Our dad George passed away Saturday morning, May 13, at his home on Whidbey Island, after a long battle with lung disease. He passed away peacefully with his wife Louise and his son Dan at his side.

George was born in Wenatchee on Feb. 16, 1932 and was the second child of Joe and Nyda Monda. He attended high school and college at St. Martin’s College in Lacey, Wash., where he was awarded scholarships in football, basketball, baseball and in a lesser known talent, Gregorian chant.

After graduation in 1954, he married Louise Reimen in Wenatchee and moved to the Midwest, where he attended Saint Louis University. There, he acquired his medical degree and had their first three children, Mike, Damian and Matt.

He completed his residency and internship in Urology with the U.S. Public Health Service on Staten Island, N.Y., where their three middle children were born. His only little girl Suzanne, as well as Dan and Greg.

In 1963, he began his practice at the USPHS Hospital on Beacon Hill in Seattle, where he was the youngest person to achieve the rank of captain and head a department. While living there, in the officers’ quarters, they had two more sons, Jeff and Steve.

In 1969, he moved the family to Newport Hills in Bellevue, where their ninth child and eighth son, Adam, was born. There, he supported his kids who all attended Newport High School and various universities in Washington.

In 1981, George retired from the USPHS and completed his career with Group Health. He retired in 1992, and he and Louise moved to the house they had built on Whidbey Island. He was able to continue his practice with two medical missions to Haiti with his son Jeff. He cherished his work there and it spoke volumes about the man he was.

He spent his retirement enjoying his family, fishing on the beach and carving birds, which was a passion for him.

He is survived by his older brother Joseph, his wife Louise, his children Mike, Damian, Matt, Suze, Dan, Greg, Jeff, Steve and Adam, as well as their supporting partners, his 20 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren soon to arrive.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, June 2 at St. Joseph’s Church in Wenatchee.