Douglas Thornton Taylor Haas Bennett, 90, of Raleigh peacefully left behind her extraordinary life following a stroke. “My life has exceeded all my expectations,” she said on her 89th birthday. She was born in Durham, NC, December 5, 1927, the only child of Joseph White Taylor of Oxford, NC and Agnes Hare Henderson Taylor of Warrenton, NC. She was educated in theater costume design at Richmond Polytechnic Institute in Richmond, Va. She briefly ran a dress design business in Raleigh, “Taylor Made By Douglas,” before marrying Ben Haas, a writer who later became one of North Carolina’s most prolific novelists in the 1960s and 1970s.
In the 1960s, she worked at Raleigh Little Theater, becoming the first paid costumer there for five years.
In late 1964, Douglas and Ben decided to “move to some place we’d never been, and didn’t speak the language, live there a while and have adventures.” Douglas managed to move their three little boys, Joel, Michael, and John; 13 steamer trunks of baggage, and husband to a small village in the Vienna Woods, overlooking the Danube and Vienna. The family returned to Raleigh in early 1966. She was the neighborhood mother for years when the Haas family lived across the street from Fred Olds School. Many of her sons’ childhood friends became “her children” as well.
In 1972, the family moved back to the same village in Austria and Douglas again moved the family, along with household baggage and the family dog. They returned in the spring of 1975.
In the fall of 1975, Doug and another costumer started Raleigh Creative Costumes. The business was a huge success as there were nearly no theater supply or costume shops at the time between Washington and Atlanta. She bought out her partner a few years later and expanded the business. It outgrew several more locations in the next 30 years until closing in 2005. Her business sold make up, theater scripts, theater reference books, masks, and custom-made costumes. “It’s always more fun in costume!” was “Miss Doug’s” slogan.
Following Ben Haas’ passing in 1977, she married the late Dr. Willard Bennett, Ph.D, a National Inventors Hall of Fame inductee for achievements in physics in 1981. She gained many loving step children, step grandchildren and great grandchildren, all of whom knew and loved “Oma.”
Douglas was a very active member of West Raleigh Presbyterian Church. She lived her faith. As a little girl, she helped lay the cornerstone of West Raleigh Presbyterian Church. She was an Elder, a Deacon, and a Stephen Minister in the Presbyterian Church. While running Raleigh Creative Costumes, she hired parolees from Women’s Prison to reintegrate them back into society; she hired disadvantaged teens, eccentrics, and, for a while, had a pet black snake in the costume business laundry room to keep out the mice. Douglas helped a number of local theaters and advised dozens of high school drama teachers as she outfitted their plays. She was often one of the judges at Raleigh’s annual drag queen beauty contest, while rarely ever missing her circle and book club meeting at church. A voracious reader, she had previously declared her only regret in life was not having time to read all the books she wanted —nevertheless, she gave it a good try. She completed reading a biography of President William McKinley the day before her fatal stroke.
Six weeks ago, a long compilation of interviews about her life was published. Titled "Wouldn’t Be Fittin’", it is now available on Amazon as either a book or as a Kindle download.
The family asks and encourages anybody whose life Douglas touched, to please write out their memories of her and send them to her son, Joel, at [email protected]. We shall share them on a web site or a Facebook page. Perhaps there will be enough material to publish "Wouldn’t Be Fittin’ Vol. 2".
She is survived by her many children: Joel Haas (Nancy Jokovich ) of Raleigh; Michael Haas (Kevin Bell) of Vienna ,Austria, John Thompson-Haas (Ann Thompson-Haas) of Oakland, CA ; Becky Hanner (Ken) of Raleigh, Dr. Ward Bennett MD (Mona), of Raleigh, Skip Bennett (Alice Bennett) of Seattle WA, Bruce Bennett (Jody Bennett) of Vienna, VA, Stephen Bennett (Judy Bennett) of Springfield, VA, David Michael (Rena Michael) of Highlands Ranch, CO. She has 18 grandchildren, 18 great-grand-children and 1 great-great-grandchild spread throughout the globe. In the RTP area these include: Logan Hanner (Heather Hanner) and Corey Hanner of Raleigh; Ryan Bennett of Durham; Lauren Bennett of Durham; and, great grandchildren Isaac Hanner and Miles Hanner.
Furthermore, she is survived by her loving nephews, nieces and grand nieces and nephews. Jeffrey L Haas (Karen) Durham, NC; grandniece Kelly Haas (Chapel Hill, NC) Laura Gallagher (Dan) of Charlotte, NC; grandnieces Kristen, Erin Gallagher; grandnephews Matthew and Joseph Gallagher; niece Susan Wyatt (Charlotte, NC) grandniece, Sarah Wyatt; niece Lisa Pope (Matt) of Ashburn, VA; grandnephew Nathan, grandniece Regan
Her funeral will take place at West Raleigh Presbyterian Church, 27 Horne St. Raleigh, NC 27607, on September 5 at 10AM. Friends will be received in the church parlor starting at 9 AM. A reception at the church will follow the funeral service. A private burial in Goldsboro will be held at a later time.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions to West Raleigh Presbyterian Church, an area theater company, or a prison outreach charity.
Arrangements by Brown-Wynne Funeral Home, 300 Saint Mary's St., Raleigh.
