Douglas Sawyer Gipson, of Mountain Shores community on High Rock Lake in Davidson County, North Carolina bid farewell to his fiancé and partner, Sharon Fenton on Saturday, May 21st at 2:21 in the afternoon. Doug had been in declining health for several years as he battled Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis.
Doug was born in Detroit, Michigan on September 20, 1945 to Julia Sawyer of Redcliff, Kentucky and Virgil T. Gipson of Louisville, Kentucky. He was raised in the United Methodist Church and had fond memories of attending Sunday School.
He was preceded in death by his parents, two Brothers – Robert and James and his Sister, Joyce all of Birmingham, Michigan. One Sister survives, Susan Ardel, who resides in Michigan.
Doug attended High School in Bloomfield, Michigan and graduated in 1964. He graduated from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor with a BS Business Administration degree in 1968. He was an active member of the Theta Delta Chi Fraternity.
Doug worked summer jobs in Detroit at General Motors, where his Father was a C.P.A. After college, he began working in the loan department at a bank, where he advanced to become the Assistant Manager.
In 1985, Doug began working with Honda American, which was a new company in the auto industry at the time. He was the Mid-Western District Sales Manager until 1990 and worked for a few years out of Charlotte. At one point in his career with Honda, he traveled four states and was based in Phoenix, Arizona. The travel became intense, and Doug immersed himself in his work. Doug moved to Boca Raton in 1990 to manage the Southeastern District for Honda America and continued with Honda until 1992.
Later in his career, Doug worked with Isuzu Motors Ltd in their commercial trucks division based in Riveria Beach, Florida. He managed commercial sales for the entire state of Florida, and Disney was one of his key accounts.
Doug received the Winners Circle Award for most trucks sold in the United States for three consecutive years: 2000 – 2002. He was honored at a national convention in Las Vegas for his tremendous sales achievements.
In 2009, Doug retired from Isuzu Motors and lived in Boca Raton, where he met Sharon Fenton. They became engaged in 2017 and enjoyed traveling together on cruise vacations and trips to the Western US. They moved to Greensboro, North Carolina in 2017 and continued to visit their home in The Villages, Florida each winter.
Doug was an avid golfer until his illness no longer allowed him to play. He often entertained clients and associates in West Palm Beach playing in many golf tournaments. He also enjoyed boating and fishing trips to Bimini with close friends in Florida.
Doug was a consistent reader of books, and he closely followed the political landscape, elections, and news from Government, Congress, the Supreme Court, and both rising and falling stars across the political spectrum. He enjoyed discussing the headlines of the day, and he always had an educated opinion to share.
Doug became especially fond of Sharon Fenton’s family, which includes 3 Daughters and 10 Grandchildren. He and Son-in-law, Blaine, grew especially close in the time they were together in North Carolina. Granddaughter, Greyson, brought him joy and comfort in his final days, as she snuggled up to him on his bed.
Doug would be honored by any contributions made to IPF Foundation, which is dedicated to “Ending IPF through Research.” Please see their website for details and how to contribute. ipffoundation.org.
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