Dohrwardt’s legacy one of service to village, county

Longtime Fredonia elected official Don Dohrwardt died last week, but his legacy of public service goes on.

Dohrwardt, a longtime Fredonia village president and trustee and Ozaukee County Board member, resigned as a trustee last October since he was battling cancer.

Even in his last act as a publicly elected official, he did what he thought was best for the people.

Dohrwardt, who served on the Village Board for 29 years, timed his resignation so candidates could run for his seat in the April election, which he preferred over the board appointing someone. The board recognized his longevity and dedicated service with a resolution presented last November.

Trustee Richard Abegglen could barely get through reading the document without becoming emotional.

“Don was the president when I was a rookie, so I’ve always come to look up to him as kind of a mentor,” he said.

“So for the last eight years, I’ve leaned on Don. I’ve learned from Don. I don’t do exactly what Don does because we don’t always agree, but he’s had a profound effect on me and my service.”

The resolution highlighted Dohrwardt’s role in forming the partnership with the Town of Fredonia that led to the formation of the Fredonia Government Center, the hiring of the first village administrator and collaborating with three other municipalities to offer advanced life support paramedic-level service to northern Ozaukee County.

Trustee Jessica Franck said Dohrwardt was who got her involved with government. She remembers him knocking on her door several years ago looking for someone to serve on the Architectural Control Board.

“And we got to talking and here I am ... sitting on the (village) board,” she said.

Former County Board member Tom Winker used to sit next to Dohrwardt at meetings. Dohrwardt served 20 years on the board.

“As a community leader, he’s going to be deeply missed,” Winker said.
“He was a phenomenal man. He brought great wisdom. He was a friend of mine.”

Fredonia Village Administrator Christophe Jenkins credited Dohrwardt for his career move.

“For me personally, he’s the one who took a chance on me and this crazy experiment as Fredonia’s first village administrator, and I will be forever grateful for that,” he said. “In addition, the generational knowledge he had of the village’s affairs was invaluable as we brought on new staff and trustees over the years.”

Village Clerk Michelle Johnson remembers Dohrwardt’s spirit of collaboration with residents, staff and the county, state and local governmental units, and his visits to the village office.

“I sure am going to miss him. He was ornery and often made comments just to stir the pot or rile someone up,” she said.

Dohrwardt died on Thursday, April 30. An obituary is on page 9B.