Russell Dohrmann

Russell Charles Dohrmann, 75, who has lived in Boulder for 44 years, passed away April 10, 2015 from metastatic melanoma. Russell was born December 30, 1939 in St. Louis, MO to Russell H. and Florence M. Dohrmann. When in college, Russell met his wife at the Boulder landmark "The Sink." Two years later Russell and Gail were married in Englewood, CO in 1961. They moved to Chicago, IL where Russell took a job as a chemist in the Stockyards. Growing up, Russell became an Eagle Scout and was a member of The Order of the Arrow in the Boy Scouts of America. In high school, he set a state record in the 100 yard hurdles which stood for over 20 years. Russell obtained his B.S. in Chemistry, Physics and Math from the University of Denver in 1961 and his M.S. in Computer Science in 1978 from the University of Colorado. He worked as a systems engineer in computer science and worked at the Computing Center at CU, Ciber, Hughes Aircraft, and Boeing. One of his early projects, prior to the internet, involved computer networking, linking computers from Stanford, CU, and several east coast universities. Russell's varied hobbies and interests included movies, music, travel, food, and photography. He was a true "foodie" and was able to prepare meals better than most restaurants. He loved to travel to locations where he could eat great food and meet famous chefs like Daniel Boulud, Jonathan Waxman, Michael Chiarello and Marcus Samuelsson. His world travel included France, Netherlands, Italy, Morocco, Croatia, Portugal, Spain, Mexico and Cuba, partly for the photography and partly for the food. Photography was his life's passion. He was a member of the Flatirons Photo Club for more than 30 years. Russell loved the National Park system and the outdoors, a primary reason why he moved to Boulder. He exhibited photos around town, and Russell and Gail published two books, "Best Boulder Region Hiking Trails" and "Boulder's Favorite Places" which were local bestsellers but are now out of print. In addition to his kind and gentle heart, Russell's sense of humor, a Dohrmann tradition, had him always trying to make someone smile or laugh. His puns were outrageous. Russell was preceded in death by his parents; he is survived by his wife Gail; children, Paul Dohrmann and Lisa Sinclair; grandchildren, Lucy and Emma Sinclair; siblings, Arlan Dohrmann, Mary Lea Dohrmann and Susan Unger. An open house by invitation will be scheduled at a later date for friends and family to honor the life of Russell. Friends and family are encouraged to make donations to melanoma.org, cancer.org. TRUcare.org or to any of the local art associations.