GEORGE DOMER MEMBER #1

[kfnut]

JUST RECIEVED A CALL THAT GEORGE DOMER , MEMBER #1 HAS PASSED AWAY IN A NURSING HOME IN PENNSYLVANIA .

[Roadmaster49]

For those of us not familiar with the early days of the club and George's input, this would be a good place to comment on his personality, impact, and KF cars owned.   

[joefrazer]

George was one of the driving forces in getting the KFOCI off the ground. He lived for many years in a school house that was converted to a home and in addition to owning many Kaisers over the years, he also was into Bantam automobiles. George was an all-around nice guy who will be missed.

[joefrazer]

We also lost June Ashton yesterday. June was a former vice president and division manager in the KFOCI. She, together with her late husband Chuck, were fixtures at meets in the southwest where they lived.

[Fid]

Sorry to hear of George and June's passing. I never met George but from all who had, I never heard anything but good about him.  A wealth of knowledge is gone.

[dpledger]

I once interviewed George for the Studebaker Packard quarterly. (Although I never owned any S-P cars I ended up doing a personalities feature for their publication due to the fact that the KF zone manager was the its editor  George was the first personality I was assigned to interview-he was well known and highly regarded in that group as well. He was very gracious and we had a long chat about car things-his interests went well beyond KF and SP. After the interview was published I received a letter from Antique Auto Quarterly (or some such) signed by one Dick Langworth telling me how wonderful it was. Most of the reason seems to have been my brilliance in selecting him as a subject, as most of the letter was about George and not my writing style. Might have a copy of that around yet, altho it was circa '71. A real giant in the old car community.

[Hollenway]

Dick Langworth and George were friends for many years.  George was one of those fellows who was so interesting to talk to you just never wanted the conversation to end.  I'm proud to have called him a friend, and I had the pleasure of visiting with him many times.  George had many cars over his long collecting career, but it was clear he always had a special place in his heart for the K/F line. 

George placed the first ad in Cars and Parts magazine to announce the possibility of a Kaiser Klub if there was enough interest.  George once told me he didn't intend for the Klub to be written that way - it was a typo !!!!   At any rate - through the efforts of Cal Morehart and Dick Weidinger, George was introduced to Tom Rankine - who collectively began the groundwork for the club.  I have copies of all of the early correspondence - including a copy of the ads George put in Cars and Parts and Tom Rankine's ad in Motor Trend. 

We owe all of these fellows a great deal - as they were all dedicated to preserving the heritage of our favorite cars.   God's speed Mr Domer !!!!

[wnyfrzr]

I remember meeting George for the first time back in 1984.  My dad, mom and I were heading back from the National in Pigion Forge, TN in our 51 Frazer and caravaning with Herb and Hazel Scutt in their 54 Manhattan.  Herb was weak at the time and just getting over a sickness that he had me driving his car for most of the trip down and some back.  We made a stop at George's old schoolhouse and wouldn't you know it we ran into another Kf member already visiting him from the National - Rudy Phillips.  I remember a 51 Frazer Manhattan parked in his driveway and in the garage was an old Pierce Arrow that he said was 1 of 6 of this vehicle ever made.  I wish I remmbered more about it but George was so welcoming to us and we visited for several hours before making the remaining drive back home.

I went with Pop in later years when he was President to visit George and chat about KF club history and where the club was headed.  Some of this is documented in Pops notes that I still have somewhere.  And even after Pop passed and I met George at a Jeepster meet, he remembered the Frazer, Pop and even me and still loved to chat about KF and pass some wisdom down to the next generation KFer. 

He cetainly will be missed and ALL his efforts for KFOCI are greatly appreciated and cannot be matched.

[Roadmaster49]

Those kind of recollections are what I was hoping for. It seems that is the best way to remember KFOCI #1.

[Aeroman]

I never met George, but I knew Chuck & June Ashton well, even visited them at their house once when I was on business in Phoenix in the mid-1980's. They would come to southern California a lot for joint meets, especially Hoffman's Hurrah, the "mini-national" held every October at Tom & Leona Hoffman's house. That meet ran for twenty-five years! They would usually show up in their '52 Manhattan with the Mopar slant-six engine. Dunno where that car is now.

June always wore lots of turquoise jewelry and the two of them were always good company. Chuck & June were the ones that revived the club directory in 1980. It had not been published in many years prior to that. Since it was before computers were owned by all of us, they typed every page, then they did the same thing all over again a few years later for a revised edition.

The unfortunate part about being a member of this club is the loss of so many friends over the years, many of them were once very active and vital to keeping the club alive with new members. So glad I had a chance to know the Ashtons.

[Hollenway]

George E. Domer, 96, Lewisburg
The Daily Item

PARADISE — George Edward Domer, the adopted son of Lee Roy and Jennie (Charnock) Domer, was born on April 23, 1916. The family lived in Jenners, Somerset County, until 1923 when they moved to South Williamsport. 

A move to Kulpmont meant that George was in the first graduating class at Kulpmont High School in 1934. 

A job with PP&L brought him to Milton. He later worked at the Federal Penitentiary and numerous businesses throughout the area.

The greatest interest of his life was antique cars, and his expertise in this area was widely known and appreciated. When hearing of his passing, a contemporary wrote,“ A wealth of knowledge is gone.”

A thirty-year correspondence with His Honor King Michael of Romania started because George was knowledgeable about “Jeeps,” and the King loves them.

He wrote articles for “Automobile Quarterly” and “Old Cars Weekly,” for which he used the pen name Annteek. 

George was founder of the Kaiser Frazer Club. He was also instrumental in helping to start the Susquehannock and Shikellemy Region AACA clubs. In addition, he was a member of the Studebaker Drivers Club, Hudson Terraplane Es*** Club, and the Avanti Owners Club.

In 1970 he married Jo Stoner Rubincam, who had been his sweetheart at a Methodist Church Camp when they were teenagers.  They bought the school house at Paradise and made it their home.  She was the love of his life. Until her death in 2002, he was a faithful and patient caregiver during her long illness.

George is survived by two stepchildren, Beatrice Heid, of Lewisburg and Irvin Rubincam, of Toronto, Canada; seven stepgrandchildren,  Mark Heid, Laura Turnbull, Jen Drouin, Ellie and Anna Rubincam, Clara and Liz Naysmith; and nine stepgreat-grandchildren. Important friends in his life were Rachel, Phil, and Zach Cawley of New Columbia and Wayne Weaver of Turbotville.

A memorial service is planned for  11 a.m. Saturday, March 16 at the Paradise United Church of Christ.

The family is being assisted by the Dominick T. Adamo Funeral Home, Mifflinburg.

[Fid]

Thanks Dave.