Joseph W. Custer

October 15, 1922 - September 28, 2011

Joseph W. Custer Obituary (Age 88) Long-time Spokane Valley resident and civic leader, died early Wednesday morning. Joe was preceded in death by his parents, and siblings Maureen, Mona and Herbert. He leaves behind his wife of 64 years, Beverly; three children: Annette and husband Mark Mitrovich, John and wife Julie, Mike and his wife Debbie; seven grandchildren: Tim Mitrovich, Joe Mitrovich and wife Katrina, Annie Mitrovich, Kelly Custer and wife Julia, Tom Custer, Jennie and husband Jon Heideman, Amy Custer; four great-grandchildren; sister-in-law Pat Custer; and many nieces and nephews. Born in San Diego, California, October 15th, 1922, he attended public schools in Huntington Park, California. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1942 and served in the Pacific on the U.S.S. Drum, a Gato class submarine, until 1945. Following the war, he married Beverly Fromviller in 1947 and majored in accounting at the University of Southern California. After starting his career in business at Mission Orange Co. in Los Angeles, Joe and Beverly moved to the Spokane Valley in 1954 with their two children, Annette and John. In 1956 they had their third child, Michael. Joe was employed by Vera Water and Power as their office manager but soon rose to the General Manager position which he held until his retirement in 1993. Under Joe's leadership, Vera grew from serving 850 customers to 9,000 in the central Spokane Valley. Throughout his career, Joe volunteered his time and played leadership roles in many power industry activities. He was president of the Pacific Northwest Public Power Association and chairman of the Pacific Northwest Section of the American Water Works Association. He was a recipient of numerous awards including: NWPPA Distinguished Service Award, Paul J. Raver Award, APPA Seven-Hats award, and the American Waterworks Association George Fuller Distinguished Service Award. Joe felt as strongly about his responsibility to community as he did to industry. He was very involved in the Central Valley School district serving as chairman and co-chairmen of two special levy campaigns. Joe served as President of the Spokane Valley Chamber and was co-founder of the Spokane Citizens League. He always worked to foster a closer relationship between the city and the valley. Other community involvement included serving as President of the Eastern Washington University Foundation, chairing the Greater Spokane Sports Association, co-chairing the Centennial Trail Project, and serving on the committee creating a Spokane International Airport terminal. For his steadfast service to his community, he was honored with the Phi Delta Kappa Lay Citizen of the Year Award, the Central Valley School District Golden Acorn Award, the 1980 Statesman of the Year, GSSA Hall of Fame and the Spokane Valley Chamber Citizen of the Year Award. Joe Custer's life serves as a reminder of how family, community and country are all bettered by selfless service of individuals seeking the betterment of the common. A memorial service will be held on Friday, October 7th, 3:00 PM, at Opportunity Presbyterian Church, 202 N. Pines Road in the Spokane Valley. Those wishing to make memorial gifts may do so to the Hutton Settlement, 422 W. Riverside, Spokane, WA 99201 www.huttonsettlement.org, or charity of choice.