Col (R) Louis W. Dornbush

COL. (RET.) LOUIS W. DORNBUSH, age 82, of Bel Air, MD, died on January 26, 2006 at the Gilchrist Center in Towson, MD. Born in Aberdeen, SD, he was the son of the late Isaac Henry and Beatrice Yocum Dornbush.

He enlisted in the US Army in November, 1942 and served in the Army Air Corps during WWII. He earned both his BS and MS degrees in civil engineering while remaining a member of the Army Reserve and the National Guard. Col. Dornbush was recalled in September, 1950 to active duty as a commissioned officer in the Corps of Engineers, and he remained with the Corps of Engineers for the next 30 years. During that time, he commanded combat engineering units, as a member of the military staff taught ROTC at the University of Florida, and served a construction project in Thule, Greenland. He was a student in Officer Service Schools at Ft. Belvoir, VA and Ft. Leavenworth, KS, commanded a construction battalion in Baumholder, Germany, was assigned to district engineer service in Korea and Germany, coordinated and advised Army Reserve and National Guard Units in the southeastern US, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. His staff assignments included the Office of the Chief of Engineers in Washington, DC, Headquarters of the 7th Army in Studtgart, Germany, the North American Defense Command in Colorado Springs, CO and US Army Japan. He directed facilities engineering activities in Okinawa and at Aberdeen Proving Ground, where he retired in 1980 after 36 years of service.

His decorations included the WWII Victory Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Joint Service Commendation Medal, and the Legion of Merit.

After retirement, Col. Dornbush was active in the US Coast Guard Auxiliary where he taught safe boating courses, conducted boat safety examinations, and participated in boating
patrols on the Chesapeake Bay out of Joppatowne, MD for 15 years. He was an elder at
Christ Our King Presbyterian Church.

Col. Dornbush is survived by his wife, Jean Ward Dornbush of Bel Air, MD; two sons, Isaac John Dornbush of Santa Barbara, CA and William N. Green of Joppa, MD; one daughter, Linda A. Bulluck of Cordova, TN; one brother, James Norman Dornbush of Brookings, SD; and two grandchildren, Jason A. Bulluck, of Bel Air, MD, and Jared W. Bulluck, of Cordova, TN.

In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by a son, Daniel Wallace Dornbush.

Pallbearers were Bob Cardwell, Jim Rapp, Jerry Carpenter, Pete Gerard, Charles Oliver and Bill Elkin.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Christ Our King Presbyterian Church Christ Connection, 10 Lexington Road, Bel Air, MD 21014.