George Emory Dunham Sr. passed away on August 5, 2021 in his Auburn home at the age of eighty-five. His memorial service will take place at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Auburn California: Sunday, August 15, 2021 at 1:00 pm. 

Born in Fresno in 1936 to Kathleen and Edwin Dunham who was drafted into the Bureau of Ships, George moved to Antioch where his father contributed to the war effort. After the war, George worked in his father’s cabinet shop, assisting in an evolving capacity as his skills grew. He developed a love of working with his hands, especially building boats that he could race in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and other waterways throughout California. George met his wife, Marian Hoskins in junior high school and she soon became his high school sweetheart. He married her two years after graduation, and the newlyweds moved to Fresno where George completed his bachelor’s degree. Three years later, George and Marian moved back to Antioch with their two children, Jeffery and Sandra, to accept a teaching position in Brentwood, where he would construct a custom home for his family--which by then, included Kathleen. Teaching by day and pursuing a master’s degree by night, George graduated from Hayward State. In 1967, George accepted the opportunity to start up a new school in Dixon: C.A. Jacobs Junior High School. From his position as principal, George was accepted into a doctoral program, allowing him to bring his family, stay in the dorms there, and study during summer breaks at Brigham Young University. At the end of the three-year program, George had earned his degree and gained a new family member: George Emory Dunham Jr. In 1975, George Sr. accepted the appointment of Superintendent of Schools at Placer Hills Union School District in Meadow Vista, where he retired sixteen years later. 

Even though George was a dedicated educator, he was at his happiest when building and working with his hands, which his retirement and children provided the opportunity to do. He helped remodel each of his children’s homes and completed many other projects throughout his thirty years of retirement. 

Across the years, George’s efforts have enhanced the quality of many lives. Marian reports that George did not know a stranger—helping anyone he came across and striking up conversations with everyone; his smile could light up a room. 

George passed away in the early hours of the morning with Marian holding his hand. Now he rests with God.