Memorial services for Donald Domke will be held at 11 a.m. on Fri., Dec. 20 at the Veteran’s Cemetery in Igo. A reception will follow at 1 p.m. at the Riverview Country Club.
In lieu of flowers memorial gifts can be made to Mercy Foundation North, Cardiac Services, 2400 Washington Ave., Redding, CA, 96001, or “Plant a Tree Program” at Turtle Bay Exploration Park, 844 Sundial Bridge Dr, Redding, CA 96003.
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Donald Domke of Redding died Tuesday, one day after his 89th birthday.
He was born in Redlands on Nov. 25, 1924 to Harold and Inez Domke. He spent his childhood in various Southern California towns, like Summit and San Bernadino, because they were Sante Fe Railroad towns and his father was a “railroad man”.
As a young child, Domke tap-danced so well that he often joked how his mother “roped him” into performing at her Job’s Daughters luncheons. Later, he played tennis in high school, a sport he continued into his 80s.
Domke began his California Department of Forestry career in San Bernadino at 17 by saying he was 18, the legal age to become a firefighter. Two years later, as World War II was heating up, he was drafted into the Army where he was a Staff Sergeant in the European Theater and spent time in France and Germany, as well as England, where he was a crash-crew fire captain.
After serving in the military, he returned to CDF. In 1953 he married the love of his life, Doreeta Donathan. In 1956 Don was transferred by CDF to Redding, where he and Doreeta built a home and raised their three children.
Domke was a fire control officer, and was awarded the Lewis Moran Award in 1987 for Lifetime Achievement in the California Department of Foresty. When he retired from CDF after 47 years, he had the distinction of holding a State of California record for the longest employment.
In addition to his achievements within CDF, he was perhaps most renowned within his field for the pivotal part he played in creating the inmate fire-fighting crews and camps throughout Northern California.
At CDF, Domke’s fire crews called him by his initials – DAD – much to the surprise of his own children.
He had a dry sense of humor, and although he was quiet, his facial expressions spoke volumes. His family recalls how, when Domke did speak, people learned to listen, because he would not repeat himself.
Domke worked hard, but he played hard, too. In the early years of moving to Redding, Domke was an active member of the 20/30 club. He was also a member of the Elks Club, and Riverview Country Club.
Golf was one of Domke’s favorite things to do, and until about six months ago, he played 18 holes of golf every Tuesday and Thursday. Also, whether it was fishing almost every Wednesday with a friend in the Sacramento River, or summers in Trindad, Domke loved to fish.
He was also a fan of watching sports on TV. Some of his favorite afternoons were spent watching golf, the 49er’s or the Kings on the couch with family (or not).
He coached son Ross’s baseball teams, and was also active in his son’s scouting activities. In fact, Domke served as the Troop 72 treasurer for many years, even after Ross achieved his rank of Eagle Scout and had moved beyond scouting.
Domke loved being outside,which explains why he was so miserable the two years he had a desk job with CDF.
After his own children grew up and left home, he and Doreeta backpacked for many years, often in the Trinity Alps.
Domke passed on his love of the outdoors to his grandchildren by taking each child on the Domke family’s renowned “Camping Trip” when they were 5. Each grandchild eagerly awaited their turn. The Camping Trip was “just Grandpa.” No parents. No Grandma.
His grown children now recall their life-long belief that their dad could do anything, fix anything, build anything, figure anything out. Even well into adulthood, they knew that if they had a garden question, a house question, a plumbing question — any question — the solution was simple: Call Dad.
Domke’s family says that what stood out about him was the attention he paid to every detail, which may be why he read every instruction manual; he needed to understand things from beginning to end.
He was an avid gardener, and he planted a garden every season, along with a berry patch and a small orchard of fruit trees, and always more tomatoes than were necessary, despite Doreeta’s annual plea: “Donald, not so many tomatoes this year!”
With the garden came birds, which he encouraged with many varieties of seeds in different holders throughout the yard, and year-round hummingbird feeders.
Domke may have been a man of few words, but he had many talents.
For example, he was an amazing dancer, obvious to anyone lucky enough to watch Don and Doreeta swing dance, where they wowed every wedding or event where dancing was an option. His kids say their dad was smooth, and had the moves.
He was also a gifted artist. He painted the border on the ceiling of The Toy Shop, long gone now, then across the street from the Cascade Theatre. And some who lived in Redding in the late ’50s might remember a giant mural Domke painted on the back of the shop, of big clowns, so large that the mural was visible from Pine Street.
His adult children describe their father as a man “ahead of his time” when it came to sharing parenting duties. He packed kids’ lunches, made their breakfasts and made dinner most weeknights. And when it came time to teach his children to cook, he provided a limited but trusty menu selection: tuna over rice, hamburger patties, oven-fried chicken and homemade mac’ and cheese.
He was known by his grandkids for his famous Firehouse Hotcakes and Sourdough Waffles. His culinary legacy was Pork and Bean Sandwiches.
Perhaps most prominently after his retirement, he was known as the “man behind the woman” — his wife Doreeta. He tended bar when Doreeta hosted the monthly Rotary Fireside meetings and he grilled ribs for Rotary barbecues. He had dinner waiting for her the years when she worked late at the television station, or when she was at Turtle Bay working on the auction, or when she was canvassing for her favorite candidate, or bell-ringing at Christmas.
He was her silent partner.
Donald Domke is survived by his wife Doreeta of Redding; daughters Denice Seals of West Sacramento, and Kelley Forseth of Portland, Ore., and son Ross Domke of Rome, Georgia.
Domke also leaves 10 grandchildren, and 10 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his father Harold, mother Inez, and sister Billie Lohman.
Memorial services are pending.