Bohlman stands out from the crowd

He hit the first home run on the first Little League team in Carson Valley. Everything he does is just a little bit unusual, and that makes him stand out from the crowd.

Dale Bohlman was born in his family home on Douglas Avenue, delivered by Dr. Hand in 1940. It was a joyous occasion for the family. Dale’s heritage is strong, with his ancestors playing key roles in the settling of our area.

Dale’s maternal grandfather Charles Barrett had a challenging upbringing.

Mother Ambrosine Woolcock Barratt, was born in England, and died in Virginia City on Sept. 1, 1890, leaving Charles and his brothers.

According to Bohlman’s cousin, Laurie Hickey, Charles remained in the Orphans Home until his Grandmother Elizabeth Woolcock Meacham came from Nevada City and took him home with her until adulthood.

Charles’ brother Bill worked on the Trimmer ranch in Diamond Valley, Hickey said.

Charles Barrett became one of Alpine’s most loved sheriffs, holding the office for more than 20 years. He married Clara Mayo in Markleeville. Dale’s grandparents Charles and Clara had seven children. Their youngest offspring was Mildred Barrett. Dale’s father, Albert Bohlman married Mildred.

Dale’s paternal grandfather Fritz Bohlman had emigrated from Hanover, Germany. He stole away the beautiful Helena Kettenberg, who had come to Alpine County to marry another. The two ran what became the Gansburg Ranch, right on the state line. Fritz and Helena lost the ranch during the Great Depression, refusing to bootleg liquor to stay afloat.

Dale’s father Albert and mother Mildred lost their oldest son Merle at just 3 years of age, but went on to have Charles, Dale as the middle child, and finally Bruce.

A long-standing tradition in the family was to have a big Sunday dinner every weekend at Grandmother Clara’s house right on the creek in Markleeville. There were many happy memories there in the summer especially. Dale’s best friend Wayne Snooks lived nearby, at what is now the old schoolhouse at the museum. They would take a big mattress and put it in an abandoned car, sleeping outside when it was hot. It was cooler there and the stars shined over their heads: they had invented “car camping.”

Dale’s grin lights up when he talks about those times, but particularly when he is remembering his parents. “My father was a big man, and his hands were like a gorilla’s,” laughs Dale, “He never hit us though, and was always patient and kind.”

“He would get up every morning in the winter and start the fire,” he continued, “and we would all stay in bed until the house was warm. He did this everyday.”

Dale shakes his head, feeling the full weight of the effort of love this was. But it was one of many sacrifices his father Albert made, and a trait of the Bohlman men. Dale has carried on this behavior, putting his family, community, and country before his own needs.

Dale’s mother Mildred got cancer when he was a junior at Douglas County High School. There was no treatment here, and his father Albert had to borrow $5,000 from a friend, paying it back at $50 a month, to get her medical help in Los Angeles. Dale’s father would stay up all night taking care of her, and then go to his job at the Windmill Dairy, making awar- winning butter all day. Albert worked there for over 26 years.

Dale shakes his head again, “I don’t know how he did it. Even though he did not get any sleep, he was always even-tempered and thoughtful. He would sit with his hands folded next to her bed, and never had a harsh word for anyone.” Dale is a man of faith, but he inherited his benevolent nature, and his ability to suffer without bitterness from his father.

Dale lettered three years in football and two in basketball, being honored in the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012. He had a paper route until the 8th grade, then got a job at The Record-Courier folding papers for delivery. As a freshman, he got a job as a janitor at the school, then got hired to take deliveries for Carson Valley Mercantile. Dale says, “The doors were never locked, and I would go in, put the groceries on the table, and put the milk and other perishables in the refrigerator.

When Dale was a senior, his mother got worse one night. As the ambulance was taking her to the hospital in Reno, it was hit head-on by a drunk driver and his mother was killed. His father was hospitalized for a few days, and ambulance driver Bill Godecke lost an eye.

Dale found out years later that the insurance company for Douglas County wanted to make a settlement with his father for the accident. His father refused, saying that his home was here, and he would never sue Douglas County. Just like his father, this kind of integrity and self-responsibility has personified Dale’s behavior throughout his life. “Put your head down, and just do the right thing,” says Dale. “We all make sacrifices and have hardships.”

Dale has held many different positions in his life. He started out in a trucking company in Lake Tahoe before joining the Army, the Reserves, and eventually the National Guard. He scored high on the test and worked at the Post Office, becoming Postmaster in Gardnerville in 1970.

He had a son and a daughter and spends a lot of time with his grandson now. Things didn’t always work out the way he had envisioned them though. Some of the happiest times in his life were spent traveling to Post Office conventions all over the country with his second wife Jane. But she was tragically killed when their car slid off the ice.

Even though Dale is no stranger to grief, he has chosen to maintain a positive outlook, and to contribute. He was president of the Douglas County Sportsman’s Club and gave the first hunter safety class. He was on the Gardnerville Town Board, Water Company, and Master Plan Committee. He was involved in starting and coaching Pop Warner Football. He drove the school bus for 18 years, and even ran his own company designing headstones after he retired.

You can find him almost every morning at the Carson Valley Museum and Cultural Center or the Genoa Courthouse Museum fixing whatever needs repair on the buildings that are both over 100 years old. He has been a Trustee on the Board of the Douglas County Historical Society since 2013. The Board is responsible for running both museums.

He always goes above and beyond in whatever he does, whether it was delivering mail or Christmas packages late into the evening when he was Postmaster, driving a neighbor to an appointment, or helping a friend with a home repair project. Rather than sorrow, he has let joy and trust rule his days. As a child, he survived measles, scarlet fever, and mumps, but Dale, like the generations of his family before him, has made the fortunate discovery that the most contagious thing about him is his attitude, letting him wear a true smile no matter what the circumstances.