George Dotterer Jr.

George was born June 10, 1947 at Pottstown hospital, to Mr. and Mrs. George W. Dotterer, Sr. He was the youngest of three children with two sisters named Joyce and Janice. He was raised in the Pottstown area. He was drafted into the Army to support the Vietnam War on October 18, 1966. His military Occupational Specialty (or job) upon completion of Basic Training was a door gunner in a UH-1 Huey helicopter. When not in the air, he would assist on firing teams for the 105mm M101A1. As a result of these jobs, he had lost a major portion of his hearing. He returned home from Vietnam in May of 1968, fulfilling his enlistment contract and no longer being affiliated with the United States Army. Upon returning home from Vietnam, he finally married his sweetheart, Judith A. Summerfelt. The courtship which started prior to his draft into the Army was solidified at St John Evangelical Lutheran Church in South Pottstown on April 5, 1969. His first job (which actually began prior to being drafted) was at Dana Corporation in Pottstown, Pa. His Father had put in a word for him and he was hired as a machine operator. He served in many roles at the plant, to include operating a fork lift which he actually enjoyed. He had several part-time jobs to help supplement his income throughout the years. His employment at Dana Corporation however never wavered. Approximately 10 years after leaving the Army, he decided to go into the Air Force Reserves. The unit that he eventually became a part of was the 913th USAF Civil Engineering Battalion. The nickname of the battalion was “Prime Beef”. The unit specialized in rapid runway repairs to include bridge repairs and other construction endeavors. As he gained rank and needed to test out of his current rank, he needed to use computers. Unfortunately for him, he had no computer skills and would utilize his friends in his unit to help assist. They all gave him a hard time about it, but was all in fun. He traveled with his company to the following Locations: Hahn Air Base in Germany(1979 &1985), Aviano Air Base in Italy(1982), Howard Air Force Base in Panama(1988), Alconbury Air Base in the United Kingdom(1994), Moron Air Base in Spain(1997), and aided in recovery efforts from hurricane Mitch in Honduras(1999). He retired from Dana corporation on March 1, 1996 after 30 years and 9 months. His father also retired from Dana after 33 years. He continued serving in the Air Force Reserves, and retired in 2007 after 31 years, 2 months and 21 days of faithful service to his country which he loved so very much. He was very, very proud to be an American and would always have an American flag flying. George would almost always be wearing a baseball cap of some sort, but was partial to one’s that read Vietnam Veteran or displayed a 1st Cavalry Division symbol. His favorite holiday was Independence Day so he could play all of the patriotic songs that he loved. George leaves behind his wife, Judith A. Dotterer, 2 children George W. Dotterer III(49) and Pryde E. Dotterer(47), 6 grandchildren, 2 great grandchildren, sister Janice Frymoyer , nephew Kevin LaRosse and niece Carlene Larosse ---- A Special Thanks goes to Gary Hemminger and John Kluxen for assistance in composing the Biography of George’s life. ---- The Addison family and staff of Magnolia Funeral Home extend condolences to his family and friends during this difficult time. ------ Due to COVID 19 restrictions services will be private and by invitation only.

George Dotterer Jr.

April 15, 2020