Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (July 1, 2017)
2 A SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ SATURDAY, JULY 1, 2017 LIHEAP signups begin Monday OBITUARIES SUNIGA—George R Suniga, 86, of Salem, was born Jan. 13, 1931, in Ojai, Calif., to Espiridion Suniga and Loretta Chavez Suniga. George Suniga He died surrounded by his loving wife and daughters on June 21, at home in Salem, after a 2-1/2 year battle with cancer. In 1944, George’s mother and stepfather, Arthur Powers, moved from California to Florence, when George and his brother, Frank, were young boys. He gifted the boys with little hatchets and put them to work clearing a 40-acre tract of land in Westlake, where togeth- er they built a small home. George attended school in Florence but quit as a sopho- more to enlisted in the U.S. Navy. He was stationed on the USS Orleck, patrolling in the Pacific before being honorably discharged in 1950. He then returned to Florence and finished his senior year, graduating with the Siuslaw High School class of 1951. George married his high school sweetheart, Beverly Bernard, in 1952. In the early 50s, he brought his wife and two baby daugh- ters to Salem to find work. He and Beverly would have two more daughters after moving to Salem. He was lucky to find his first construction job as a car- penter with Truitt Woodworth, a general contractor in Salem. In 1956, he started his own construction business, Sun Valley Homes. In 1961, he built his first nursing home and eventually built and owned five. By 1964, George was the largest home builder in Salem and was elect- ed president of the Salem Home Builders Association; to this day he is still a member. Over the years, George developed dozens of residential subdivisions in the Willamette Valley, several apartment com- plexes, office buildings, a drug rehab center, and built hun- dreds of homes. In 1984, he built a manufacturing plant in Salem and manufactured spas under the name of Mt. Hood Spas. In 1985, George married his second wife, Linda Wallace. They worked together daily in the construction business and were never apart. They remained happily mar- ried throughout the remainder of his life. George had many hobbies over the years, the most excit- ing being a boat racer in the early 60s; his boat hung in Bridges Marine for many years. He was a charter member of Illahe Country Club. He loved to travel, especially to Las Vegas, where he saw all of the big names over the years. In 1998, George and Linda began attending church and dedicated their lives to the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave George much peace and com- fort through his battle with can- cer. George was preceded in death by his parents; his sister, Emily Chavez; and great- granddaughter, Kristen Green. He is survived by his wife, Linda Suniga; former wife, Beverly Suniga; his daughters: Francie West (Harry), Stephanie Fry (Rich), Terri Nordone (Rocky) and Tami Suniga; his grandchildren: Jeffrey Green (Sherry), Bryce Britton, Cory Green (Amanda) and Brennen Britton; six great- grandchildren; his beloved brother, Frank Suniga (Zelda) all of Salem; and sister Lou Chavez of Davis, Calif. Come for a celebration of George’s life on Wednesday, July 5, at 11 a.m., at Salem Alliance Church, 1490 Fifth St. NE in Salem. In lieu of floral gifts, please consider making a donation to Salem Alliance Church in memory of George R Suniga. George was recently inter- viewed by a representative from the Willamette Heritage Center for a series called “Voices of the Valley.” For more of George’s history go to YouTube and search “George Suniga.” JOHNSON—Julia Lorraine Johnson died June 26, 2017, at in the home of her brother Mike and wife Dorothy Libby’s home in Mohawk Valley. She was born May 25, 1958, the day of the Rhododendron Festival parade, to Byron and Elsie (Miles) Libby. Preceding her in death were: her father, Byron Libby; her uncle Jim Libby; and her estranged husband, Christopher Johnson. She leaves behind, her two sons: Christopher Michael Johnson ad Scott Idar Johnson; her two remaining sisters, Twila Rae Steiner of Receda, Calif., who nursed her to the end, and sister Barbara Jean Johnson (Keith); her brother Mike (Dorothy) Libby; and her mother, Elsie Marie (Seth) Caldwell; plus many cousins, nieces and nephews. An immediate family reunion get-together is planned for Monday, July 3, from 1 to 3 p.m. at Bayberry Square, 185 Highway 101 N. Talk to your neighbors, then talk to me. Sue Gilday Insurance Agcy Inc Sue Gilday, Agent 1275 Rhododendron Drive Florence, OR 97439 Bus: 541-997-7161 See why State Farm insures more drivers than GEICO and Progressive combined. Great service, plus discounts of up to 40 percent.* Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. CALL FOR QUOTE 24/7. Siuslaw Outreach Services (SOS) will be taking signups for new applicants for Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). The LIHEAP pro- gram is a one-time grant designed to help low-income households deal with the bur- den of heating cost. For this round of signups, eligible applicants must not have received LIHEAP since Nov. 1, 2016. Sign-ups will begin at 9 a.m., on Monday, July 3. Applicants can sign up in per- son or by phone. For more information, con- tact Dianna at 541-997-2816. COMING SOON! From Coldwell Banker Coast Real Estate 5101 Colter Street ® ® LIFE IS GOOD LIVING AT 5101 COLTER STREET: Outside beauty and inside luxury in 4050 SQ.FT; 3BD; 3BA; deck, patio, and RV garage on nearly an acre high above the Siuslaw River with an amazing iconic view of Old Town Florence. 541-997-7777 100 Highway 101 Florence, OR 97439 1001174.1 *Discounts vary by states. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company State Farm Indemnity Company, Bloomington, IL cbcoast.com COAST REAL ESTATE
