Dean V. Ohms, 96, passed away Aug. 23, 2020, at the Veterans Home in Union Grove Wisconsin, because of COVID-19. He was the first born son of Hans D. and Teressa (Sorensen) Ohms on July 5, 1924, at the farm in Monroe Township, Shelby County, Iowa, that is now Prairie Rose State Park.
Dean was an avid sportsman who conducted some of the first hunter safety classes in Wisconsin. Many know him from taking his class.
He also was a long-standing member of the Triangle Sportsmen’s Club in East Troy and led many of the November deer hunting rifle sight-in sessions. He also enjoyed small-bore rifle and pistol target shooting, trap shooting, and hand loading his own ammunition.
His family said they still think of the fun sessions with him at the range when they clean a firearm and smell Hoppe’s No.9.
He enjoyed hunting and some of his best memories were hunting pheasants with his German Shorthair, Blaze, with family and relatives in Iowa.
His proudest moments were joining the U.S. Navy at age 17 right after Pearl Harbor and then serving in World War II and the Korean War. He was the chief radioman on the USS Achernar, an attack transport ship serving in the Philippine Theater. He attained the rank of Chief Petty Officer 1st class and traveled with the Navy extensively in the South Pacific and Australia.
Many have heard some of those Navy stories. He continued his interest in communications as an amateur radioman and has the Morse Code radioman sign off signal etched on his gravestone.
One of the best Navy stories is how he met his wife, Irene. He was training in Naval radio communications in Detroit, Michigan and one day while hitch-hiking with a friend, two young ladies picked them up on a street corner and invited them to Helen’s, Irene’s sister, birthday party.
Well the rest is history as he married Irene on June 30, 1946. After his honorable discharge from the Navy he began his working career at the Ford Motor Company in Detroit, Michigan. His longest work record was with General Electric as a communications systems engineer and for GE Medical Systems for combined 30-plus years. He was always proud that his business card read, “Mr. Ohms from GE.”
Dean was also a member and officer of the Veterans of Foreign Wars in East Troy and the American Legion and will have a military honors funeral.
He was honored as the Grand Marshall of the East Troy Lions Club Fourth of July parade in 2014. The parade traveled right past his front door on Beulah Avenue and Dean always enjoyed telling everyone they had a parade for him on his birthday, which was July 5.
Dean was a member of St. Peter’s Catholic Church located one block from his home on Beulah Avenue.
He is survived by a sister and brother, three sisters-in-law; three sons, Alan of Fort Collins, Colorado, David (Ruth) of Birchwood, and Richard of East Troy; seven grandchildren, six great-grandchildren and numerous other relatives.
Dean was preceded in death by his wife, mother and father, four brothers and two sisters.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations will be distributed to local organizations that Dean supported.
Services were held.
Legacy Funeral Services, East Troy, had the honor of serving the family.
