Douglas Dale Hahn

Douglas Dale Hahn was born on September 14, 1954 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to Dale Leroy Hahn & Edna Mary Dietrich Hahn. He was one of five children, who grew up on the farmlands in Cedar Rapids and Swisher, Iowa. Doug was the baby of the family, and the only boy! He was active on the farm, helping out with farm chores and caring for the animals. Doug loved to tell stories through the years of their chickens and how at one time they had over 40 of them! Doug liked to save the day – when the veggies were disappearing, he found the culprit and captured “Mr. Bister”, then kept him as his new pet groundhog.

Doug’s educational journey started at Shueyville Elementary, then upwards to Swisher, then to College Community School and finally finishing his elementary years at Prairie. For middle school, he attended Prairie Junior High School, then graduated from Prairie High School, Class of ’72. Doug was very active in theater and band. He played the role of the prince in the musical, The Princess and the Pea. In band, Doug played the coronet. He was exceptionally talented in this arena and was recruited by the band director to play the bass drum in the marching band. Doug could also sing! His voice had a four octave range, with a beautiful falsetto and perfect pitch. After high school he went to school at Cornell College, then Kirkwood Community College.

Doug was an entertainer. From musical productions in high school to singing with Bob Houlihan at Shakey’s Pizza in Colorado, he knew how to work a crowd. You could count on Doug for a great time. Doug loved to entertain and be entertained. Doug loved all genres of music, but really liked the tunes of the 50’s, 60’s, & 70’s. He loved the sounds of Karen Carpenter. When it was time to wind down you could find him watching any of his favorite shows like Wild Wild West, NCIS, CSI, Gilligan’s Island, anything John Wayne or Clint Eastwood and even Scooby Doo, yes, Scooby Doo…hey, it’s a mystery. Elvira, Mistress of the Dark was his crush on the big screen. He always loved Christmas movies with White Christmas being his favorite classic. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation was a close second. Doug also enjoyed a good wrestling match. He loved it enough that he worked for the promoter in Oklahoma in exchange for free tickets to the matches – remember the Von Erichs? Many Monday nights, you could find him with a bowl of shrimp cocktail in front of the tv watching WWE Monday night Raw. When his girls were younger, they would snuggle in with dad and watch with inquisitive eyes asking “daddy which one is the bad guy?”

Doug, or “Dougie”, sometimes “Dougie Fresh”, as some knew him, began working at Kinney Shoes in Colorado. Due to his quick learning curve, charm and savvy, he quickly promoted into management, which took him to Oklahoma, and later to Texas. Doug arrived in Texas in 1986 where he worked as the manager at Kinney Shoes and was given the opportunity to open a new chain, Champs Sports at the Collin Creek Mall in the late 80’s. From there he became the Manager Trainer, and trained all over, which had him land in North Attleboro, Massachusetts where he left this industry in 1995. During his time at Kinney Shoes, he proved his sales abilities by winning a sales contest and attended the Super Bowl XIX, where the San Francisco 49ers beat the Miami Dolphins. In his next chapter, Doug explored opportunities as a car salesman, insurances sales and finally debt services. A man with many talents and abilities allowing diversity in his career of sales. “A jack of all trades, a master of none.”

Doug was a man’s man. He enjoyed the outdoors, sports, music, and being with friends and family. He enjoyed fishing, camping, cooking, playing his guitar & singing. Doug’s girls called him a real MacGuyver ~ he always had a solution to fix everything with what he could find nearby.

On Sundays, you could count on finding Doug watching his favorite sports teams. Whether it be the Dallas Cowboys or the New England Patriots. When baseball came around, he enjoyed the Boston Red Sox. “Curse of the Bambino!” Doug participated in several bowling and softball leagues over the years. No matter win or lose, playing the game and surrounding himself with good friends and family was always a priority for Doug.

Doug was a family man. He married Oweda Faye Hopkins in Colorado, and they had three children together. They were married 21 years before divorcing in 1995. When his children were young, he enjoyed family vacations spent camping or taking long road trips. He had a passion for creating a scare! He loved building haunted houses in the back yard and was known for hosting the best Halloween parties every year. Motorcycle rides and family bowling were common joys for him. Doug, again with his crazy sense of humor, had shirts made with the acronym “PITA”…for “pain in the ass” which were excellent for family bowling. Doug always had a way to make people laugh. Sometimes, people would call and hope he didn’t answer, just to hear the funny answering machine greetings. As a father and man of wisdom, Doug had sayings that the girls thought were so silly, but as they grew older realized dad knew what he was talking about. He would say things like “This is how I feel, and I’m gonna feel this way until I don’t feel this way anymore” or “Your life is a result of the choices you make” When you asked him how he was or how he was feeling, he’d respond with something crazy like “fair to partly cloudy” or “with my fingers.” When asked what’s happening he’d say “I give up, I’ll play your silly game. What’s happening?” Doug loved to keep the girls laughing. Even through his final days, he loved to “car dance” which was simply a small hand motion that was hilarious to watch. This was Doug, our dad.

Doug met “his Judy” as he introduced her, a very special woman, in March 2014. He fell in love with her and she stood by him through his last two years. She was a rock for him that helped him fight and supported him once he became ill. He loved spending time with Judy. Just being in her presence made him happy. Judy, you have his heart, and thank you for loving him.

Doug was funny, crazy, loving, witty, stubborn, but always thinking of others. He could always make a friend no matter where he was. He was gentle, caring, and sincere, with a heart of gold! He loved being a father and grandfather. He will be missed like no other.

On Monday, December 7, 2015, Douglas Dale Hahn, or “Paw Paw” as his grandchildren called him, was called to meet his Creator. He was greeted in Heaven by his parents, Dale LeRoy & Edna Mary Hahn, his sister Patricia Jeanette Pospisil and his devoted four-legged friends: Pierre, Bo, Bear, Tinkerbell, Poopy, Sam, Sneakers, Mikey, Teegan and Sox.

His life and legacy will continue to be remembered and celebrated by: Stacy Clay and her husband Patrick of Celina TX, Amber McKenna and her husband Robert of Little Elm, TX; Krysten Hahn and her partner Eric of Mountain House, CA.;Grandchildren: Jakob, Violet, Isabelle, Zooey, Cody, Madison, Steven and Taylor. Doug’s special Love, Judy Coffey of Farmers Branch, TX; and much loved furry companion Misty; Sisters: Karen Phillips of Roanoke, VA, Gloria Riga of Virginia Beach, VA, Radean Hahn and her spouse Galen of Aurora, CO.; Special friends, Faye and Keith Moritz of Little Elm, TX; and many more relatives & close friends.

Doug's last wishes were to have his remains scattered in the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. In order to achieve this, In lieu of flowers, a special account has been set up to help the family with the cost of services. http://getdougtotherockiesmemorial.mydagsite.com/

The Hahn family wants to let you know that this is a celebration of life, so please come casual and bring your favorite stories to share about Doug during the reception.