Centenarian WWII Veteran Donates Skin Tissue To Aid Dozens After Passing
November 12, 2025 — by Transplant News
USA: A 101-year-old World War II veteran continued his service after death by becoming a tissue donor whose skin will be available for transplantation to as many as 75 people. The veteran, identified as Chuck Lehman, died on October 6, 2025 from a heart condition. Roughly an hour after his passing, his son Chris received a call from Gift of Life Michigan informing the family that Lehman was eligible to donate tissue despite his advanced age.
Lehman’s military history was recounted by his son as a life defined by service. He was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1943 at age 18, saw combat in Belgium during the Battle of the Bulge, was captured and held as a prisoner of war after being wounded in the neck by enemy fire, and was liberated by Allied forces on April 14, 1945. After the war he married his high school sweetheart, Dorothy, in 1948 and later settled in Detroit around 1955, where he worked for the city before moving into private practice in landscape and architecture.
The medical team and donation coordinators emphasized that there is no strict upper-age cutoff for tissue donation, a fact that surprised the family but affirmed Lehman’s final wish or designation to provide for others. Gift of Life Michigan handled the arrangements, and the donated skin tissue is expected to support dozens of patients who require grafts or reconstructive procedures. The word transplant is central to the outcome: Lehman’s tissue will enter clinical pathways to restore health and function for multiple recipients.
Family members described the decision as a continuation of a lifetime of quiet generosity and duty. The son framed the donation as one more act of service by a man who endured wartime captivity and then built a long civilian life, leaving behind a tangible legacy through transplantation that will affect many lives in the years ahead.
