Lawrence "Doug" Douglass

Lawrence Ward "Doug" Douglass was born on October 6, 1932 in Garden City, Kansas and he passed away peacefully in Palmdale, California on January 30, 2014 at the age of 81. He and his twin brother were the eleventh and twelfth of twelve children born to Mabel Era (Ward) and Charles Meade Douglass. He grew up on a farm in the town of Ingalls, Kansas, but after graduating from Ingalls High School in 1950 he joined the Navy, where he served his country during the Korean War and saw much of East Asia as he was deployed to Korea, Japan, the Philippines, and Hong Kong. While he was being shipped out by train to San Diego, California for basic training, he sat next to another Kansas native, Bill Swearingen. This turned out to be a fateful meeting, as Bill introduced Doug to a cousin of his, Uda Jean Hackney, who was living in El Monte at the time. Three years later, on January 3, 1953 the two of them were married and began a life together that would last sixty-one years. By the time of his death, their union had resulted in four children, six grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.

Throughout his life, everyone who met Doug realized immediately that he was a hard-working, responsible, trustworthy man. Those who knew him best, though, understood that his work ethic was driven by the two things in life that really motivated him, faith and family. Doug began his construction career in Southern California with Hane construction. He then moved onto Superior Gunite, finishing his career as the superintendent for Johnson Western Gunite in the bay area. All of the long hours and weekends he spent working were done out of his love for his family and his desire to make sure his wife and children had the best life he could possibly provide. He also understood that providing for his family meant more than just providing for them materially. He was always willing to give his time to those he loved, and he could be one of the most spontaneous people any of his friends and family knew. It was not unusual for him to walk in the door from work and tell everyone to get ready quickly because we were going to a baseball game that night. He might even tell you to get packed, because on the way home he had decided that it was time for us to pay a visit to our relatives in Reno. At work he helped build many different amusement parks, but he liked playing in them even better. Whenever he took the kids to Disneyland, no one was a bigger kid that day than he was.

His faith was the other touchstone in his life. Being part of a church was not an option for him; it was something he had to do. His faith was not just evident on Sunday morning but it showed itself in how he lived his life. For him, being a Christian meant being an active participant in the ministries of the church and being a witness to those around him. It meant passing on his faith to his children and helping others in need. It drove him to take on positions of responsibility in every church in which he was a member, as well as being a member of the choir and a high school counselor.

Doug was preceded in death by his daughter, Wendy Lee. He is survived by his wife Uda, sister Irma, his children Larry (Jan), Greg, and Melinda (Jeff), grandchildren Amy (Jason), Matthew (Tatiana), Andrew, Cristen, Bethany, and Stephanie, and great-grandchildren Gavin, Cali, and Samantha. A viewing will be held at Douglass & Zook Funeral and Cremation Services, 600 E. Foothill Blvd, Monrovia, from 5:00 to 8:00 pm on Thursday, February 6. Funeral Services will be conducted at Monrovia United Methodist Church, 140 E. Palm Ave, Monrovia, at 10:00 am on Friday, February 7. A graveside committal ceremony will follow the funeral services at Oakdale Memorial Park, 1401 S. Grand Ave, Glendora. A reception will follow at The Monrovian Family Restaurant, 534 S. Myrtle Ave, Monrovia.