George Steenkolk

George Joseph Steenkolk, age 82, of Toledo, Oregon, passed away June 16, 2016, at his home after a battle with Parkinson's disease. He was born to Henry John Steenkolk and Mary Alfons Katharina Hülck, on September 26, 1933, in Toledo, Oregon, at the Steenkolk family farm. After graduating from Toledo High School, he worked as a logger in the forests of Lincoln County, Oregon, and ran a car repair shop in Toledo for several years. During those years, he was known for driving his 1951 Oldsmobile convertible in local parades carrying the parade queen, and in 1953 he traveled the Alcan Highway with a friend on a fishing trip that took them just shy of White Horse in the Yukon. In 1956, he entered the U.S. Army. His service included a tour in Germany where he met family relatives and escorted his mother on a visit that included a side trip to see Rome. After completing his active service with the U.S. Army in 1958, he returned to Toledo and began work at Georgia Pacific's plywood manufacturing plant, starting by driving a forklift and then working his way up to millwright. George was honorably discharged from the U.S. Army in 1962. During his career at GP, he also worked at their stud mill. When the GP wood manufacturing complex closed in 1984, George continued work as a millwright in other Oregon wood manufacturing plants, including the WTD Industries sawmill in Philomath, the Wheeler Manufacturing sawmill in Toledo, and the Western Cascades Industries chip and saw log mill in Toledo. George was blessed to live a very full life until hampered by advanced stage Parkinson's disease in his last few years. He was known for his gentle demeanor, and he was generous with his time to anyone. He was known as being able to fix almost anything. If you couldn't find the widget you needed at the hardware store, your next stop was to visit George because he would have that widget and have it in a couple sizes to boot. He was thrifty, even constructing his own home - to the extent of splitting roofing shakes from bolts of cedar. He perfected the art of garage-saling. One of his loves was Volkswagen Rabbit diesel pickup trucks. He was known to go fishing when he wasn't tinkering with something in need of repair. All who knew him loved and respected him. In 1999, he completed his lifelong dream to visit Germany again, this time with his three sons. They explored most all of Germany, including the ancestral home towns, and ended the trip in Munich at Oktoberfest at the Hacker-Pschorr tent. George was married for 57 years to his wife, Bonita Steenkolk. George is survived by his wife, Bonita; his son Tony Steenkolk and wife Patrice, and grandchildren George, Charles, Henry and Edward; his son, Kerry Steenkolk; his daughter Shawn Steenkolk and granddaughter Alexis; his daughter Kimberly Ott and husband Ed, and grandchildren Paige Jones and TJ Jones; and his son Mark Steenkolk and wife Suzanne, and grandchildren Kinley and Kellen. George is also survived by brothers Joseph, Robert, Edward, and Richard Steenkolk. He was preceded in death by brothers Henry Steenkolk, Charles Steenkolk, and Johnny Steenkolk, and sisters Mary Everett Miller, Lily Ebreck, and Helen McCanna. A rosary prayer service will be held Wednesday, July 6, 2016, at 7:00 P.M., at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church (formerly St. Mary's), 231 E. Logsden Road, Siletz, Oregon. A funeral Mass will be held at 10:00 A.M., Thursday, July 7, 2016, at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church. Burial will be at the Toledo Cemetery. Memorial contributions can be made to Parkinsons Resources of Oregon, 3975 Mercantile Drive, Suite #154, Lake Oswego, Oregon 97035 (http://www.parkinsonsresources.org/).

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George Steenkolk

September 26, 1933 - June 16, 2016