Onalee Gerdis: “Bright blue eyes, warm smile and loving bear hugs’

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Onalee Gertrude Rubenna Harold Nunnemaker-Phillips-Gerdis known to many as “Ona Lee” was born

on September 29, 1935 in Arrowwood, Alberta, Canada. She passed peacefully at Harbor Lakes Nursing and Rehabilitation Center at 8:20 am. on Sunday September 22, 2024, just a week shy of her 89^th birthday. Onalee’s birth was assisted by her Grandma Henry, the local midwife and her name was lovingly chosen by her 9-year-old cousin, O’dell Henry, who wanted the new baby to share her initials “O.H.”. Onalee cherished her unique name, even though she spent her life patiently pronouncing and spelling it for those she met.

Onalee immigrated to the United States from Alberta, Canada with her first husband, W.A. “Chip” Nunnemaker. They traveled to California on their honeymoon in July 1954, stopping in Redway, CA, for a Nunnemaker family reunion, and decided to stay and make it their home for the next 60 years. Together they owned and operated the 40 Winks Motel in Redway until Chip’s passing in 1977. A year later, Onalee met George R Phillips of Blocksburg, CA and they were married on September 30, 1978. Onalee embraced ranch life in Blocksburg, population 25, until George’s untimely death on August 25, 1992. Later, she reconnected with longtime family friend S. Leon Gerdis, whom she had known for years through the Humboldt County rodeo community. They married in Reno, NV on April 18, 1997 and spent many happy years together until Leon’s passing on February 11, 2013 at age 94.

Throughout her life, Onalee worked a variety of jobs: as a motel maid, a waitress, a telephone operator, a bookkeeper, a motel owner/operator and later as a telephone line assigner. After 30 years of faithful service, she retired from Verizon Telephone Co. (formerly ConTel) April of 1995. In retirement she and Leon enjoyed summers on their property near Missoula, MT in the Seeley Lake area. Eventually, they built a home in Benbow, CA two miles south of Garberville, on a ranch she and Chip had purchsed in 1962. In August of 2020, Onalee moved to Granbury, TX to live with her daughter Linda and her husband Fred MacDonald. She spent four happy years there, enjoying all the activities Pecan Plantation and Granbury had to offer.

Onalee was actively involved in the Garberville Civic Club, joining in 1954 when she first moved to Northern California. She served as the club’s treasurer for over 30 years, using the bookkeeping skills she had developed working at the sawmill. Onalee was meticulous about her accounts, balancing the books down to the penny. She was also an active member of the Garberville Rodeo Committee, serving as Rodeo Secretary and managing the books and money. She faithfully attended Grace Lutheran Church in Redway for over 30 years until its closing.

Onalee was predeceased by her three husbands: W.A. “Chip” Nunnemaker, George R. Phillips and Leon Gerdis, as well as her own parents Raymond and Mary Harold and her six siblings. Her first in-laws, Harry and Jessie E. Mikki Nunnemaker and one grandson Ryan L. Phillips.

Onalee is survived by her daughter Linda N. MacDonald (Fred) of Granbury, TX daughter Carla L. Crow (Greg) of Palmer, TX. She is also survived by her grandchildren: Fred J. MacDonald (Quincy), Heath A. MacDonald (Misty), Melissa M. MacDonald (fiance Derek Johnson), Cayden Critchfield, Rayn King (Joe) and Paige Phillips (Don). Great-grandchildren, Blayne and Brylie MacDonald, Kayden and Morgan MacDonald, Olivia, Brody, and Trey Pilgaard, and Cedar-June King. Onalee is also survived by her beloved step-son Lee R. Phillips (Kay) of Santa Rosa, CA, and her step-daughter and friend Mary Margaret Gerdis LeClair of Castle Rock, CO. Numerous nieces an nephews in Canada, California, Oregon and Colorado will miss her bright blue eyes, warm smile and loving bear hugs.

One of Onalee’s proudest moments came in March 2007, when she officially became a U. S. citizen. She was thrilled to finally have the ability to vote and to hold a U. S. passport, marking an important chapter in her life. Her legacy of love, service, and dedication will be remembered by all who had the privilege to know her.