John Dorn Sr
July 19th, 1940 - March 13th, 2024
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John's Obituary
John Michael Dorn Sr, age 83, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, March 13, 2024. He was born on July 19, 1940, in Lansing, Michigan. His parents, Jacob and Amelia Dorn, raised him on a small general farm in Dansville, Michigan. The Farm included a Sugar Bush, from which sap was collected to produce maple syrup. John graduated from Dansville High School, and recently attended his 65th class reunion, meeting with many classmates. A couple of those friends rode bicycles with him to and from a one-room schoolhouse during their youth. He was a graduate of Michigan State University, with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Agricultural Engineering. John joined Whirlpool Corporation in 1962, directly out of college, and retired from there in June 1997.
John loved sports. He played and coached various softball teams, including Bill’s Tap fast pitch team and the Christ Lutheran modified fast pitch team. John also coached his sons’ Little League baseball teams and was very active in the North Lincoln Baseball Association at Eaton Park. While he lost fingers in a farm accident at 10 years old, he never allowed that to get in the way of playing high school sports. He loved bowling and golf and had two holes-in-one. John was a diehard MSU Spartans, Tigers, and Lions fan. He also followed the Lakeshore High School teams, both boys’ and girls’ teams.
John was a long-time member of Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church, in Stevensville, MI. That is where he married Patricia (Davis) Warkentien on July 16, 1995. Following retirement, they spent many winters at The Hamptons Golf Community, in Auburndale, Florida. He developed Multiple Myeloma, from which he has been in remission since 2017. However, side effects from the chemo left him with a need for a three-days a week infusion of magnesium. We are so incredibly grateful to Dr. Paloyan and the staff and volunteers at the Marie Yaeger Cancer Center. They have been such a blessing. We are very thankful, as well, to Dr. Rooney-Gandy and the staff at the Corewell Health Wound Care Clinic. He spent many Thursday mornings being cared for at the clinic in Niles.
John is survived by his wife, Pat; his two sons, John (Julia) Dorn Jr of Portland, OR and Jeff Dorn of St. Joseph; and a stepdaughter, Kimberly Batey of Coloma, MI. Also surviving are his grandchildren, Ethan Dorn of Minneapolis, MN and Emma Dorn of Madison, WI; as well as step-grandchildren, Ryan Batey of Grand Rapids, MI, Adam (Sierra) Batey of Boerne, TX, Jordan Batey of Whidbey Island, WA, and Noah Batey of Coloma. He also had two great-grandchildren. John was preceded in death by his parents, his brother Albert, and sister, Ruth.
A Memorial Open House will be held Saturday, May 25 from 2:00 - 4:00PM at Lakeshore Estates Lodge, 3017 Johnson Rd., Stevensville, MI, 49127. Arrangements by Starks & Menchinger Chapel, 2650 Niles Rd., St. Joseph, MI 49085.
John loved sports. He played and coached various softball teams, including Bill’s Tap fast pitch team and the Christ Lutheran modified fast pitch team. John also coached his sons’ Little League baseball teams and was very active in the North Lincoln Baseball Association at Eaton Park. While he lost fingers in a farm accident at 10 years old, he never allowed that to get in the way of playing high school sports. He loved bowling and golf and had two holes-in-one. John was a diehard MSU Spartans, Tigers, and Lions fan. He also followed the Lakeshore High School teams, both boys’ and girls’ teams.
John was a long-time member of Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church, in Stevensville, MI. That is where he married Patricia (Davis) Warkentien on July 16, 1995. Following retirement, they spent many winters at The Hamptons Golf Community, in Auburndale, Florida. He developed Multiple Myeloma, from which he has been in remission since 2017. However, side effects from the chemo left him with a need for a three-days a week infusion of magnesium. We are so incredibly grateful to Dr. Paloyan and the staff and volunteers at the Marie Yaeger Cancer Center. They have been such a blessing. We are very thankful, as well, to Dr. Rooney-Gandy and the staff at the Corewell Health Wound Care Clinic. He spent many Thursday mornings being cared for at the clinic in Niles.
John is survived by his wife, Pat; his two sons, John (Julia) Dorn Jr of Portland, OR and Jeff Dorn of St. Joseph; and a stepdaughter, Kimberly Batey of Coloma, MI. Also surviving are his grandchildren, Ethan Dorn of Minneapolis, MN and Emma Dorn of Madison, WI; as well as step-grandchildren, Ryan Batey of Grand Rapids, MI, Adam (Sierra) Batey of Boerne, TX, Jordan Batey of Whidbey Island, WA, and Noah Batey of Coloma. He also had two great-grandchildren. John was preceded in death by his parents, his brother Albert, and sister, Ruth.
A Memorial Open House will be held Saturday, May 25 from 2:00 - 4:00PM at Lakeshore Estates Lodge, 3017 Johnson Rd., Stevensville, MI, 49127. Arrangements by Starks & Menchinger Chapel, 2650 Niles Rd., St. Joseph, MI 49085.
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