Carman Seymour Doerr was born in Hanover on October 22, 1933 to parents Phillip and Edna (Glasser) Doerr. He was the middle child, joining Evelyn and Ken, with younger siblings, Mary and Paul later joining them. The Doerr family resided in Chesley, where Carman attended both public and high school. During his youth, Carman loved spending time at his grandparent’s farm on the outskirts of town. Here he created many life-long memories and became very close with his grandparents.
Upon completion of school, Carman started working at Canada Packers in Chesley. While working, he was introduced to Carma Johnson. The two soon started dating and were eventually married, welcoming their daughter Cindy in 1959. Unfortunately, the two separated shortly after and Carman made the move to Milton to work for Canada Brick. Here Carman drove trucks, spending many hours on the road and away from his family.
In the mid 60’s Carman began dating Joan McEwen and the two soon married. Together they welcomed their daughter Tammy in 1968. Once again this marriage was not meant to be, and in time the two went their separate ways.
Carman suffered a workplace accident in the early 1970’s whereby he lost vision in one eye. This was a terrible setback for both himself and his career as he was forced to give up driving truck. He soon returned to Chesley and began doing odd jobs for family, friends, and neighbours. Since Carman’s father had recently died and he took it upon himself to care for his aging mother. Over the next several years, he continued to build his carpentry business while acting as his mother’s caregiver. After his mother’s death in the early 90’s, Carman continued to live in his childhood home on 1st Ave. N.
In 2000, Carman was re-introduced to Shirley Ruth (Bittorf) Hatten. I use the words re-introduced, as they were classmates in school when they were younger. In time their relationship flourished and Shirley and Carman were married in Chesley on May 19, 2001.
Carman remained quite involved with St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, as he was involved with church council and a variety of other committees throughout the years. He also donated his time and skills, along with Michael Blender, to a Habitat for Humanity build in Walkerton. In addition to being a very giving individual, Carman was also known to be a gentle, soft-spoken man, who was a good listener, very thoughtful and cared deeply for his family.
In his free time, Carman could often be found caring for and cleaning his beloved cars. He was so proud of these vehicles and considered them prized possessions. He was also a big history buff. He loved taking in history whether it was through books or TV and was particularly fond of War history. Carman was also always up on current news as well as the weather. In addition to history books, he always read the newspaper and spent time reading scripture in the Bible. Carman loved animals, particularly dogs, always making sure their needs were met. It didn’t matter if it was his dog, your dog or a friend or family member’s pet; he was always drawn to the animal, wanting to provide love and support. This same fondness also applied to children, with Carman also going above and beyond to make their day. Apparently, he also had a real soft spot for Shirley’s baking, and I am told he was not the only one! He also enjoyed a good game of crokinole and watching the Discovery Channel or taking in a documentary. Carman and Shirley enjoyed trips to both the east and west coast together as well as enjoying time with family on vacations to Las Vegas, Florida and Cuba. More recently, Carman loved spending free time riding his scooter on his favourite trails, especially, to the Hanover dam where he enjoyed sitting, listening to the water, watching the birds and taking in the scenery.
In April of 2017, Carman and Shirley decided to downsize, moving from Chesley to their current home in Hanover. Carman’s health began to fail last summer, whereby he started attending the Day Away program, allowing him to just get out of the house for a few hours. Here he enjoyed the opportunity to catch up on the local gossip and socialize with others. Unfortunately, his condition worsened in recent weeks and he passed away rather suddenly at Hanover & District Hospital on Tuesday, October 15, 2019 in his 86th year.
Beloved husband of Shirley (Hatten). Loving father of Cindy (Zoran) Grujic of Woodstock and Tammy Lafond of Kitchener. He will be fondly remembered by his grandchildren Wesley, Ryan, Danielle, great-grandchildren Sophie and Lennox and his siblings Mary Doerr of Southampton and Paul Doerr of Wolfville, N.S. Carman will be dearly missed by Shirley’s family, Reg (Lynn), Nancy (Kevin) Cruickshank, Bill (Janet) and their families. He was predeceased by his sister Evelyn, brother Ken and his parents Phillip and Edna (Glasser) Doerr.
In respecting Carman’s wishes, a private service will be held.
Memorial donations to St. Mark’s Lutheran Church would be appreciated as expressions of sympathy.
