Robert Douglas "Doug" Pugh

Robert Douglas “Doug” Pugh was born on October 5, 1949, as part of an experiment by God to see how many humorous contradictions he could cram into one person. The middle child of Elizabeth (Wall) and Charles Pugh, Doug grew up in the townships around Cincinnati. At the age of 17, frustrated with living at home, he decided that the best course of action was to join the Marines in 1967. After completing his service and being honorably discharged in 1969, he worked in various jobs before settling into a career with IT/computers that spanned more than 40 years.

Often mistaken for a responsible adult, Doug was actually three golden retrievers in human form, which explains why he liked to run after frisbees and baseballs. He had a lifelong love of music, baseball, road trips, playing with toys (he sometimes even let his grandkids play with them), learning new things, and not taking himself seriously. His offbeat and often irreverent sense of humor, combined with his zest for life and genuine interest in others brought joy to everyone around him. He often said the things he was the most proud of were: 1.) Being a parent, 2.) Being a grandparent, 3.) Being a Marine, and 4.) Successfully convincing people he was a mature adult.

On August 24, 2025, Doug decided that the best way to get all eight of his kids together in one place was by punching his ticket, and that he might as well go while the weather was nice. While his kids love a family reunion, they feel that doing it right before Labor Day was uncalled for, and the least he could’ve done was stock up the fridge first. Especially considering it was a holiday weekend.

Remaining to carry on his legacy of learning, laughter, and love are his loving partner Venita Jo Hargis, his children Jen (Mike) Hansert, Kari (Megan) Hanke, Justin Pugh, Sam Pugh, Ian (Charity) Pugh, Leah (Daniel) Hildreth, Kendra “Jackie” Moores, and Grace Moores, and grandchildren Joren, Aric, Ella, Elliot, Robbie, Tyler, and Nathan.

Visitation will be Friday, September 12 from 4-8pm at Arch L. Heady at Resthaven Memorial Park, 4400 Bardstown Rd, Louisville. The Celebration of Life will be held at the same location on Saturday, September 13 at 11:00. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Toys for Tots [https://louisville-ky.toysfortots.org] or the West Louisville Performing Arts Academy [https://www.wlpaa.org/].

“A man is not dead while his name is still spoken.” from Going Postal, by Sir Terry Pratchett