Douglas Shelley Pease

Douglas Shelley Pease, 84, of Tempe, Arizona passed away unexpectedly, but peacefully on June 15, 2014. Born in Jackson, Pennsylvania, he grew up on a dairy farm, met & married the love of his life, Sophia Andrychuk at Houghton College & graduated from Penn State in 1951 with a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Education. He voluntarily enlisted in 1952 & served in Battery B, 980th Field Artillery Battalion, 40th Infantry Division in Korea as a Sergeant First Class. After his honorable discharge, Doug entered civil service employment as a soil scientist. For the next 30 years, he advanced his career by obtaining two graduate degrees & moving with his family to New Mexico in 1960 & later to Arizona in 1976. Doug retired in 1986 as the head Soil Scientist of the United States Department of Agriculture in Arizona and established his own soil consultation firm. Doug taught geology & physical geography at Grand Canyon University & through the Elderhostel program. He also traveled extensively with Sophia and taught English as a foreign language for several summers in Eger, Hungary & Vilnius, Lithuania. Doug will be remembered lovingly for his dry sense of humor, consummate story-telling, strong faith, dedication to service in the church & Gideons’ ministry for over 40 years & love of nature (especially “dirt”). He leaves behind his cherished wife of 62 years, Sophia, children Shelly Woodward (Colleen), David Pease (Lynn) & Stephanie Cox (Mike). He is also survived by one sibling, Dorothy Bloom, as well as many extended family members. Funeral services will be held at Corona Baptist Church at 4450 W. Ray Road in Chandler on Monday, June 23rd at 10am with a reception to follow. Please call (480) 838-4040 for directions or additional information. In lieu of flowers or gifts, Doug requested donation of Bibles through the Gideons (https://www.gideons.org/sendtheword/). Arrangements under the direction of Valley of the Sun Mortuary & Cemetery, Chandler, AZ.