Don Nunamaker, well-known in the Hood River community — he opened Don Nunamaker, Realtors, in 1969 — died Oct. 7 at Providence Hood River Memorial Hospital at the age of 78.
And while most might know him as a realtor, for daughters Alison Nunamaker and Ashley Nunamaker-Bello, he was much more.
“He loved having us around, whether it was at home or just hanging out at the office, and the same goes for the grandkids,” said Ashley. “I have many memories of him taking us swimming and him attending our sporting events. I felt he never let work take priority over us. If we ever asked him to be there, he was there.”
The two have had their real estate licenses since turning 18, co-managing with their father after college and taking over full management of the company in 2011. They opened a property management division in 2014.
But even after this transition, Don worked seven days a week. On “days off,” he would still show up, just dressed down.
“I told him it doesn’t count taking a day off if he just ends up in the office with jeans,” she said.
It was hard for him to let go, she said, because it was his passion. As reported by Ben Mitchell in a Feb. 28, 2015, Hood River News article, “Though he’s in his 70s, Nunamaker has no immediate plans to get out of the real estate business. He says he would only retire from real estate ‘if I lost the passion for it.’ But even after 50 years in real estate, Nunamaker still loves what he does for a living. ‘I have no regrets, no bucket list,’ he says. ‘I’m just kind of enjoying it.’”
Mitchell also wrote, “When it comes to real estate, Nunamaker has a couple of key philosophies that have served him well: “Care more about the person you’re working with than the commission,’ and ‘Don’t treat a person like you want to be treated; treat a person like they want to be treated.’ Nunamaker says he finds real estate ‘gratifying’ because he likes working with people and helping them solve problems. ‘It’s not work,’ he notes.”
Don and Janet Nunamaker with daughters Alison and Ashley, sons-in-law Mychal Lucas and Isidro Bello and their six grandchildren.
Contributed photo
“He never dreamed about retiring and he never really did,” Ashley said. “He was doing everything he could to try and attend our weekly staff meetings.
“Dad loved people. He had such a big heart and he loved chatting with people,” she said.
He was finally forced to let go due to his health. He had stem cell replacement, which required him to be in a Portland hospital for a month, she said.
“Management was just something he loved to do,” she said. “I knew he was very proud of Alison and I.”
“I’m honored that he trusted us to continue what he started over 50 years ago,” said Alison. “Getting to work with our dad everyday and learning from him is something that we will treasure and appreciate forever.
“His willingness to share what he learned over the years and also allowing us to find our way in this business is something I can never thank him enough for,” she added. “I know that everyone in our office misses him very much but I know everyone here at Nunamaker’ s is proud to carry on what he started and loved.”
A celebration of life will be held on Sunday, Nov. 7 at Divots at Indian Creek Golf Course from 1-4 p.m. Nunamaker is survived by wife Janet — the two were married 51 years — and Alison and Ashley, sons-in-law Mychal Lucas and Isidro Bello, and grandchildren Kenadie, Drew, Rylie and Hadlie Lucas and Alexa and Aliyah Bello. He is also survived by brother and sister-in-law John and Mary Nunamaker.
“If you think of things my Dad loved, most people would say he loved his friends and family, real estate and black cars,” Ashley said.
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