Karlis Dakers

It is with great sadness that the family of Karlis V. Dakers share with you the completion of a life well lived on March 24, 2025 at his home in Traverse City, MI. To say that he lived an extraordinary life is an understatement. Much of his formative years were spent escaping the horrors of war and doing what was necessary to survive. This incredible journey began on May 31, 1936 in Riga, Latvia, a country that he lived in until 1944, at which time his family fled the advancing Russian forces and settled in Germany.

After World War II ended in 1945, the family remained in Germany, primarily living in displaced persons camps as returning to their homeland of Latvia (which was now a part of the USSR) was not an option. Our family was fortunate to be sponsored by the Harold Dershem Family with the assistance of the Lowe United Methodist Church (in St. Johns, MI), making it possible to emigrate to the United States in 1949.

With very little money in their pocket, failure was not an option as our grandfather signed an affidavit with the Clinton County Clerk’s office stating the family would not go on public assistance or risk deportation. Dad's family took advantage of the opportunity and lived in a farmhouse provided by the Dershem family.

Dad's father, mother, older sister, Irene(age 16) and dad (age 13) each worked multiple jobs over the course of a few years to pool their money and buy the family farm in 1952 north of St. Johns which still remains in the family today. There is a letter arranging the details of the move to the United States in dad's handwriting at age 12 as he had the best grasp of English in the family at the time.

In 1953, he met his high school sweetheart and his eventual lifelong partner Janet Nichols. (They were paired up at a birthday party "snipe hunt:) While in high school, he would serve as the Student Council President, a member of the National Honor Society, and was a part of the 1954 St. Johns basketball team (state runner up) that are enshrined in the St. Johns High School Hall of Fame. Not bad for someone who didn’t know English a few years before!

After graduating from St. Johns High School in 1955, Karlis attended the University of Michigan for two years before deciding to switch gears and enlist in the United States Air Force in 1957. He served his country honorably for 4 years as a survival instructor, training many of the pilots who were later deployed to Vietnam.

While in the service in Reno, Nevada, Karlis and Janet were married on August 22, 1958 after Janet completed nursing school. They started their family with the arrival of son Jeff in 1959 and daughter Julie in 1961. After he was discharged in 1961, the family moved back to St. Johns and son, Joel became the final member of the household in 1963.

From 1961 until 1996, he was employed with Federal Mogul in St. Johns, with many years of service with the company. He began on the line operating a machine and ended his time there as a planning supervisor.

In 1971, a major life change came about as Karlis and Janet fell in love with Higgins Lake, a short 90-minute drive from St. Johns. Purchasing a small cabin that year, the sparkling clear bottom oasis became the weekend home away from home. In 1976, the Higgins Lake experience took on a major upgrade, as they were able to purchase a home on the water where they so loved to go.

For close to 20 years, a dream of having a new home on the water in retirement became reality as he was able to build the home that he visualized and sketched at his kitchen table many of those years. Much of retirement was spent enjoying the fruits of their labor, as he and Janet traveled the world. They were fortunate to visit Latvia, the place where he was born.

He also shared the gift of travel with his children and grandchildren taking all of them on a Disney Cruise in 2003. Over the years, traveling with family and making memories was a priority. In 2018, 25 family members joined Karlis and Janet on another cruise to celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary.

If you knew Karlis, you no doubt knew where he stood on the political spectrum. While you might agree to disagree with his stance, it’s hard to disagree with his reasoning as he was one of few people to know what it was like to live under Communism, Nazism and Democracy, all within a span of ten years!

Many of us grew up hearing about the American Dream, which meant to many of us that anything is possible if you work hard enough. Karlis made the most of that opportunity and made it possible for his wife and children to have a much better life than he was given.

Karlis and Janet Dakers were married for nearly 68 years, and Janet now carries on as the family matriarch. He left a legacy of their three children, Jeff (Janet Dakers), Julie (Lee Bravender) and Joel (Jennifer Dakers), plus ten grandchildren and six great grandchildren.

He is also survived by his younger brother Uldis (Mary) Dakers and younger sister Astrida Cox. He was preceded in death by his older sister Irene Garner and his parents, Pavils & Emma Dakers.

In his final weeks, the family learned that he had written a memoir of his experiences, much of what he had never shared with anyone. The hope of the family is to share some of those details from his life that made him such a respected & endeared husband, father, grandfather and friend.

Please join us for a celebration of his life on Saturday, April 26th at the Emerald Golf Course, 2300 W. Maple Rapids Rd. in St. Johns, MI. Visitation begins at 10:30am, Celebration of Life tribute follows at 11am with lunch after.

The family requests any memorial contributions to go to Hospice of Michigan. Traverse City

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