David Reino Hamalainen, 71, died peacefully at home early Sunday morning, July 14, 2019 after a hard fought battle with Pancreatic cancer.
David was born in Portland, OR, the oldest son of Reino and Dorothy Hamalainen. He grew up in Boring, OR where he attended Boring Middle School and graduated from Gresham High School in 1966.
David is survived by his loving wife Karen, married 50 years, and his children Scott and Lesley Gorski, Joey and Angie Tetz, and Blake and Talla Hamalainen. He is also survived by his mother Dorothy Hamalainen, his sister Carol Gerke, and brother Johnny Hamalainen and seven grandchildren: Austin, Mason, and Colton Gorski, Nathanael and Madeline Tetz, and Natalia and Wallace Hamalainen.
David served in the US Army and is a veteran of the Vietnam War. While serving in Vietnam he earned several medals, including the Purple Heart. Following his military service he started a career at Pioneer Waterproofing and Masonry and a few years later he became a member of the Operating Engineers Union and was a Mechanical and Electrical Engineer for the Safeway Corporation. Simultaneously, David owned and operated Sunrise Nursery, a tree farm in Boring. David was very dedicated to his family and a hard worker. He enjoyed spending his free time watching his grandchildren play sports and he had a natural talent for fixing and building anything.