(Graduated From Wauseon High School In 1953)
Cecil “Gene” Dominique passed away on Nov. 29, 2024. Born in Napoleon, Ohio, on May 10, 1934, the son of Earl A. and Cathern (Balser) Dominique.
He was a 1953 graduate of Wauseon (Ohio) High School. He served in the U.S. Army, trained with the 101st Airborne Division and served in Korea.
Following his marriage to Carol Shumaker on April 7, 1957, he attended Indiana Institute of Technology, graduating in 1961 with a BSME. For 24 years he worked as a Project Manager for the Aro Corp in Bryan, Ohio, where he was awarded two patents.
In 1987 he became VP of Engineering at Reelcraft Industries, in Columbia City, retiring in 2001. He served as President of the Alumni Association of Indiana Tech and served as alumni representative on the college Board of Trustees.
He was honored as 2011 Volunteer Alumni. He was a member and past president of the Fort Wayne Engineers Club where he was named 2009 Citizen Engineer of the Year.
For several years he organized boater safety classes at Lake Tippecanoe and in 2016 was named Volunteer Citizen of the Year. He was proud to take an Honor Flight in 2018. He was a member of Aldersgate United Methodist Church.
Survivors include his wife, Carol; son, Bradley (Laura) of Milford, Ohio; daughter, Tamra Dominique of Bourbon, Indiana; son-in-law, David Douglas of Clayton, North Carolina; grandchildren, Amanda Dominique of Atlanta, Georgia, Emily Dominique of Chicago, John Wagner of Bourbon, Nicole (Matthew) Doan of South Bend, Tabitha (Osvaldo) Hernandez of Fortville, Liza (Briley) Bollenbacher of Carmel, Cory (Vanessa Pauw) Douglas of Huntington Beach, California; great-grandchildren Natalie and Finnegan Doan, Aiden, Adela, Kylee and Kenleigh Hernandez; and sister, Patricia Jones of Waukesha, Wisconsin.
He was preceded in death by his parents; daughter, Diana Douglas; infant granddaughter; infant great-granddaughter; and brother-in-law, Robert Jones.
A Celebration of Life will be held at Aldersgate United Methodist Church on Friday, Dec. 20, at noon. Visitation will take place for two hours prior to the service.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to the Dominique Family Scholarship at Indiana Tech, Stillwater Hospice or Aldersgate United Methodist Church.
