John L. Douglas

May 24, 1932 - December 28, 2018

John L. Douglas, age 86, of Alpena, Michigan, passed away on Friday, December 28, 2018. He was a resident of St. Anne Communities in Huntington, Indiana. Visitation with light lunch will be from 12:30 – 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, January 2, 2019 at Victory Noll Center Chapel, 1900 West Park Drive, Huntington, Indiana. Funeral services will immediately follow at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday with Fr. Tony Steinacker officiating. Burial will be in Preque Isle, Michigan next to John’s beloved wife, Carol. Preferred memorials are to St. Anne Communities or Visiting Nurse and Hospice Home, in care of Bailey-Love Mortuary, 35 West Park Drive, Huntington, Indiana, 46750. John was born on May 24, 1932 in Toledo, Ohio, the son of Edward and June E. (Dougherty) Douglas, and had four brothers. He graduated from Waite High School, studied communications, and served honorably in the United States Air Force for four years. He married Carol Ann Kurek on September 4, 1954 in Toledo, and they soon had two daughters, Connie and Leilani. John’s career as a communications engineer took him and his family across the country and beyond – to Georgia, Hawaii, Okinawa (Japan), Utah, Texas, and Iowa. After serving 11 years in private industry with three communications firms, John began his civil service career with the U.S. Air Force Engineering Installation in Honolulu, Hawaii. He then served five years in Okinawa with the U.S. Army Strategic Communications Pacific Field Office (PACFO). During that time, he was Project Engineer for the Joint USA/Thai High Frequency Radio Transmitter station at Bang Pla, Thailand. During TET of 1968, John was the PACFO Liaison Officer at the 1st Signal Brigade HQ at Long Binh, Vietnam. In the early 1970s he was the engineer in charge of the demilitartized zone in the Chorwan Valley along the border with North Korea. After returning stateside, John served as Chief of the U.S. Army Communications Command Detachment at Dugway Proving Ground in Utah, and then as Chief of the USACC Detachment at Red River Army Depot in Texarkana, Texas. He concluded his career at Rock Island Arselal near Davenport, Iowa. After retiring, John and Carol moved to Presque Isle, Michigan, where they enjoyed a long retirement, spending many years boating and fishing from their lake home, and winters in the South. Family and friends were always welcome and time spent there was magical, thanks to the love, warmth, and hospitality of the pair. John was a devoted husband and father, beloved by his family, who will miss him greatly. Survivors include daughters Leilani (Daniel) Patton of Huntington and Connie Wallace of Alpena, Michigan, a brother, James (Marie) Douglas of Alpena, Michigan, granddaughters Elizabeth Kennedy and Niya Artez, and a great grandson, Bryan Elde. He is preceded in death by his parents, his wife, and brothers Robert Douglas, William Douglas, and Thomas Douglas.