By Bruce McKenzie
When John and Dorie Springer started their family many years ago, neither of them realized where life would take them. It doesn’t seem so long ago that John and Dorie were both working at Kroger in St. Marys, Ohio, where John was raised, and not far from Dorie’s home in the small town of Minster. But one thing led to another, and soon the couple were living in Piqua, near where John was working in Sidney while going to school for computer programming.
As John’s career evolved, he found work with magazine publisher McCall’s as a systems analyst programmer. John and Dorie both felt it was a good idea to get closer to his job. They first looked on the south side of Dayton, but soon realized that there was another option, a community not so far away which met their needs.
That community, a small town called Tipp City, remains to this day one where the neighbor’s wave to each other, family values are consistently instilled, and the residents take pride in their community. It was these smaller things that the community offered that drew them to what they called their “new hometown.”
As fate would have it, John found himself looking for work when McCall’s closed its doors after a long run in Dayton. But he soon found his skills were in need as a project lead at NCR, traveling coast to coast to meet the needs of a booming organization.
During their time in Tipp City, John and Dorie raised four children: Tim, Joe, Mark, and Lisa.
All the children became involved in various activities throughout the years, from sports to band, and the family resided in the Roslyn subdivision for more than three decades.
But it wasn’t until after the children left home and got married that John and Dorie decided they wanted to give back to the community. With a great school system, the needy basket program, and an excellent EMS service, both John and Dorie knew what to do.
First, they spoke with their children, letting them in on their idea. Each of the children thought it was a great idea as well. However, each family member had different ideas on how best to serve the community.
But soon the family decided on “the final five.”
After meeting with representatives from the Tipp City Foundation, the John and Dorie Springer Family Fund was established in October 2020. Fully functioning since that time, the Fund supports initiatives through the Tipp City Foundation including Tipp City EMS, Tipp City Needy Baskets, the Tipp City Schools’ music and science departments, St. Jude’s Children research hospital, and the Special Wish Foundation.
Each of these institutions receive an annual grant in perpetuity, which in-turn supports so many individuals in the community.
Additionally, with their children Joe, Mark, and Lisa, along with their spouses and children, living and active in the Tipp and Troy communities (Tim and wife live in San Antonio, Texas), the John and Dorie Springer Family Fund solidifies the family’s Tipp City legacy and its promotion of hometown pride and civic responsibility.
While Dorie passed away in 2018 and wasn’t able to see firsthand the effect of giving back to the community, her legacy lives on through this special fund.
John, who retired in 1993, enjoyed a long and successful career, being involved in many high-profile initiatives for NCR.
Since the establishment of the Fund, he has downsized to a single-story home in Tipp’s Sycamore Woods subdivision. But he hasn’t slowed down: for his 81st birthday, he took time to go indoor skydiving, and for his 82nd birthday, he enjoyed the “Indy” experience, riding in a two-seat racecar around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway racetrack at 180 miles per hour.
Reflecting on their time in Tipp City, John commented, “Since we moved to Tipp, the town has really grown, but it still has the small-town feel where you get to know your neighbors.”
He stated that his only regret is that he and Dorie didn’t set the John and Dorie Springer Family Fund earlier. However, the family believes that through the Fund, the Springers’ legacy and heritage of community appreciation is being demonstrated each and every year and would certainly have made Dorie happy.
And it is through great personal stories such as this that we are reminded of the power and importance of family, hard work, civic responsibility, and giving back.