Bob
Douglas
Robert E. “Bob” Douglas, age 90, of Lamar,
passed away Thursday, September 18,
2008 at St. John’s Regional
Medical Center
in Joplin.
Bob was born September 28, 1917 in Lamar, the third son of Leonard
and Mary (Lang) Douglas. He graduated
from Lamar High School
in 1935 and worked for Three Brothers Supply Store and Elgin Dermott Motors
until his induction into the U.S. Army on December 7, 1942.
He served on Adak in the Aleutian
Islands and Camp Croft, South
Carolina.
While on leave from Camp Croft,
Bob came home to Lamar to marry the love of his life, Eileen Duffy on June 13, 1944. He was discharged in 1945, and they returned
to Lamar and Bob’s job with Elgin Dermott.
He then received a direct commission as a 2nd Lieutenant from
the Missouri National Guard and worked at Camp
Clark in Nevada,
the U.S. Property and Fiscal Office in Jefferson City,
and served three tours of duty in the Pentagon.
After more than 30 years of military service, Bob retired as a Lt.
Colonel in 1979.
In
his retirement years, Bob revitalized the Barton County Historical Society and
Museum, serving as its president for the past 30 years. He was an active member of Lamar
United Methodist
Church where he served as Historian
and taught Sunday school class. A
tireless worker in his community, Bob received the Chamber of Commerce Truman
Award and Volunteer Spirit Award, Community Betterment President’s Award and
the D.A.R. Medal of Honor.
Survivors include his wife of 64 years, Eileen, of the home; a daughter,
Suzanne Dennison, Jefferson City, Missouri; his grandson, Bart Douglas Phipps;
two great grandchildren, Dakota Wayne and Bridget Eileen; and a sister, Thelma
“Sue” Smith, Banning, California. He was
preceded in death by two brothers, Jim Douglas and Dr. Joe Douglas; a sister,
Wilma “Billie” Norwood, and a son-in-law, Wm. Reed Dennison.
A celebration of life service will be held
at 2:00 p.m. Monday, September 22nd,
at Daniel Funeral Home where the family will receive friends from 1:00 p.m. until service time. Honoring Bob’s wishes, his body has been
cremated and burial will be in Lake Cemetery
at a later date.
Memorial contributions are suggested to Lamar
United Methodist
Church or Barton County Historical
Society, in care of Daniel Funeral Home.
To send flowers to the family in memory of Bob Douglas, please visit our
flower store.