'THE GREAT OUTDOORSMAN' LONGTIME FIREMAN RICHARD DOMHOFF HAD AFFINITY FOR WILDERNESS.

Byline: Holly J. Andres Staff Writer

Richard Domhoff's lifelong passion for outdoor fun created happy memories for his children and will be a legacy they pass on to his grandchildren.

Domhoff, a retired Burbank firefighter and former resident of Thousand Oaks, died Jan. 27 of cancer. He was 63.

``We called him 'the great outdoorsman.' He liked to go snow skiing and waterskiing, fishing, motorcycle and dirt biking, and hunting. He took us camping all the time and everywhere,'' said his daughter, Tami Larson.

``I think he got us involved in all these activities because they brought the family together. It's what I'm going to pass down to my children.''

Larson said her father liked to sleep under the stars on wilderness trips although the family had an RV. Domhoff was strong and resourceful and could ``find his way out of a forest by himself.''

Richard Wayne Domhoff was born Aug. 16, 1941, in Youngstown, Ohio, and moved with his family to Van Nuys a year later. He dropped out of Van Nuys High School to join the Marines when he was 17, and served from 1958 to 1962.

Domhoff considered following in his father's footsteps as a Los Angeles Police Department officer, but took the Burbank Fire Department test on a whim in 1963. He passed and worked for the department for more than three decades, until his retirement in December 1994.

``Dick was a very strong and capable firefighter. He was a very tough and reliable and dedicated firefighter and he served this community for 31 years after he had served his country as a Marine for four years,'' said Burbank Battalion Chief Bill Sanders.

``He was a real doer kind of person and he was known as a very trusted and competent firefighter. He was known as a get-it-done kind of guy that you could turn to. Dick was always good in the trenches.''

``Dick was always very popular. He kept friends when he made them. He had a great sense of humor, a beautiful smile and a hearty laugh,'' said his mother, Mae Domhoff.

Domhoff was married to Jackie Houser from 1970 to 1988, when they divorced. He married his second wife, Margie, in 1995.

Domhoff is survived by his wife, Margie; children, Tami Larson and Derek Domhoff; two grandchildren; his mother, Mae Domhoff; and his sister, Mary Jo Savoy.

His father, Wayne Domhoff, died in 1989.

A memorial service was held Tuesday in Burbank. He was cremated and his ashes will be buried in Elk Bend, Idaho.

Memorial donations can be sent to USC/Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center and Hospital, 1441 Eastlake Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90033-1048.

Holly Andres, [phone]

holly.andres(at)dailynews.com

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