|
FRENCHTOWN – Henry Joseph "Hal" Dorsman lost his battle to depression and alcoholism on Feb. 12, 2016.
He was born Jan. 16, 1956 in Hagerstown, Maryland, to Harry and Virginia Dorsman. He grew up as a "DuPont" brat, living in several different states. He joined the Navy in 1977 where he continued to travel the U.S. He was honorably discharged in 1981. While in the Navy he met his future wife Cheryl Harris, they were married Oct. 16, 1978.
After leaving the Navy, Hal and Cheryl moved to Salt Lake City, where their daughter Rachel was born. Realizing they did not want to raise a family in the city they moved to Missoula, where Russell was born. The family eventually settled in Frenchtown.
Before Hal became really sick, he loved working around his little country home. He also loved his family. He and his daughter studied Tae Kwon Do, eventually receiving their black belts together. He loved target shooting and riding dirt bikes with his son Russell. We have fond memories of our family trips to Disneyland, the Wild Animal park in San Diego and Ketchikan, Alaska, to name a few.
Hal is survived by his wife, Cheryl; children Rachel (Chris) Thurston, grandchildren Isaac and Evelyn Thurston as well as son Russell. He is also survived by his mother Virginia in Pennsylvania and his sister Connie Dorsman of Spokane. He is survived by many extended family members in New York state as well. He was preceded in death by his father, Harry J. Dorsman.
It is with great sadness we say good-bye to our dad, grandfather, husband, son and brother. We wish he had been able to conquer his demons.
The family invites you to join them in a celebration of Hal’s life on Saturday, June 4, from 2 to 4 p.m. at Bayern Brewery, 1507 Montana St., Missoula, Montana on the patio upstairs. Please join us for appetizers and a no host bar.
|
David Dixon (1974)
I was very sorry to learn about Hal. He was one of my best friends in high school. I have many good memories of him and particularly enjoyed the many good times I had with Hal, Bob Rohe, Terry Vanwinkle, and Mr. Heber on the Rox chess team as we attended tournaments in Chicago and Indianapolis and played other schools in the area.
One recollection I have is of when I got Hal into a lot of trouble with is dad. Hal and I did a lot of target shooting together in Terre Haute. Once, after an evening of target practice, I forgot to get my rifle out of the trunk of the car Hal had used to drive us there. The next day, Hal's dad took the car, not realizing my rifle was still in it. Hal's dad worked at DuPont's Newport ammunition plant, where rifles were prohibited. He was surprised when the rifle turned up in an inspection of his car at the plant. I'm sure it wasn't funny to Hal or his Dad at the time, and I recognize that it could have been dangerous, but, after all these years, it does seem rather funny.