Oneita (Nita) Sommerkamp Dohrman, 97, of California, MD, passed away peacefully Thursday, February 22, 2024.
She was born in Cumberland, MD, to the late John Humbird and Anna Marion (Padgett) Sommerkamp.
Nita was raised in Cumberland where she graduated from Fort Hill High School in 1944 and Memorial Hospital Nursing School in 1947. Upon graduation she moved to New York City to begin a nursing career at New York Hospital/Cornell Medical Center. While living in New York Nita fell in love with everything about “the city that never sleeps”. She would revisit often throughout her life with family and friends showing them all that New York has to offer including riding the subway and attending the most current theatre productions.
In November of 1951 she met her future husband, Wil, on a blind date and they were married in August of 1952. They moved to Morgantown, WV, where Nita worked as a Nursing Supervisor while Wil continued his college education. For the next decade they worked, studied, and started their family in Prince Georges and Montgomery Counties in Maryland before moving to St. Mary’s County in 1965. She soon embraced “the County” life and enjoyed new food experiences including crabs, stuffed ham, and especially fried oysters.
Nita continued her nursing career first at the St. Mary’s Nursing Center in Leonardtown then at the Village Medical Center in Mechanicsville. She left in 1974 to work with Dr. Eugene Guazzo at the newly established Maryland Infirmary in Chaptico before retiring after 25 years in 1989.
Nita was a woman of strong faith, and since 1965 a devoted member of Hollywood United Methodist Church, and active with the United Methodist Women.
Nita was an avid fan of baseball and football at all levels. Her love of football started while in high school where perennial powerhouse Fort Hill would pack Sentinel Stadium. She was a lifelong Orioles fan after the team’s arrival in Baltimore in 1954 and a Baltimore Colts fan turned Washington Redskins fan after the Colts 1984 midnight “sneak out of town”.
Nita was the scorekeeper for her son’s little league baseball teams and enthusiastically supported her children’s extracurricular activities. She also attended and enjoyed Great Mills and Chopticon High Schools’ athletic and other events. Most of all Nita loved watching her grandchildren compete in gymnastics, swimming, baseball, and football.
Nita enjoyed playing Bridge, was an avid reader, and loved the music of Tony Bennett. She enjoyed knitting and was also an extremely skilled seamstress winning many ribbons at the St. Mary’s County Fair for her entries.
Over the years Nita was a volunteer not only with her Church but also with Parent Teacher Associations, St. Mary’s County Library, Interfaith Volunteers, Happy Hearts, St. Mary’s County Fair, Meals on Wheels, St. Paul’s UMC Soup Kitchen, SIDS Invitational Golf Tournament, and many others.
Nita is survived by her children Leigh Miller (Lee) Harrellsville, NC, Grace-Anne Dohrman (Herschel Wilder) California, MD, and Chuck Dohrman Baltimore, MD. Also survived by grandchildren Cassandra Fox (Daniel), Marinanicole Schultheiss (Matt), Luke Dohrman, Jacob Dohrman, and great-grandchildren Theodore and Lee Fox. She is also survived by many people special to her including sister-in-law Patricia Dohrman, Teresa Dohrman, cousins, nieces, nephews, and great-nieces and -nephews. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Wilbur Dohrman, her in-laws Wilbur J. and Eva Dohrman, grandson Zachary Dohrman, brother and sister-in-law Charles (Hummie) and Teresa Sommerkamp, brother-in-law Paul Dohrman, and son-in-law Ted Vickers.
The family will receive visitors Monday, March 4, 2024, at Brinsfield Funeral Home, Leonardtown, MD, from 4 to 7 pm. Funeral service will be held at 11 am Tuesday, March 5, 2024, Hollywood United Methodist Church, Hollywood, MD, with interment to follow at Joy Chapel Cemetery, Hollywood, MD.
Donations in her name may be made to: United Women of Faith, c/o Hollywood United Methodist Church, 24422 Mervell Dean Road, Hollywood, MD 20636 or The St. Mary’s County Library Foundation, 23630 Hayden Farm Lane, Leonardtown, MD 20650.
