dedication to Idaho, the state honored him in July 1994 when the agricultural engineering laboratory on campus was renamed the J.W. Martin Laboratory.
He was a member and active participant in many technical and professional organizations serving engineering and teaching. He held offices in the state and National Society of Professional Engineers and elected to life member in the American Society of Agricultural Engineers and the American Society for Engineering Education.
He was a member of a number of honor societies and established the James W. Martin Scholarship Trust for students at the University of Idaho. More than 20 students have received help under this program to date.
He was active in several community endeavors including Toastmasters and American Association of Retired Persons. He was chairman of a fund drive to promote a retirement center in Moscow, which eventually led to the Good Samaritan Village being located in Moscow.
He is survived by his wife at the Good Samaritan Village.
A memorial service will be at 2 p.m. Friday at Good Samaritan Village with the Rev. Gordon Braun officiating.
Short's Funeral Chapel Moscow is in charge of the arrangements.
Xythel B. Twist
Xythel B. Twist, 85, a retired University of Idaho switchboard operator, died Monday at Moscow Care Center in Moscow, Idaho. Arrangements are pending at Kramer Funeral Home in Palouse, Wash.
Lenore Kimberling
Lenore Kimberling, 72, longtime Moscow resident, died of pneumonia Saturday at Gritman Medical Center in Moscow, Idaho.
She was born Sept. 4, 1925, to Herman and Gladys Olson Preuss in Minneapolis. She was reared on a farm in Esmond, N.D. and graduated from Esmond High School in 1943.
She attended the Minot School of Nursing in Minot, N.D., and graduated in 1946. She had enlisted in the U.S. Army nursing program but did not serve because World War II had ended.
She moved to Spokane after her graduation from nurse's training and worked for several years at Deaconess Medical Center.
She married Marvin Kimberling Nov. 21, 1951, in Moscow. He served as city administrator in Moscow for many years. She spent most of her adult life raising children and working as a nurse. She worked at Gritman Hospital, now medical center, on and off between 1952 and 1992, when she retired.
She loved spending time with her family, especially her grandchildren.
She is survived by three sons, Jon and Greg Kimberling, both of Moscow, and David Kimberling of Puyallup, Wash; two daughters, Nancy Shepherd of Portland, Ore., and Linda Sprenger of Moscow; two sisters, Harriet Heinen of Warroad, Minn., and Jane Nissen of Fargo, N.D.; and nine grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband in 1977 and three brothers, Rodger, Herman and Richard Preuss.
A funeral will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Moscow with the Revs. Dean Stewart and Gordon Braun officiating. Burial will follow at the Moscow Cemetery.
A viewing will be from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday at Short's Funeral Chapel in Moscow.
The family suggests memorials may be made to the Gritman Medical Center Foundation scholarship fund or to Emmanuel Lutheran Church.
Dean D. Nagle
Dean D. Nagle, 61, lifetime area resident, died Monday of an apparent heart attack at Gritman Medical Center in Moscow, Idaho.
He was born on July 1, 1936, at Onaway, Idaho, to Vincent "Rex" and Helen Chambers Nagle. He attended the Potlatch schools and graduated from the Potlatch High School in 1954.
He started working in the woods when he was a junior in high school and continued to work after graduation. He worked with Henry and Eddie Vowels for many years.
He married Dianne L. Keiser April 12, 1958, at Potlatch where they made their home.
In 1977, he was employed by Potlatch Corp. as a logging consultant supervisor and later became the area supervisor for the Bovill Team and was with the St. Joe Team at the time of his death.
Nagle was a devoted Potlach Logger Football fan his entire life, missing only one season since 1954. He was a member of the chain gang for Potlatch home football games.
Survivors include his wife Dianne at the family home in Potlatch; one son, Donovan Nagle of Rathdrum, Idaho; two daughters, Deena Voss of Princeton, Idaho, and Darcie Nagle Birch of Boise; one brother, Gary Nagle of Potlatch; three sisters, Dwanna Andres, Janice Gillis, and Toni Ball all of Potlatch; and four grandchildren.
A memorial graveside service will be at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Mendenhall Cemetery with the Rev. Howard Leonard officiating. Cremation will take place and his ashes will be interred at a later date. Memorials may be given to the Potlatch High School football program, in care of Janice Palmer, Potlatch High School, Potlatch, Idaho 83855.
Kramer Funeral Home in Palouse, Wash., is in charge of the arrangements.
Edith Fayette 'Fay' McConnell
Edith Fayette "Fay" McConnell, 57, Troy, Idaho, resident, died of cancer Thursday at her daughter's home north of Farmington, Wash. Arrangements are pending at Kramer Funeral Home in Palouse, Wash.
