Ira Centers, 78, Dies in Hospital Following Stroke
Ira A. Centers, 78, 1817 11th Ave., died yesterday at 12:25 p.m. at St. Joseph Hospital following a stroke. He had been in ill health for about a year.
He was the manager of the Smoke Shop Restaurant at Moscow from 1948-50. He later worked as a log scaler in Idaho form 1853-57.
He was born Aug. 30, 1892 in Putnam County, Mo., the son of Mr. and Mrs. James W. Centers. He lived in Missouri until 1904, when he came west to Weippe, where he lived until 1942. He then lived at Moscow until 1950, when he moved to Lewiston for three years.
He subsequently lived at Orofino, Caldwell and again at Moscow, before he finally settled at Lewiston in 1962.
He married Vera Church. They were divorced. He then married Goldie C. Gustin at Lewiston on May 15, 1934. She survives at the family home.
Other survivors include three daughters, Mrs. DeWaine (Betty Jo) Van Komen, and Mrs. Albert (Claudia) Walters Jr., both of Lewiston, and Mrs. Edward (Maxine) Bennett, Cannon Beach, Ore.; a brother, David E. Centers, Lebanon, Ore.; a sister, Mrs. Viola Simmons, Lewiston; 17 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
The funeral will be tomorrow at 1 p.m. at Little Chapel of Flowers. Officiating will be the Rev. Harold C. Paul, director of the Pinelow Nazarene Church Camp at Spokane. Burial will be at Lewis-Clark Memorial Gardens.
Centers Rite Held At Chapel
The funeral for Ira A. Centers, 78, who died Thursday, was conducted yesterday at 1 p.m. at Little Chapel of Flowers. Officiating was the Rev. Harold C. Paul, director of the Pinelow Nazarene Church Camp at Spokane.
Pallbearers were Wayne Gustin and Larry Gustin, both of Moscow; Howard Gustin, Reno, Nev.; Richard Leonard and Oroville Holben, both of Lewiston; and Michael Leonard, Orofino. Honorary pallbearers were Clay Gustin, Helmer, Ida.; Vern Gardner, Orofino; Ernest King and T. F. Leonard, both of Lewiston; Fred Bancroft, Athena, Ore.; Harold Langley, Clarkston, and Chris Casper, Moscow. Burial was at Lewis-Clark Memorial Gardens.
Lewiston Morning Tribune, August 1971
Transcribed by Jill Leonard Nock