Eugene Douglas

Eugene was born in Borger, Texas on November 14, 1930. The family moved to Louisiana prior to the start of his high school years and it was there he met his future wife, Marian Robeson, while working at the Davis Theater as a popcorn boy. After graduating from Bossier High School, Gene enlisted in the United States Air Force and served his country during the Korean War as a radio repairman stationed first in Goose Bay Labrador then in White Sands, New Mexico. It was during Christmas-time leave that Gene and Marian married on December 23, 1952. Their son Michael was born on November 10, 1954.

Upon honorable discharge, Gene attended Louisiana Tech University and graduated in 1958 with his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering. After a few years on the West Coast where he worked for General Dynamics and Aerospace, the family relocated to Tennessee when he took a job with the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). They welcomed their daughter Carole on January 30, 1967.

Making a home for 32 years in Athens, TN, Gene was an active member of Trinity United Methodist Church where he served on several committees, sang both bass and tenor in the choir and was the choir’s “go-to” for all manner of computer needs. He was an avid reader of National Geographic magazine, a fan of science fiction and was known for his kind heart and willingness to help anyone with any type of carpentry or electrical repairs. He enjoyed fishing, listening to opera and classical music and participating in the neighborhood bridge club.

After retiring from TVA, Gene and Marian moved to Florida in 2005 where they continued to actively serve the Lord as members of both the choral and bell choirs at Tomoka United Methodist Church. They were ardent investigators of their family genealogy and spent several years collecting information on both their family lines by traveling around the mid-Atlantic and southern regions of the United States and amassing documentation to support their research. Gene continued fishing as well as playing weekly bridge games with Marian, his daughter and son-in-law.

Eugene was preceded in death by his wife, Marian Jeanette on December 6, 2019; his son Michael E. Douglas on February 25, 2021; his oldest brother Raymond Douglas and his wife Mildred; his sister Julia Lee Douglas; parents Ade Jack Douglas and Emma Lee McKenzie.

He is survived by: his daughter Carole Rebbel and her husband Jim of Palm Coast, Florida. His daughter-in-law Roxanne H. Douglas; two grandchildren, Matthew M. Douglas, and Michelle E. Hartley and her husband Bobby; great-grandchildren Jaxon Hartley, Zachary C. Douglas and his wife Maddi; great-great grandchildren Ashton and Anna Douglas—all of Bossier, LA. His youngest brother Cecil Henry Douglas and his wife Margaret A. Glover of Beaverton, Oregon; their children David, his wife Mary and children Matthew, Sarah and Kathyrn; Stephen, his wife Lori and children Savannah and Jessica; Susan Cake, her husband Paul, and children Tarin and Ayden; Charles his wife Sheri and son Max. Nephews Lee, John, Keith, and Scott Douglas and their families and several cousins.

Flowers are welcomed, but if preferred, the family recommends a donation to either the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) specified for the maintenance of the library and archives, or to Tomoka United Methodist Church in Ormond Beach, FL, specified for the purchase of choir supplies and/or the maintenance of musical instruments.

There will be a graveside service on October 2, 2024 at 12:00 p.m. at Hill Crest Memorial Funeral Home & Park on 601 US Highway 80 East, Haughton, LA, 71037 followed by an offsite reception for family and friends celebrating the spiritual uniting of Gene and Marian and the love they shared for 66 years of marriage.