Thursday, January 25, 2018
Doug was a man of quick wit and intelligence. He had a sense of adventure and was not afraid to get his hands dirty. He enjoyed a good argument and would tell me that I would make a great diplomat as I did not enjoy taking sides with whomever he was arguing with at the time.
He helped put in a water line, did dry wall, and installed a garage door opener (which was one of Denice's favorite gifts) at the stone house on 3L. I accidentally broke the soap dish in their newly tiled bathroom and felt terrible and Doug made me feel better by saying it was no big deal.
Doug loved animals. They had a bunny, Lytle the beautiful cat and later Gem the most spoiled of dogs. While animal sitting I would receive calls to make sure the pets were okay while they were traveling. My friends thought it was nutty. But nothing compared to the love he had for Evan and Chelsea. Doug worked so much harder to get ahead after they arrived. He was attentive to their needs; to the point of driving dad crazy with talk about nitrates, preservatives and food coloring. He counted protein grams for Chelsea who would only eat Arby's roast beef and no other meat. He put in a water distiller to make sure they had clean water. Doug went to battle when Finneytown decided to put in the tallest radio tower in Cincinnati. He went to baseball games, piano and dance recitals and gymnastic practices. He became a marching band and theatre parent. He shared many precious moments with us and never made us feel like we were intruding, even when we invited ourselves for trick-or-treating, outings to the zoo, Kings Island or just hanging out.
Doug learned to cook and mastered vegetarian chili, chocolate chip cookies and cheese cake. He liked the latest technology and was always looking forward to the next great gadget. He was a photographer by trade and enjoyed making videotapes. He captured many family memories; birthdays, first communions, recitals, holidays and weddings.
Doug would always ask how you were and then let you know what his kids were up to. He never had to brag as it was obvious they were smart, talented and beautiful.
You could just tell he was so proud of them. Evan and Chelsea are Doug's pride and glory - his legacy.
