George R. SunigaJanuary 13, 1931 - June 21, 2017George R. Suniga, 86, of Salem was born on January 13, 1931 in Ojai, California to Espiridion Suniga and Loretta Chavez Suniga. He died surrounded by his loving wife and daughters on June 21, 2017 at home in Salem, Oregon after a 2 ½ year battle with cancer. In 1944 George's mother and step father, Arthur Powers, moved from California to Florence, Oregon 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, Oregon where together they built a small home.George attended high school in Florence, Oregon but quit as a sophomore and enlisted in the Navy. He was stationed on the USS Orleck patrolling in the Pacific. He was 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 high school sweetheart, Beverly Bernard, in 1952. In the early 50's he brought his wife and 2 baby daughters to Salem to find work. (He and Beverly would have 2 more daughters after moving to Salem.) He was lucky to find his first construction job as a carpenter 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 5. By 1964 George was the largest home builder in Salem and was elected 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 complexes, office buildings, a drug rehab center, and built 100's 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 married throughout the remainder of his life.George had many hobbies over the years. The most exciting being boat racer in the early 60's. His boat hung in Bridges Marine for many years. He was a charter member of the 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 comfort throughout his battle with cancer.George was preceded-in-death by his parents, sister Emily Chavez, and great-granddaughter Kristin Green. He is survived by his wife, Linda Suniga, daughters: Francie West (Harry), Stephanie Fry (Rich), Terri Nordone (Rocky), and Tami Suniga; grandchildren: Jeffrey Green (Sherry), Bryce Britton, Cory Green (Amanda), and Brennen Britton; 6 great-grandchildren; beloved brother Frank Suniga (Zelda), all of Salem, Oregon; and sister Lou Chavez of Davis, California.Please join us for a Celebration of George's Life on July 5, 2017, 11:00am, at Salem Alliance Church, 1490 5th St. NE, Salem. In lieu of floral gifts please consider making a donation to Salem Alliance Church in memory of George R Suniga. Thank you.George was recently interviewed 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 - search George Suniga.