Paul Mann
A memorial service for Paul Mann, 79, former mayor of Moscow and professor emeritus of electrical engineering at the University of Idaho, will be at 2 p.m. Saturday at St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Moscow. Mann died Tuesday at Gritman Medical Center in Moscow, of an apparent heart attack.
Bill Cavadine of St. Mark's will officiate. A graveside service will precede the memorial at Lewis-Clark Memorial Gardens in Lewiston, Idaho.
He was born Sept. 3, 1917, to Russell Horace and Mary McCarthy Mann in Lewiston. He spent his early years learning engineering, fly fishing and baseball from his father who was district civil engineer for the state Department of Highways for Northern Idaho.
The family vacations involved back road trips in the Model-T Ford and included six or seven flat tire repairs on the way to fishing at New Meadows, Idaho, an all-day trip from Lewiston on unpaved winding roads, he was fond of telling his children.
He graduated from Lewiston High School and went on to receive his bachelor's and master's degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Idaho. His professional career spanned industry and education and touched three continents.
He started his career as a substation operator with Pacific Power and Light in eastern Washington. He went on to work for Westinghouse in Pittsburgh.
He married Elsie Millay April 14, 1944, in Wilkinsburg, Pa.
He accepted a teaching assignment at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and then settled in Moscow in 1948, in the electrical engineering department at UI, serving as acting department head from 1964-65.
During his tenure at the university, on summer breaks and sabbaticals he worked in the protective relay group at General Electric Co., was a visiting professor at Dartmouth College at Hanover, N.H., was a substation operator for Washington Water Power and did power system engineering for Oak Ridge, Tenn., Hanford, Wash., and Idaho National Engineering Laboratories.
He retired from the UI in 1981.
He became a registered professional engineer in Idaho in 1959 and was a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers which named him Engineer of the Year for the Spokane section in 1969. He was a member of the Idaho Society of Professional Engineers and the National Society of Professional Engineers. He also was awarded a lifetime membership in the Northwest Light and Power Association in 1981.
Following his retirement, a former student, then the director of the Ecuador Public Power System, arranged for him to teach power system engineering in their utility in Quito, Ecuador for six months in 1982.
Mann was particularly proud that in his family there were three generations of registered professional engineers in Idaho including his father and his son Mike, a management consultant for engineering companies. Mann's daughter, Margaret Sue, also graduated in electrical engineering.
He was active in the community and the region, serving on the Moscow City Council from 1970 to 1974 and as mayor from 1974 through 1978.
"As a civic-minded gentleman, he was always ready to lend his time and experience to many areas of the community," said Moscow's Finance Director Jim Wallace. "He and Elsie always were giving of themselves and never taking. He had the community's best interest in mind."
When he announced he would not seek re-election as mayor, an editorial writer wrote for the Lewiston Morning Tribune "he is the kind of person who sees and serves the enlarged community and contemplates matters beyond his own main street. Because of him, because he had vision and that crisp open mind, the four-city community was brought closer together."
He participated in an Idaho-Libya people-to-people exchange, establishing contacts with engineering educators in universities in Libya.
He also served on Moscow Planning and Zoning Commission until he retired from it in 1996 at age 78. He was a lifelong advocate of regional planning including proposals for a regional airport for Lewiston, Pullman and Moscow.
In addition to public service, Paul devoted much attention to youth organizations including Camp Fire, Boy Scouts and the Parent Teacher Association. He and his wife were jointly honored with an award for volunteerism in 1997, the University of Idaho Jim Lyle Award.
He served as the Moscow district chairman of Camp Fire for three years; chaired the Sacajawea Council as president for two years; was a trustee of Camp Neewahlu for six years, serving two as president. He also served on the National Council of Camp Fire for four years. National Camp Fire recognized Mann with its highest honor, the Luther Halsey Gulick Award in 1979. Moscow Camp Fire honored Paul and Elsie Mann with lifetime memberships in 1977.
He served as a scoutmaster of the American Legion Troop 343 and served as vice president and president of the Moscow PTA when all of the Moscow schools were in one PTA.
He is survived by his wife of 53 years at the family home in Moscow; three sons, Paul Patrick Mann of Pasadena, Calif., Michael Millay Mann of Boise and David Mann of Sandpoint, Idaho; two daughters, Mary Ruth Mann of Fall City, Wash., and Margaret Sue Mann of Bellevue, Wash; a sister, Patricia Mann DeHart of Messena, N.Y.; and six grandchildren. He was preceded in death by a brother, Russell Mann.
The family suggests memorials may be made to the Paul Mann Electrical Engineering Scholarship Endowment or the University of Idaho Arboretum Associates, both in care of the University of Idaho Receipting Office University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho. 83844; St. Mark's Episcopal Church; or to the UI department of electrical engineering.
Short's Funeral Chapel of Moscow is in charge of the arrangements.
