Ferdinand August Doll Jr.

Ferd passed to eternity at Clarendale Senior Living where he spent his last three years being cared for by wonderful staff and being visited regularly by his children, grandchildren and friends.

Ferd was born in 1930, in Effingham, Illinois to Ferdinand August Doll, Sr. and Delphine Opel Doll (nee Heidenreich). He graduated from Broad Ripple High School and received his Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics from Hanover College where he was a member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity. After Hanover, Ferd spent two years in the Army, stationed in Boston. He would say with a smile that he was part of the “Fighting Finance Corps” and made sure that all the soldiers were paid on time. After his time in the Army, Ferd went to Purdue University where he received his Master’s degree in Mathematics. After working for a few years at Westinghouse, Ferd decided to try his hand at a Ph.D. in Mathematics at Michigan State University. After a year, he decided that pure mathematics was not his calling but still had the “Ph.D. bug.” Ferd took a position at Allison Division of GM working on aircraft jet engines.

Ferd met his future wife, Carole, in 1962 when she took a Differential Equations class that he was teaching. After the class was finished, they started dating and were married December 22. 1962. They have four children and enjoyed 54 years of marriage until Carole passed away in 2017. Ferd was father to Kenneth (Elisa), Kathy (Greg), Susan (Scott) and James (Heather). He was grandfather to Stephen (Gabby), Matthew, Jacob, Miranda, Theodore, Galen, Peter, Keira, Marcus and Corrinne. He has a twin sister Jean Smith (John) and uncle to Mark, Bruce, Stacie, Keith, David, Joel, and Joshua.

In 1970, Ferd, Carole, and their first three children moved to Michigan. After their fourth was born, Ferd enrolled at Oakland University to again pursue a Ph.D. which he earned in System Engineering with a focus on Manufacturing. A year after Ferd received his Ph.D., he took an early retirement from GM. Ferd continued to do post-doctorate research related to his dissertation, wrote papers and presented at conferences. Ferd and Carole also traveled to many places around the US during their retirement with the Road Scholar (formerly Elder Hostel) program. They also travelled to see their children who had moved away from Michigan for work. In 2003, Ferd and Carole took their trip of a lifetime to Germany for a two-week tour. Ferd also enjoyed playing bridge and was awarded a Life Master by American Contract Bridge League in 2007.

Memorials may be made/sent to Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church, 5631 North Adams Road, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48304 with “Ferd Doll Memorial—Care Ministries” written in the memo line.

His memorial service will be held at Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church, 5631 North Adams Road, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48304 (between Square Lake and Long Lake) on Saturday March 7, 2026. Visitation will begin at 10 AM and then the Memorial Service at 11 AM.

~Lovingly Submitted by the Family~