Joseph Frederick Doering

Born on September 11, 1958, in Lansing, Michigan, he was the third child of Charles and Rose Doering, and grew up valuing family, friendship, and the simple things that make life good. His family moved to Grand Rapids in 1963. He attended Creston High School and Grand Rapids Community College, earning associate degrees in business and photography. Joe proudly obtained his bachelor’s degree in business administration in 2015 from Indiana University Southeast when he was 56 years young.

Joe was a devoted husband, father, stepfather, and grandfather. A lifelong Detroit Tigers superfan and passionate supporter of the Red Wings, he loved and was knowledgeable about baseball, hockey, and golf. He was also a wine enthusiast, music connoisseur, and enjoyed photography. He had an extensive collection of music in all genres. Joe loved to travel, always cherishing the opportunity to explore new places and sharing those experiences with family and friends. His trips often included a visit to the local major or minor league baseball stadium, and he was able to visit over 20 major and minor league stadiums across the country. Joe’s family always knew that they should have Mountain Dew, ketchup, and French dressing available during any visit. Joe supported the United States Postal Service as he loved sending mail to family and friends including items such as the setlist for upcoming concerts they would be attending, travel itinerary for the cities they would be visiting, and music insights to his fellow music connoisseurs. He will be deeply missed for his sense of humor, knowledge about Tiger baseball, history and politics and his passion for attending concerts and other community events and festivals. One of Joe’s greatest achievements was converting his mother-in-law, Donna Schwenning, from watching ABC/Fox to MSNBC causing her to switch her political perspectives.

Joe had been working at Gordan Food Service for the last 6 years and had deferred retirement to work as the Dixie Highway/Louisville store manager; while Joe loved working there, he was on day ninety-seven of his 100-day countdown clock and looking forward to many new adventures. Over his life, Joe also worked at Fox Photo, McDonalds, Trader Joe’s, and Meijer; he was an enthusiastic co-worker and manager who worked extremely hard to support his colleagues and provided excellent service to his customers. He always took the time to get to know other individual’s interests and would always say “Yes” if others asked for help.

Joe was preceded in death by his parents, Rose and Charles Doering. He is survived by his loving wife, Lynn Schwenning; son, Charlie (Amber) Doering; daughter, Molly (Dan) Lewis and their two children, Remington and Killian; stepdaughter, Sara Trapp (Carlee Ihm); brothers, Charles Doering and John Doering (Kathy); sister, Anne Baker; brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Daniel (Gayle) Brazeau; as well as extended family and friends in Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, New York, South Carolina, and across the country.

He was previously married to Mary Joe Doering for 10 years. The joy of his life was his grandchildren, Remington and Killian Lewis. Joe also cherished his many cousins, nieces, and nephews.

Tributes to honor Joe’s memory may be made to the Detroit Tigers Foundation or your charity of choice. A celebration of Joe’s life will be held in both Michigan and Indiana at a later date.

To send a message of sympathy to the family, sign the Joseph Doering online guest book, or to share a favorite memory, please visit: www.NeptuneSociety.com