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John Mawer Dorsh February 27, 1946 - February 4, 2017
John Mawer Dorsh passed away February 4, 2017 in Medford, Oregon. He was born February 27, 1946 in Santiago, Chile to John Beaupre Dorsh and Bertha Faye Mawer Dorsh.
John served his country in the U.S. Coast Guard from March 1964 - March 1970. He married Mary "Tish" Dorsh September 7, 1974 in Reno, Nevada.
John devoted 25 years to the fire service working for Cal Fire, Humboldt County Fire District 1, and retiring as a captain after 17 years at Medford Fire and Rescue. After retirement, he worked as a finish carpenter in many homes for premier builders around the Rogue Valley.
John was involved with ministry at Ashland Christian Fellowship since 1986. He had been an Elder and served in the prison ministry among many other things. Along with traditional hobbies, he was a devoted husband for over 40 years. He was a prime example of humble husband, father, grandpa, brother, and leader to name a few of his qualities. If it was outdoors, John was in his element. He was an Eagle Scout and participated in his grandson's Boy Scout troop campouts.
John is survived by his wife, Mary "Tish" Dorsh; daughter, Sara L. (Chris) Miller; grandchildren, Laurel Miller and Evan Miller; sister, Chloe Stemola; and niece, Lori Sternola and her three children. He was preceded in death by his parents, John and Bertha Dorsh.
A memorial service will be held at 1:00 p.m. Saturday, February 25, 2017 at Ashland Christian Fellowship. 50 W. Hersey Street, Ashland, Ore. Memorial contributions may be made to Boy Scouts of America Troop 7, BSA Troop 7 c/o First United Methodist Church, 607 W. Main Street, Medford, Ore. 97501.
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John Bullock
John Dorsh lived here in Ashland, OR before his passing and we were good friends and neighbors, but became estranged over the years. I tried to interest John in the reunion doings, but he was pretty adamant in his disinterest. He’s survived his wife Tish, and daughter Sara. He also has an older sister Chloe, PHS 1960, who is a Piedmont grad as well.
John was a fireman in the nearby city of Medford, OR and he had a heart attack while at his fire station 20 years ago. What better place to have that sort of emergency?! He was subsequently disabled from the department, and spent many years on his own as a self-employed carpenter/contractor. He suffered another heart attack two years ago and we lost him.
As a side note, while rehabilitating myself from a hip replacement at a local fitness gym, I befriended a guy our age wearing a Medford Fire Dept. T-Shirt. I asked him if he had known John. He replied that HE was one of the guys who revived John from his first heart attack. He said that they had to zap John NINE times with the paddles to get him back!
I have fond memories of being John's friend at PHS, and spending time with his family. John and I used to drive his Mom's 1960 Chevy over to the Sierra Nevada and hike into the mountains after school was out in June. I remember one trip when the mosquitoes nearly did us in. We had to set our tent up in the middle of the afternoon and sit there sweating until it got dark enough to sleep. On one trip we were hiking into the Blackcap Basin to climb Mt. Goddard. We paused on the steep ridge above the basin to take in the magnificent view. I dropped down the steep talus slope while John remained on top. All of sudden a pair of fighter jets barrelled over the ridge at low altitude, and John nearly jumped out of his skin!