Douglas Lavon McDougal's Obituary
Douglas Lavon McDougal, 68, died Sunday, July 16, 2017 at Gilchrist Hospice Care in Towson, MD.
He is survived by his wife of almost 45 years, Dorothy (Roehl) McDougal; his daughter, Kathryn McDougal and her husband, Viraj Mehta; his son, Craig McDougal and his wife, Carli (Kippenhan) McDougal; his daughter, Gwen McDougal and her husband, Daniel Belov; 8 grandchildren; his mother, Elizabeth (VanWinkle) McDougal; and 3 siblings, Donald McDougal, Sharon (McDougal) Winegardner and Karen (McDougal) Axdorff. He is preceded in death by his father, James A. McDougal.
Born September 2, 1948 in Newport, Arkansas, Doug spent his childhood in New Buffalo, MI. He attended Michigan State University where he received a degree in microbiology. His professional career was spent working for the State of Michigan in the Department of Public Health and the Department of Agriculture. In 1982, Doug identified and named a new strain of Salmonella. His research was published in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology.
Doug met his wife, Dotty, at a library in Detroit, MI and they lived in Vermontville, MI for 37 years where they raised their 3 children. In Vermontville he was active in the community through the Boy Scouts of America and as a member of the First Congregational Church. He also worked as a volunteer collecting sap with the Vermontville Syrup Association. In 2015, after Doug and his wife retired, they moved to Rockford, MI, where they lived for 2 years before moving to Perry Hall, MD to be near their daughter.
Doug had a passion for nature and the outdoors. He enjoyed paddling throughout the United States as well as longer wilderness canoe trips in Canada. He participated in the Hugh Heward Canoe Challenge where he received several certificates for paddling over 50 miles in one day. One of Doug’s goals was to run a marathon, which he achieved upon completion of the Detroit Free Press Marathon at the age of 40.
Doug is buried at Bestgate Memorial Park in Annapolis, MD. Memorial donations can be made to the Alzheimer’s Association of West Michigan, the Sierra Club or to a local hospice.
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