Don A Douglas

Donald Arthur Douglas, known to many as “Coach,” was born on October 2, 1946, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, to Delbert E. and Maybelle Loree Douglas. He passed away on September 20, 2026, just days before his 80th birthday and two days after what would have been his and Barbara’s 61st wedding anniversary.

Don graduated from Putnam City High School in 1964 and briefly attended Southwestern in Weatherford, Oklahoma, and CSU in Edmond. At 18, he met Barbara McDaniel. They had known each other only five weeks when they married on September 18, 1965. Shortly after their marriage, Don enlisted in the Army Reserve. Together, Don and Barbara raised their daughters, Shelly, Shawna, and Amy, and made homes in Oklahoma, Georgia, Florida, Arizona, and Texas. In 1989, Coach brought the family back home to Oklahoma.

For years, the Douglas family’s weeknights and weekends revolved around the ball field. Coach loved coaching his daughters in traveling softball. Many of the young people he mentored along the way became part of the Douglas family. When his grandsons came along, he spent countless hours with them at the batting cages and on the field, still coaching.

Don worked for many years in finance, including with Dial Financial and First Life Assurance. He also spent years in the car business and later worked in advertising. In retirement, he became a bus driver with Edmond Public Schools and served as a union representative. He loved the people he worked alongside and felt privileged to care for the children who rode his bus.

Coach never knew a stranger. He loved telling stories, built friendships wherever he went, and welcomed people into his life. In his later years, his greatest joy was spending time with his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

After Barbara died of cancer in 2013, Don missed her deeply. His beloved dog Scout helped him through those first years without her. Later, Pepper became his best friend and constant companion. Don was the patriarch of the Douglas family and made sure that all of his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren knew how much they were loved.

Don was preceded in death by his wife, Barbara McDaniel Douglas; his parents, Delbert E. and Maybelle Loree Douglas; his sister, Cherie Colton; his nephew, Robert Colton; his mother-in-law, Lola Blair; his son-in-law, Edmond Ward; and his beloved dog, Scout.

He is survived by his daughters, Shelly Douglas, Shawna Ward, and Amy Douglas; his grandchildren, Matthew Farthing and wife Leslie, Kelsie Abney and husband Douglas, Madison Duley and husband Rylan, Tori Rhodes and husband Dillon, Tyler Villanueva and partner Nova Sukut, and Kristina Villanueva; his great-grandchildren, Poppy Duley, Lola Duley, Reyna Parkhurst, and Emma Rhodes; several nieces and nephews; and his beloved dog and best friend, Pepper.

A Funeral Service will be held at Baggerley Funeral Home, 930 South Broadway, Edmond, OK 73034, US, on October 1, 2026, at 2:00 PM with burial to follow at Gracelawn Cemetery 73003, 1407 North Blvd, Edmond, OK 73034.