Donald Domke
1924 – 2013
Don Domke was born on November 25, 1924 in Redlands, California. Following a lengthy illness, he passed peacefully on November 26 at Mercy Hospital.
Don graduated from San Bernardino High School in 1942. He was inducted into the Army in 1942 and served three years in the European Theater in WWII where he held the rank of Staff Sergeant.
At the age of 17 Don joined the California Department of Forestry as a summer firefighter. Following discharge from the Army he returned to CDF. In 1956 he was promoted and transferred to Redding where he served until retiring in 1988 as the Sierra Cascade Region Fire Control Officer.
He was very active in his children’s lives including coaching baseball – farm league, little league, boy scouts, girl scouts, and 4-H. He later loved being a grandpa and taking the grandkids camping without other adult supervision.
Among his favorite pastimes were gardening, backpacking, cross country skiing, and later golf, fishing, traveling the world and exploring the country in his motorhome with his first mate, Doreeta by his side. His happiest times were with his family and close friends.
He is survived by his wife Doreeta and three children. Denice Seals and husband David, of West Sacramento, Ross Domke and wife Janet of Rome Georgia, and Kelley Forseth of West Linn, Oregon. Don has ten grandchildren and 10 great grand children. He was preceded in death by his parents, Harold and Inez Domke and his sister, Billie Lohman and son-in-law David Forseth.
Services will be held at the Northern California Veteran’s Cemetery in Igo on December 20th at 11:00 am. There will be a reception following at Riverview Country Club at 1:00 pm.
In lieu of flowers memorial gifts can be made to Mercy Foundation North, Cardiac Services at 2400 Washington Ave., Redding, CA, 96001 or “Plant a Tree Program” at Turtle Bay Exploration Park, 844 Sundial Bridge Dr, Redding, CA 96003.