James Roger Douglass passed away on February 23, 2018 surrounded by his daughter and granddaughter.
Born and raised in Belle, West Virginia, James earned his BA at West Virginia Institute of Technology and studied for his Masters Degree at Indiana University in Business and Music.
Jim had a long career as an airline pilot starting with his cadet training in the Air Force to being hired as a commercial airline pilot with Pan American World Airways. While furloughed from Pan Am, he was recommended for a job with Bendix Aviation that led to him working with NASA on the space programs, most notably the Friendship 7 mission piloted by John Glenn. Jim served as the simulation and check pilot for all the tracking stations worldwide that would communicate with and monitor Glenn’s groundbreaking flight. Jim was called back to work with Pan Am where he continued to fly for Pan Am until the airline ceased operations. He was invited by United Airlines to join their ranks as a flight engineer, which he did until his final retirement in 1998.
Jim met Margaret Elizabeth Evans (Betty), the love of his life in Columbus Ohio during a stop on a transport mission with the Air Force. They married and began a sixty-year journey of enduring love until Betty’s death in March of 2016. They moved to Lake Mohawk in 1958 and were members of the community.
Jim was an avid golfer and a member of the Lake Mohawk Golf Club for over 50 years. He loved animals, painting and vacationing in Hilton Head Island.
Jim was a polite, soft-spoken gentleman but underneath that cool calm exterior was the quickest wit and a killer talent for wordplay, an irresistible gift for fun, a huge heart and generosity of spirit as big as the world he travelled. He loved music and was always singing or whistling his repertoire of opera, popular ballads, big band songs, and hymns. He played banjo, ukulele and trumpet.
His greatest love was family. He always had time, gifts, games and wisdom for his daughter and his granddaughter during their childhoods and beyond. As well as remaining a dutiful and loving husband, son, brother and uncle throughout his life.
Jim is survived by his daughter, Lee and granddaughter, Cayenne and his favorite niece, Deanna Douglass as well as his nieces, Lynne Douglass and Barbara Ellis and nephew, William Greg Douglass. He was predeceased by his loving wife, Betty, his sister, Georgia Wynns and his two older brothers, Leon and Jack and nephew, Ronald Douglass.
It was Betty’s request that no service be held immediately following her death, but that her family wait to honor her life at the time of her husband’s memorial and for the service to be a celebration of both their lives. The funeral for James R Douglass and life celebration for Betty and Jim will take place at Goble Funeral Home on Thursday, March 1, 2018. The viewing will begin at 11 am and the service will start promptly at 12 o’clock noon. In lieu of flowers donations can be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital in the Douglass family name.