David Lee Douglas
September 05, 1930 - March 02, 2015
Obituary
MADISON–David Lee Douglas passed away peacefully on Monday, March 2, 2015, at Oak Park Place. David was born on Sept.5, 1930 to James Lee and Carrie (James) Douglas, in Madison. David attended Nichols School in Monona and went to Madison East High School where he graduated in 1948. David started working for Bud Badeau, and eventually Monona Plumbing as an apprentice. He married his high school sweetheart, Marian Cnare on Nov. 4, 1953. After the birth of their first son, Dan, David joined the Seabees reserve unit, and was stationed in the Philippines until his return in 1957. He remained at Monona Plumbing until it merged with Hooper Construction. David was instrumental in developing the plumbing division, bidding and running major construction jobs for Hooper throughout the Midwest, until his retirement in 1996. In addition to Dan, David and Marian also had the “3 from 63”, Dawn, Tim and Scott. David enjoyed hunting with his sons and grandsons, and snowmobiling with the whole family. After retirement, he and Marian enjoyed traveling around the country, including their trip of a lifetime to Alaska. David was also known as the tomato king, and shared his bounty with the entire neighborhood. He could fix anything and had a vast knowledge of anything nature. David is survived by his children, Dan (Linda) Douglas, Tim (Terri) Douglas, Scott (Kim) Douglas of Madison, and Dawn (Mike) Douglas-Mellom of Cottage Grove; grandchildren, Ryan (Theresa) Douglas, Kellie (Nate) Bett, Matthew (Tina) Douglas, Nicholas (Briana Meisel) Douglas, Jeremy (Jessica Showers) Douglas, Kevin Douglas, and Connor and Kaitlyn Mellom; great-grandchildren, Calvin, Lucas and Wesley Douglas, Langdon, Danica and Jessalyn Bett, and Hailey and Jordan Douglas; and sister, Delia Long. He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Marian; sister, Nancy Douglas; and brothers, Charles and James. A funeral service will be held at GUNDERSON EAST FUNERAL HOME, 5203 Monona Dr., at 11 a.m., on Friday, March 6, 2015. Burial will be held at Highland Memory Gardens. Visitation will be held at the funeral home from 10 a.m. until the time of the service on Friday. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Agrace HospiceCare. Special thanks and gratitude to Beverly Lucenas, who cared for him like a father, and to the staff at Oak Park Place. You kept him safe and comfortable during the last leg of his journey. Online condolences may be made at www.gundersonfh.com.
Gunderson East
Funeral & Cremation Care
5203 Monona Drive
(608)221-5420
Events
Visitation
Fri Mar 6, 2015 @ 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM CDT
Gunderson Funeral and Cremation Care - Madison • 5203 Monona Drive, Madison, WI 53716
Service
Fri Mar 6, 2015 @ 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM CDT
Gunderson Funeral and Cremation Care - Madison • 5203 Monona Drive, Madison, WI 53716
Photos
No photos of David have been shared yet.
Memories
JW
Joanna Williams
Other •
May the memories and joy that a family creates through a lifetime, be brought together during this time. I know the Douglas family to be full of life, laughter and FUN! I am thinking of all you during this time and feel blessed to have known your dad. Keep your spirits up and the love strong. Love, Joanna
DG
Doug Gehrke
Other •
I will remember Dave and his dry sense of humor and his ambitious work schedule even after he retired.
He was a quality plumber, handy man, and a GREAT GUY. He will be missed by all who knew him. RIP Dave.
KT
Karen Thompson
Other •
I am so sorry for the loss of your dad, grandpa & great-grandpa! I know that you have many good memories of Dave and I hope those are able to sustain you in the hard days ahead. You are all in my prayers! Karen Thompson
BS
Bert Slinde
Other •
My condolences to you, and your family Dan. You've had a wonderful leader your entire life. Enjoy all the memories that you all have!
RD
Robert Douglas
Other •
I was always a little jealous of Danny, Scott, Dawn and Tim. Their father and Mother always taught them everything. Ehen I was a trouble-making teenager they put me in Aunt Marian's math class! My dad knew I was in trouble even before I did from then on! I did get pretty good at math though. I always really liked Uncle Dave and Aunt Marian. I will miss and remember the both of them.
Robert (Bobby) Douglas
LD
Linda Douglas
Other •
I feel honored to have had a Father-In-Law like Dave. He was always there when we needed him to be. Whether it be to work endlessly on our two home additions or to help us with an emergency plumbing problem I knew all I had to do was call Dave and he would be there Johnny On The Spot! My kids would always ask Grandpa for his help because they knew he could get it done. His famous words were "Nothing was impossible it just would take a little longer" He was very supportive of my Catholic faith and when Dan wanted to join my religion he was absolutely okay with his decision to do that. I will always remember his liking for my Homemade Pies. He always had room for dessert and I knew that Rhubarb was his favorite.
Linda Douglas