Councilman, bowler had sense of humor
MILTON CENTER, Ohio - Donald L. Burkhart, 82, a former councilman in Milton Center and a World War II veteran, died Wednesday in the Hospice of Northwest Ohio, Perrysburg Township.
He died from mesothelioma, a form of asbestos-related lung cancer, his daughter, Vicki Blasius, said.
Mr. Burkhart was a World War II Marine Corps veteran who served in the Pacific Theater from 1944 to 1946. He was stationed on Tinian Island in 1945 when the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima was assembled, his wife, Mary Lou, said.
But he, like many others, didn’t know that had taken place until later. “They knew something was up but didn’t know what,” she said.
After the war, he was an Air Force observer, Ms. Blasius said. His wife said he was able to identify the number of engines a plane had just by listening to it fly by.
He also worked in the electrical maintenance department at H.J. Heinz for 40 years. He worked in the Bowling Green plant for 29 years until it shut down and then spent the remaining 11 years at the plant in Fremont.
He was a Boy Scout leader in Milton Center in the 1950s.
Mr. Burkhart also loved to bowl, which is a hobby he participated in for almost 30 years, Ms. Blasius said.
He was a longtime member of the former American Bowling Congress, now the U.S. Bowling Congress, which is the national governing body for bowling.
He was a member of several bowling leagues and bowled five times a week, Ms. Blasius said, adding that he had several of his own bowling balls.
And this past February, Mr. Burkhart participated in a bowling tournament in Reno.
Being able to practice and improve his score is what he loved most about the sport, she said.
“You play as a team, but you had to participate and improve your skills,” his daughter said. “He took it very seriously.”
Ms. Blasius said her father’s best qualities were his sense of humor and ability to get along with others.
“I never heard him say anything bad about anybody,” she said. “He just liked people. I don’t know anybody who didn’t like him.”
His wife said she’ll miss his wittiness the most.
“I always told him he missed his calling,” she said. “He should have been a comedian.
Mr. Burkhart held a poker night at his house with his friends once a month for 30 years. And it was during those card games where he would say and do the funniest things, Mrs. Burkhart said.
“He would always say, ‘Where else can you go, sit for seven hours, have so much fun, and win 35 cents,’” she said.
Mr. Burkhart was a member of the VFW in Bowling Green and several rifle associations, including the Bowling Green Rifle Club.
He also was a member of Adams Conservation Club in Holland and the Calvary United Methodist Church in Tontogany.
Surviving are his wife, Mary Lou; his daughter, Vicki; son, Steven; two grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.
Services will be at 11 a.m. today in the Deck-Hanneman Funeral Home and Crematory, Bowling Green.
The family suggests tributes to Hospice of Northwest Ohio.
source : toledoblade.com
