Memorial services scheduled for climbers killed in avalanche

By Sara Jean Green
Seattle Times Eastside bureau

	John Miner
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Three veteran climbers who died in an avalanche in the Canadian Rockies last week will be memorialized in three separate services beginning today.

Redmond police Lt. John Miner, 53, Pierce County sheriff's Deputy James Andrues, 66, and Russ Howard, 42, a traffic-signal technician for Redmond Public Works, were killed Feb. 12 after an avalanche knocked them off an ice waterfall at Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada.

	Russ Howard

	James Andrues

All three were experienced mountaineers. Miner and Andrues scaled peaks all over the globe and, for a decade, volunteered with Tacoma Mountain Rescue, participating in search missions around Western Washington. Miner and Andrues were part of a group of about 10 climbers that took an ice-climbing vacation every February; this year's trip was Howard's first with the group.

Howard, who was born and raised in Spokane, was hired two years ago by Redmond Public Works. His memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. today at the Redmond Senior Center, 8703 160th Ave. N.E., in Redmond, said Chaplain Tom Osborn, who will officiate.

Howard, of Edmonds, is survived by his wife; two sons, 18 and 16, from a previous marriage; two daughters, 4 and 3; and his parents, a sister and his grandmother, all of Spokane, Osborn said.

Tomorrow, a memorial service will be held for Miner, a 30-year veteran of the Redmond Police Department, at 1 p.m. at The City Church, 9051 132nd Ave. N.E., in Kirkland.

Officials are expecting up to 2,000 people to attend, including police officers from various departments in King and Pierce counties, firefighters, Boy Scout leaders and search-and-rescue workers. There won't be a procession or official motorcade because Miner was not killed in the line of duty, said police Cmdr. Ed Billington. Miner, who lived in the Kenmore area, is survived by his parents and brother.

Andrues, a Pierce County sheriff's deputy since 1997 and a former police officer in Rochester, N.Y., will be remembered at a 9 a.m. Saturday service at Church For All Nations, 111 112th St., in Tacoma.

Andrues' family will fly in from Colorado for the memorial, said Pierce County sheriff's Detective Ed Troyer. Like Miner, Andrues wasn't killed in the line of duty, so there won't be a procession or motorcade, Troyer said.

Sara Jean Green: 206-515-5654 or sgreen@seattletimes.com

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