Sonja "Sunny" Daniels

Sunny Daniels died February 14, 2025, on a star-filled winter night, at home and in view of her beloved Twin Mountain. Surrounded by her family, she left this life as she lived it—with grace and courage.

Sunny was born Sonja Jorgensen in Portland, Oregon on February 6, 1937, to Marjorie and Ted Jorgensen. Raised in Springfield, Oregon, she realized early on that she was both an artist and a horsewoman. She spent her days riding the trails of the Coburg Hills and through the orchards that surrounded her home, all the while nurturing her artistic imagination.

She married Paul Daniels in 1957 and together they lived a life of exploration and adventure. They raised their four children in rural western Oregon, near Eugene, and summers were spent traveling the west, from the coastal rivers near their home to Alaska and Canada and the Pacific Crest Trail. Sunny was very active in her children’s school activities and the Daniels house was always a popular after-school location.

In 1978, Sunny and Paul came to Halfway, Oregon to raise cattle and sheep, all within view of the Wallowa Mountains. Eight years later, they moved into the Elkhorns where they created a mountain home that was considered paradise by them and all who visited. Countless family gatherings, small and large, took place in the meadow surrounding their home.  

It was here that she and Paul established Twin Mountain Studio. Her formal artistic education had begun in Eugene in the 1970s where she began mastering and teaching watercolor technique. By 1985, she was creating work that was groundbreaking and award-winning. Sunny and Paul traveled the western United States to show and sell her watercolor paintings at fine art festivals and her paintings are held by collectors throughout the United States.

After retiring from her art career, she returned to her horses, riding through the tamaracks and pine grass. One of her favorite springtime activities was morel hunting. She always said that the morels come when the lady slippers bloom. Together, she and Paul managed the timberland surrounding their mountain home. In later years, they managed to get back to the desert and explore even more of southeast Arizona and New Mexico.

Sunny is survived by her sister Kay DeHart, brother Pete Jorgensen, and a whole herd of nieces and nephews. (She was everyone’s “favorite aunt.”) Paul’s family became hers as well; her sister-in-law Beverly Wayne was especially dear to her.

Mourning her deeply, yet celebrating her spirit with love and gratitude, are her four children, Lynn Daniels-Anderson (George Anderson), Rich Daniels (Lori), Michelle Lang (Lyle), and Darcy Daniels (Benjamin Chambers). Her three granddaughters, Anna Coleman, Emma Campbell, and Harmony Frail, and her four great-grandchildren will always have their memories of times spent with Grandma and Grandpa.

Finally, she is survived by her husband of 67 years, Paul Daniels. They shared a true partnership, caring for one another during the tough times and celebrating with joy the many good times. Together they created a life well lived and were an inspiration for all.

For those who would like to make a memorial donation in honor of Sunny, the family suggests the Crossroads Carnegie Art Center through Tami’s Pine Valley Funeral Home & Cremation Services, PO Box 543, Halfway, OR 97834. Online condolences can be shared at www.tamispinevalleyfuneralhome.com