Sunny (Eleanor Price) Koalkin

Sunny Koalkin (Eleanor Price) passed away on January 4, 2010, in the comfort of her own home, with friends and family present. She was born in 1923 in Newton, Iowa.

Sunny was preceded in death by her husband, Sid Koalkin, in 2005. Sunny, a beloved wife, mother and grandmother, is survived by her son, Matt Koalkin of Marin County, California, her daughter Sarah Koalkin Persha of Bend, her son-in-law David Persha, grandsons David Daniel and Benjamin Persha, and several nieces, nephews-in-law, and extended family. And by many friends, who were fortunate to have shared her life.

Sid and Sunny moved to the Bend-Sisters community in 1982 from the San Francisco Bay Area. Many special-interest groups and organizations were blessed by her inspiration and contribution, including Habitat for Humanity, Friends of the Sisters Library, SMART reading program, the Jewish Community of Central Oregon, Breast Cancer Survivors of Sisters, Sisters quilters, Chat n'Chew, and many more.

Sunny, who received her nickname for her red hair and "sunny disposition" during her welding years in the shipbuilding yards of Portland during World War II, attended Iowa State, then Oregon State University, where she studied botany and architecture. After the war she was recruited by United Airlines and transferred to the San Francisco Union Square Corporate office where she enjoyed a 10-year career. She met her husband Sidney Robert Koalkin in 1956, and they married in 1957.

Sunny's family wishes to thank the extraordinary efforts of the Redmond-Sisters Hospice Comfort Care team for making her last days comfortable at home.

She found her wings.....