Auburn - Roland H. Douglass, age 94, passed away at his apartment at Schooner Estates in Auburn, Maine on March 5, 2019. Roland was born on November 7, 1924 in Wilton, Maine to Henry E. Douglass and Merriam Oakes Douglass. Roland graduated from Wilton Academy in 1942 where he was the captain of the ice hockey team. Roland entered Harvard College in the fall of 1942. After Pearl Harbor Day, he was allowed to take his freshman year final examinations early in March of 1943 and entered the United States Army Air Force.
After receiving training in Colorado and Utah, Roland served with the 8th Air Force in England and the 15th Air Force in Italy until the surrender of Germany in 1945. He then returned to Harvard where he continued his classes and graduated in June of 1947 with a degree in economics. Roland next entered Duke University Law School in North Carolina. He found that the law was not to his taste and therefore did not return after his first year although while at Duke he met his future bride, Marjorie Brumit, a nurse working at the Duke University Hospital. He then made a couple of life changing decisions. He married Marjorie in Johnson City, Tennessee on January 26, 1950 and traveled to New York City where he trained to become a stockbroker. He then returned to Maine with his new bride and worked for a number of national and regional investment firms between 1950 and 2005 when he retired from A.G. Edwards in Auburn, Maine. Roland was a savvy investor who had two standard responses for two very typical inquiries from potential customers. When asked when was the best time to invest, he would invariably say “do you dig clams when the tide is in or when the tide is out?” When asked by a customer how much money should be invested, he would always say “as much as you are willing to lose without shedding any tears”. He was respected and loved by generations of customers as well as his peers.
In his spare time, Roland was an avid hunter and fisherman and spent many years at his family camp on Moosehead Lake and later traveled to Alaska and Labrador with his son and grandson. He was also very fond of sporting dogs and always had 3 or 4 during much of his life although in his later years became very attached to his cat Timmy.
Roland was also an active member in several masonic organizations, including the Kora Shrine, Tranquil Lodge #29 and the Royal Order of Jesters. He also served as a board member for the Chapman House in Auburn and the Sawyer Foundation in Turner.
Roland is survived by his son Paul Douglass and wife Neria of Auburn, Maine, his grandson Ryan Douglass of Brooklyn, NY, his grandson Nathan Douglass MD and spouse Anne Constance and their three children, Augustin, Zelie and Maximilien of Fairfield, CT and his granddaughter, Neria Lauren Douglass and her spouse Alvaro Garcia of New York, NY. Roland is also survived by his very special friend, Helen Palange of Lewiston, who accompanied him on several trips throughout the world after his retirement. In addition to his spouse, Marjorie Douglass, Roland was predeceased by his other son, Scott Douglass in 1996.
Visitation and celebration of life will be held on Saturday March 16 from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM at The Fortin Group/Plummer Merrill Funeral Home in Auburn. You are invited to offer your condolences and share fond memories with the family by visiting Roland’s guestbook at www.thefortingroupauburn.com A service of The Fortin Group/Plummer Merrill Funeral Home, Cremation and Monument Services, 217 Turner St., Auburn, Maine 04210. 783-8545
