Walking On -- Gloria Jean (Lynch) Sundahl

Gloria Jean (Lynch) Sundahl

July 28, 1946 – May 7, 2017

Tribal Elder Gloria Jean (Lynch) Sundahl was born on July 28, 1946, to Doris (Jeffers) and Daniel Lynch, the second eldest child of their five children. She was a lifelong resident of Springfield, Ore., growing up at Cedar Flats just outside of Springfield.

Gloria was a 1964 graduate of Thurston High School and also attended Lane Community College in the 1990s.

Gloria was very proud of her heritage as a Native American and was a Tribal Elder of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde family in Grand Ronde, Ore.

In 1966, Gloria married and started her family with daughter Sandra arriving in December 1967 and daughter Danielle arriving in February 1985. After many years as a mother and homemaker, she became a home health aide for a number of years until she retired.

In her retirement, she enjoyed gardening, traveling and, most of all, spending time with family and friends. She also supported various charities in Lane County.

Gloria had a wonderful sense of humor, a great laugh and was a very loving, generous and kind person, and her home was always open to everyone. She loved a good visit with family and friends.

She is survived by her children, daughter Sandra and husband Samuel Combs of Woodburn, Ore., and their children, Andrea, Dannyelle, Sarah, Elizabeth, Elijah and Ethan, and daughter Danielle Sundahl and son Abel Lynch of Springfield, Ore.; sister Charlotte and her husband James Gray of Philomath, Ore.; brother Dennis and wife Julie Lynch of Grand Ronde, Ore.; sister Jenny Jones of Winston, Ore., and sister Cindy Diaz of Nevada; and many more family and friends whom she loved very much.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Daniel and Doris Lynch; her life partner, “Papa” Gene Burgess; grandson, Christopher; and her beloved Brandi Dog.

A witness burial was held on Friday, May 19, in Springfield, Ore.

A celebration of life for Tribal Elder Gloria Jean (Lynch) Sundahl will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, June 24, in the Tribal Community Center.

Friends and family members are invited to share their memories of her with the family and celebrate her life with us. Refreshments and a light meal will be provided by the family.

For more information, contact her daughter, Sandra Combs, at 541-915-8177 or her sister, Charlotte Gray.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to one of her favorite charities in memory of Gloria Sundahl to the Springfield Relief Nursery or the neonatal intensive care unit at Riverbend Hospital in Springfield.