William Edwin Douglas

William Edwin Douglas, age 91, of Kendallville, died Tuesday, March 5, 2019 at Lutheran Life Villages in Kendallville.  Mr. Douglas was born September 25, 1927 in Scott, Ohio to the late Fred and Adecima (Shafer) Douglas. He graduated from Union Township High School in 1945 and entered into the United States Navy where he honorably served his country aboard the U.S.S. Fresno from 1945-1948.  Upon returning from the war, he studied at International Business College where he graduated in 1950.  On June 8, 1952, he married Jane Dietrich in Cleveland, Ohio and she preceded him in death in 2013.  Bill was employed for 18 years with Equifax/Retail Credit Company in Fort Wayne, Nationwide Insurance Agency, and Horace Mann Insurance Company. In 1989, he began working with Yuska Realty and Orizon Realty in Kendallville before retiring in 2002. He served on the Kendallville Zoning Board of Appeals and the Kendallville Park Board.  Bill was a member of the Free & Accepted Masonic Lodge in Kendallville. He was a 33rd degree Mason, member of the Mizpah Shrine and Scottish Rite in Fort Wayne where he was past president of the Director’s Unit.  He was also a member of the Blue Lodge in Van Wert, Ohio; and the York Rite in Auburn. He was a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Kendallville. Bill loved animals, golf, travel, collecting, and laughing and enjoying his friends. 

Survivors include:
Daughter, Kay Douglas of New York, New York.
American Field Service daughter, Elizabeth Hood Prioli of Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
Sister, Dorothy Holthaus of Sidney, Ohio.
Nephews, Bert Waldrop of Seattle, Washington; Larry Leonard of Sidney, Ohio; John and David Mackenbach both of Los Angeles, California.

He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife, Jane; and daughter, Ann Margueritte Douglas.

There will be a gathering of family and friends to remember and celebrate Bill’s life on Saturday, March 23, 2019 from 4:00 – 6:00 PM at Hite Funeral Home in Kendallville. A time of readings and sharing memories will begin at 5:15 PM with military honors conducted at 6:00 PM by members of the American Legion and VFW Honor Guard. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Shriners Hospital for Children. www.shrinershospitalforchildren.org.  Share a memory or send a condolence online at www.hitefuneralhome.com 

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