Richard Clayton Damman
Richard Clayton “Dick” Damman, 86, of Kalamazoo, Mich., formerly of Fowlerville, died on February 26, 2025, in Kalamazoo.
Dick was born on August 25, 1938, to Clayton and Carmon (Loree) Damman in Fowlerville. He spent his formative years on the family farm in Fowlerville, driving a tractor in the fields to help his father, learning to love lawn and garden work, and enjoying the thrills of teenage pranks and racing along country roads with his friends.
He began what became a lifelong love of music by singing in the Fowlerville First United Methodist Church choir. When Dick was 12, the farm was sold, and he started working with his father to found Damman & Loree Gravel Company (later D&J Gravel Company), where he continued working throughout high school. He graduated from Fowlerville High School in 1956, where he enjoyed playing cornet in the band and playing tackle and end for the league co-champion football team. He enjoyed staying in contact with classmates and attending reunions regularly.
Dick briefly attended Flint Junior College in Flint, Mich., before joining the Michigan National Guard and serving for eight years. He earned a bachelor's degree in accounting from Michigan State University in 1965, a field in which he worked throughout his career. Following graduation, he joined Peat, Marwick, Mitchell & Co., in Louisville, Ky., where he earned his Certified Public Accountant designation.
He later shifted to the business side of academia, accepting roles with increasing responsibility in the business offices at the University of Michigan, Central Michigan University, and Purdue University. He later worked for Great Lakes Chemical Corporation in West Lafayette, Ind., before establishing his own tax and financial services firm there. Combining his love for sports with his professional skills, for more than 30 years he spent Purdue game days working on the statistics staff for Purdue Football and Men's Basketball games.
Dick's passion for Big 10 college sports was a thread that ran throughout his life. He was a fervent supporter of both Michigan State and Purdue, taking great pleasure in the excitement that collegiate sports brings. His interests extended beyond the stadium as well, with music, fishing, and woodworking keeping him busy. He also was an avid follower of World War II history and airplanes, and he found joy tracking Indy auto racing teams. He was an excellent cook, a skill honed during his days as a cook in the National Guard, able to make delicious meals with even limited ingredients. He took pride in his homes, maintaining his lawns and gardens beautifully.
Preceded in death by his parents, Dick is survived by his brother Ronald Damman and wife Betty of Lake St. Louis, Mo.; his sister Bette Hunt, and her husband Dennis of Foristell, Mo.; his former wife Joanne Brundage of Kalamazoo, with whom he shared a close and mutually supportive friendship, and three adult children: Julie White of Kalamazoo, John Damman of Indianapolis, and Jill Damman (Griffin Caruolo) of Denver, along with several nieces, nephews, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
Dick will be interred in Fowlerville this summer during a private ceremony. Those wishing to memorialize Dick by making a donation may do so through a tribute gift to: Heritage Community of Kalamazoo Foundation, 2400 Portage Street, Kalamazoo MI 49001; Centrica Care Navigators Rose Arbor Place, 7100 Stadium Drive, Kalamazoo, MI 49009; or The Parkinson's Foundation, 5757 Waterford District Drive, Suite 310, Miami, FL 33126.
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