Charles Earnest Dohm

Charles “Charlie” E. Dohm, 65, of Dowagiac, lost his valiant battle against cancer and passed away at St. Joseph Regional Medical Center in Mishawaka, IN on Saturday, November 28, 2015 surrounded by his loving family. A Celebration of Life Service will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 3, 2015 at Clark Chapel and Cremation Services, 405 Center Street, Dowagiac, MI, with Scott Wyman officiating.  Charlie will be laid to rest at Mission Hills Memorial Gardens.  Friends may visit with the family on Wednesday, December 2, 2015 from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. at the funeral home.  Memorial donations may be made to Cass County Fair Association, PO Box 56, Cassopolis, MI 49031.  Those wishing to leave a memory or condolence of Charlie online may do so at www.clarkch.com. Charlie was born April 11, 1950 in Niles, Michigan to Charles F. and Ruth (Welsh) Dohm.  He attended Ross Beatty High School in Cassopolis and graduated in 1968. He married Patricia Dorrier in Dailey at the Dailey Church on September 13, 1969. Charlie was a simple, hard-working man who never gave up on anything. He loved farm life, whether it was milking his cows, baling hay or growing in the greenhouse. He even tolerated having horses for the last 42 years. But mostly, besides his family, he enjoyed the interaction he had with his customers at Dohm’s Greenhouse in Dowagiac. He served his country in both the Michigan National Guard and the Army Reserves. He worked several years for Jessco in Dowagiac before leaving to milk his cows full time for the next 30 years. When the expansion of the ever growing greenhouse business became too much to handle, he made the painful decision to “retire” from dairy farming and concentrate on the greenhouse. His other interests included serving as president of the Cass County Leader’s Association, Dairy, Dairy Feeder and Showmanship Sweepstakes superintendent of the Cass County Fair, past President of the Cass County Dairy Promoters, past Cass County Outstanding Leader of the Year, longtime 4-H leader and Grand Marshall of the Cass County Fair in 2015. Charlie is survived by his wife Patricia of 46 years, his two loving daughters, Audra (Billy III) Burns and Lorenne (Roger) Witham both of Dowagiac, five amazing grandchildren. Jessica Burns, Austin and Charlee Ann Towne, and Hannah and Sydney Witham. He also leaves behind 16 nieces and nephews and a brother, James (Janelle) Dohm of Dowagiac. He was preceded in death by his parents, a sister, Barbara (Phillip) Griffin and a very special greenhouse companion, his cat… “Fluffy”.