They say it takes a prayer and a whisper to build a company.

But it takes a man with integrity and an unbroken promise to build a company into a family.

As wind and rain whipped outside his window Wednesday evening, Mountain View Heating, Inc., founder Gary Bunger sat snug in his living room recliner. Behind him, spread over an entire wall, were pictures of his wife, children and grandchildren. Before him, a semicircle of more than 10 employees with heads cleanly shaven to pay homage to a friend and father figure.

The men had quietly crept in, single file with their hats on, to surprise Gary. When they took off their hats, he greeted them with a robust laugh and extended a friendly handshake.

”You guys, this is a great surprise,” he said. ”This is incredible. It doesn’t get any better than this.”

Six weeks ago, Gary was diagnosed with lung cancer. Doctors say the disease is in advanced stages and has spread to other parts of his body. But Gary, 62, lives his life the way he ran his business. He perseveres.

”Sometimes that’s the best thing to do,” he said. ”You end up fighting harder and end up with something better.”

Gary lost his hair after his first round of chemotherapy. So his employees decided to show their support by shaving their heads.

”He’s facing something that could be very personal and make him feel alone,” said Eric Oppliger, who works in Mountain View’s installation department.

Tim Handley, a manager, said, ”It’s a small sacrifice.”

Gary faced great challenges, and met them with great sacrifices, to make his company fly. When he started Mountain View Heating in 1980, Bend was mired in depression. Western Trails, the clothing manufacturer where he worked, had closed its doors.

But he sat down with his family, and together, they made the decision to stay in Bend.

He took a chance. He rented a shop behind what used to be Bend Cinemas and started his own HVAC company. The first five years were hard, as were the next five years.

There were times when Bunger’s employees took home paychecks, and he didn’t.

”Sometimes when it’s the best, it’s the toughest,” he said.

Upstairs in their office, Bunger’s son and daughter, Gene Bunger, 35, and Buffy Busik, 31, wheeled around their chairs to read computer screens, answer phones and chat with the stream of people who filed in and out. It was another typical day at work.

Gene, now the president of Mountain View Heating, and Buffy, vice president, never had ambitions to run the family company when they were younger. Gene dreamed of a life as a Wall Street stock broker. Buffy had other plans, too.

But as the years rolled on, they were drawn to it. They answered phones, they swept floors, they burned the mountains of cardboard that came into the business everyday. They watched their father’s business change, and grow. What began as a one-man show in 1980 swelled to 50 employees. About one-fifth of them have worked at Mountain View Heating for 10 years or longer.

Gary’s children understood at a young age the sweat and tears that went into building the business.

It wasn’t uncommon for Gary and his wife, Sharrell, to steal away on Christmas Eve or Thanksgiving Day so they could service a system.

Bunger’s children describe their father as a no-nonsense man who never wavered on a promise, and held himself and his employees to high standards.

”He’s kind of a dictator in the way he leads,” Gene quipped. ”That’s his style. It was his way. He said he respected other people’s opinions, but it’s my way or the highway.”

But Buffy quickly chimed in: ”He’s a big teddy bear.”

She peeked through the miniblinds in her office and peered downstairs where, in the lobby and showroom of Mountain View Heating, Gary’s employees gathered together to make the trip to his home.

Handley, who was one of Gary’s first employees, teared up as he described a man who has been a boss, and a dear friend, for many years.

”Dedication, loyalty, hard worker,” are words that describe Gary, he said.

Gary’s living room was filled with laughter. He gave credit to his employees for making Mountain View Heating the successful family-owned business it is today.

He looks at Gene and Buffy, the next generation of the business, and knows without doubt they’ll carry on the reputation he’s built. ”Every day I wake up excited to see what happens next in my own life and in this company.”

Lisa Rosetta can be reached at 541-617-7812 or lrosetta@bendbulletin.com.