Douglas Putnam Obituary

Douglas John Putnam of Elkhart passed away on Sept. 16, 2025. He was 101.

He was born on Dec. 1, 1923, in Toronto, Canada, to Lawrence and Gertrude Putnam. At an early age his family moved to the United States and lived in the suburbs of Detroit, Michigan. He graduated from Grosse Pointe High School shortly after the start of the Second World War.

During the war he served in a B17 flying with the 832nd Bomber Group (8th Air Force) based in England and flew 31 combat missions – many of them in the lead plane.

After the war he returned to Michigan and attended the University of Michigan where he met Mary E. Trumbull. He graduated from Michigan with a BA in Political Science. On Dec. 28, 1949, he and Mary were married in Grosse Pointe, Michigan.

He began his working career with Fisher Body (a part of GM) before deciding to work directly in automobile sales, first with Chevrolet. In 1956 he purchased a Chrysler agency in Bloomington, Illinois. After selling this first business, he felt fortunate to be selected as a Volkswagen dealer and the family moved to Elkhart, Indiana, where he opened Putnam Volkswagen in 1961. Later, the business expanded to include Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Audi, Honda and Mazda occupying four total buildings with nearly 100 employees. With the additions, the business's name changed to Putnam Imports. It is fair to say that he, Mary and his boys loved building this business in Elkhart.

In addition to his automobile career, he served as chairman of the Elkhart City United Way Drive, president of the Elkhart Rotary Club, a director of the former Tower Federal Savings and Loan (now a part of Bank of America), and a director of the former Commercial Bankers Insurance of Fort Wayne. He was a past director of the Elcona Country Club, and he served on the Elkhart Airport Commission and the Elkhart Planning Commission. He was a founder of the Elkhart Consumer Counseling Service and recognized nationally by Sports Illustrated as an Automobile Dealer of the year. He served as president of the Elkhart Automobile Dealers Association and served on innumerable Automobile Manufacturer's dealer councils. Doug was recognized for his service to the community by Rotary International and named a Paul Harris Fellow. Lastly, he served as an Elkhart Chamber of Commerce director and was a member emeritus of the 20/20 business group.

He attended the Trinity United Methodist Church until, more recently, attending the First Presbyterian Church.

His passion outside of family and work was golf and, earlier in life, aviation, flying his own plane for over 20 years to benefit business development. In addition to supporting golf in the Elkhart area, he was a long-time member of Crystal Downs Country Club in upper Michigan and felt very fortunate to have attended in-person some national golfing events with family members. He enjoyed reading and continued learning related to political science his entire life.

Doug worked to employ Rotary's lesson of finding the truth and fairness for all throughout his life. Perhaps his greatest gift was a willingness to listen to others and hear opinions different from his own. Those who worked with him noted his ability to effectively calm disagreements and to encourage mutual respect among all parties.

Devoted to his family he was a proud father of three sons. He took great pleasure in sharing activities with their families including grandchildren and great grandchildren. Sometimes he went a little too far, experiencing muscle strains and even cracked ribs when trying to demonstrate water skiing and sailing after age 70!

At the end, he held close to his heart the Michiana region, a lifetime of friends, and his late-in-life companion, Millie Petersen, whom he spent time with after the death of his beloved Mary.

Survivors include two sons, Matthew Putnam (Ann) of Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Joel (Jean) Putnam of Miami, Florida. Other survivors include four grandchildren, Morgan Putnam (Ruth), D. Reed Putnam (Sarah), Merril Seidl (Ben) and Audrey Kenworthy (Max) and seven great grandchildren Olin Seidl, Rhys Putnam, Leo Seidl, D. Cash Putnam, Ellory Putnam, Cece Putnam and Jackson Kenworthy. His story telling and laughter will be missed by all.

He was predeceased by his parents, son Todd C., his wife Mary T., and his brother (William) and sister (Patricia).

He will be cremated and his remains placed beside his son Todd and wife Mary in Crystal Lake Township Cemetery in Frankfort, Michigan. This is a historical cemetery which Doug was involved in revitalizing located near the family cottage.

In lieu of flowers the family suggests remembrances be donated to the Community Foundation of Elkhart County for the Mary T. and Doug Putnam Scholarship or the Todd C. Putnam Scholarship or to the Wellfield Botanic Gardens or to a charity of one's choosing.

A service in Elkhart will be held for family and friends at 11 a.m. Nov. 15 at the First Presbyterian Church with a 10 a.m. visitation preceding and a reception following.