Harry Bohlman

Harry Bohlman of Tinicum Township, PA passed away on August 12, 2026 after an abundant life pursuing his life's passions. He was two days shy of his 83rd birthday.

Born in August 1943 and raised in Tinicum Township, Harry spent his entire life amid the rolling hills of Pennsylvania except for the years he was in college and the military. He earned his Associates Degree in Forestry from Paul Smith's College in New York State, where he was top in his class in dendrology, and served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War, drafted a year after his marriage in 1964 to his high school friend-turned-sweetheart, Joan. After he finished basic training at Fort Gordon, they went together to Fairbanks, Alaska. Harry served as a military policeman and dog handler for the duration of his service. 

After his discharge in 1967 from the Army, where he rose to the rank of corporal, Harry returned to his home place of Tinicum Township, where he began a work life that continued until the day he died. An eternal entrepreneur, he ran his own businesses with the help of his wife and family. He worked as an arborist and farmer, operated a tree company and two christmas tree farms, and practiced sustainable logging with a team of Percheron draft horses. His first and favorites were Tom and Toby, the same horses that pulled the wagon he drove to carry his mother's coffin to Brick Church Cemetery. His two beloved and hard-working border collies, Emmy & Cole, could often be spotted herding a flock of fifty Katahdin sheep between his two tree farms, three miles apart, with onlookers lining Dark Hollow and Smithtown Roads to observe the time-honored practice. 

Even with all these commitments, Harry always had time to offer a helping hand. Father to three daughters, he shared with them the skills he'd taught himself so they could become independent women. When December came, the whole family helped at the Christmas tree farms, where Harry would don chaps and a cowboy hat to give wagon rides, not dissuading visitors from thinking he was a cowboy visiting from Montana. His generosity reached beyond family. He would not hesitate to stop and help a stranger if he saw them roadside, changing a tire, or up a ladder, cutting a tree. Come snowstorms, he'd be the first one out in his truck, with tow chains and chainsaw at the ready. Harry wouldn't pass a roadside lemonade stand without stopping, but he'd also make sure the kid did a good job of selling their refreshing beverage, passing on his entrepreneurial know-how no matter the stakes.

Of German descent, Harry could be a stubborn perfectionist, and even difficult, but he always strove to share his knowledge with those around him, especially his employees. He encouraged them to cultivate their own skills and let them make their own mistakes. Every moment was a learning opportunity. His need to care for others, whether human, plant or animal, was spontaneous and unceasing. 

Sometimes it landed the family in a ditch. If a tree caught his eye, especially a white oak, it could be hard for him to look away. He was just as enamored with a tree once fallen, spending time as an artisan in his woodshop, where three-legged stools were left unfinished. His daughters have taken up the task of completion. 

Harry was an avid hunter and fisherman, as well as a member of the Doylestown Masonic Lodge. He loved a good joke. Bad ones, too. Do old cowboys wear boxers or briefs? Depends!

There's a well-known saying that if you know you're going to die tomorrow, plant a tree. Harry didn't know his end was so close, but his spring planting of seedlings was completed, even knowing they would take seven years to mature, the sky their only ceiling.

He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Joan Bohlman; three daughters, Heather Bohlman of CT, Kelly Simcox and Joanna Michini, both of PA; and granddaughter Clover Michini. He is also survived by three loving sisters, Sylvia, Carol, and Dolores, and their families. He was the son of the late Otto and Mary Bohlman.

Funeral services will be private. In lieu of flowers, consider a donation in Harry's memory to the Wounded Warriors or Shriner's Children's Hospital. And for the rest of your days, if you see a person who looks like they could use a hand, don't hesitate to stop and offer it. Harry would.