William J. Dohrer

William J. Dohrer, age 91 1/2 , passed away at Mountain View Terrace in Duarte, Ca, on Tuesday July 7, 2015, where he was recovering from an earlier surgery. William was born November 4, 1923, in Aryshire, Iowa to the late William M. Dohrer and Hilda G. (Kuehl) Dohrer Kelleher. He was preceded in death by his wife, Jean, his parents, his sister, Charlotte Kramer and brother-in-laws, Alfred Kramer and Leighton Nelson. He is survived by his daughter, Billie J. Catter, Azusa, CA, one granddaughter, Renee Benmoin (spouse Jeffrey), Rancho Cucamonga, CA, a grandson, James Kleen, Azusa, CA, four great-grandchildren, Kaiza Kleen & Arysta, Jeffrey Jr., and Andrew Benmoin, his sister Yvonne Nelson and many nieces, nephews, and cousins.

William, better known as Bill, went to school and grew up in the Elkader area. He served in the US Army, 2nd Battalion 503rd Parachute Infantry, from February 14, 1943 to January 1, 1946 as a staff sergeant. He received many commendations along with a purple heart. After leaving the service, he returned to Elkader, where he helped his uncle on his farm and started his training as a railroad depot agent. In his free time he became a single engine pilot and enjoyed flying to Rockford, Illinois.

October 7, 1946, Bill married Jean L. Hader at Immanuel Congregation Church in Dubuque. One year later, on October 7, 1947, Billie Jean, their only daughter was born. From 1948 to 1961 the Dohrer family resided in Jackson Junction, Iowa, where Bill worked two jobs. At night he worked as a railroad depot agent and during the day he hauled livestock to the stockyard for the local farmers. In 1961, the family moved to Rudd, Iowa, where Bill served 23 years as Postmaster and many years as City Clerk of Rudd. In his spare time, he could be found at the Rockford Country Club fine tuning his golf skills, where he earned the title of Club Champion. At his retirement in 1984, Bill and Jean moved to Pharr, Texas, where he enjoyed golf for several years. In 1993, Bill and Jean moved to Sun City, Arizona, where the wind disappeared and there were many more golf courses to choose from. While living in Arizona, Bill and Jean spent many summers in New Hampton, Iowa, to avoid the Arizona heat. While going to and from Iowa, they would stay at numerous time-share resorts. His favorite was Belle Vista, Arkansas. Everyone who knew Bill knew how much he loved golf. He played in hundreds of golf tournaments in Arizona, Texas, and Iowa, where he frequently was champion. He also played over 130 golf courses in California. When not playing golf or working on his fruit trees in the backyard, Bill was reading biographies only, or working a crossword puzzle. He was known for only working on the hardest puzzles printed and completed hundreds of cross-word books.

Over the last couple of years, Bill has required more assistance for his needs and passed in his sleep after a long, fulfilling life journey.

A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, July 24, 2015 at Sunland Mortuary, 15826 Del Webb Blvd, in Sun City, AZ. Visitation will be from 10-11 a.m. prior to the service. Burial with military honors will follow the service. Bill will be laid to rest at the Sunland Memorial Park-Valor II in Sun City, AZ, alongside his wife, Jean.

Arrangements under the direction of Sunland Memorial Park, Mortuary & Cremation Center, Sun City, AZ.