July 10, 1922 ~ July 14, 2010
Just outside Los Angeles, California is a city named Baldwin Park. It started as part of cattle grazing land belonging to the San Gabriel Mission and obtained its current name by 1906. It was here Steve George Polopolus was born. Steve and his family enjoyed 33 years of living in this area, working their 40 acre citrus and avocado farm. For Steve, farming was the start of a lifelong love of growing things. Baldwin Park was also where Steve attended school. He graduated from Baldwin Park High and followed that up with some time spent taking classes at Pasadena City College.
Steve was introduced to his wife Diana through friends. They were married June 26, 1955 in Claremont, California in a small service. The newlyweds made their home roughly 35 miles southeast of Baldwin Park in Corona. They resided on a 24 acre farm where Steve grew palm trees. When you plant palm trees you do so in cycles; you’d have a section of plants that were babies, a section that were a year old, a section that was two years old and so on. Every year Steve would plant his palms and come the years he didn’t there would be noticeable gaps in the plants. Steve would see those gaps and regret not planting that year’s crop. It was here Steve and Diana started a family. They celebrated the birth of their daughter, Alex, and the birth of their son, George. And just in case you haven’t noticed yet, the men in the family “flop” names every generation – George, Steven, George, Steve!
Throughout his life, Steve loved his family. He loved his job and took pride in never having worked for anyone but himself and his father. And he never lost his passion for growing; he simply behaved as though the thought never crossed his mind to stop. On top of that, he enjoyed and was able to apply physics. He was truly gifted with the ability to be able to think things out and to build. Steve had an inclination towards all things mechanical – he could fix anything mechanical and he even built his own home along with all of the buildings on his property!
In 2006 Steve and Diana moved to Sherwood, Oregon. In past years he shared the gift of friendship with a scrappy looking dog, a Wire Hair Terrier named Little Guy. Overall, he continued to live his life as a very generous man with an excellent sense of humor.
Steve is survived and remembered in love by Diana, his wife of 55 years; his son, George and daughter-in-law, Brenda; his daughter, Alex and son-in-law, Derek, and his grandchildren Steven, Amanda, Ryan, and Hannah.
Please contact the family with any inquiries as to the details of Steve’s Celebration of Life and take joy in the memory of Steve George Polopolus and the full life he lived.
Arrangements under the direction of Young's Funeral Home, Tigard, OR.
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