It is with heavy hearts that we share that Royal Douglas Bolin, of Banner County, went to be with his Lord and Savior on January 2nd, 2025 at Northfield Vista in Gering, NE, leaving behind a legacy of love, laughter, storytelling, and cherished memories.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10:30 AM on February 8, 2025 at Christ the King Catholic Church in Gering, NE with Fr. Mike McDonald presiding. The service will be livestreamed through Christ the King's YouTube site-(Christ the King Gering Ne). There will be no viewing as cremation has been held. A private family inurnment will be held at a later date at Pleasant Hill Cemetery, Hull Community in rural NW Banner County. It was Doug’s wish that any memorial tributes be made in his name to the Nebraska Children’s Home or the Northfield Vista Memorial Fund. Fond memories and condolences may be left at www.geringchapel.com for the Bolin family. Gering Memorial Chapel is assisting the family with services.
Doug’s journey of life began in Scottsbluff, NE on May 5, 1943, as the eldest child of Royal (Pat) and Lucy (Craton) Bolin. He was a lifelong resident and ag producer in Banner County, living out his childhood dreams on the ‘1910 Homestead’ that was established by his paternal grandparents.
Doug attended school in LaGrange (WY) where he played basketball and trombone in the high school marching band, graduating in May 1961. One of his fondest band memories was marching at a University of Wyoming football game parade.
Doug attended NE Wesleyan University at the insistence of his parents, but after three semesters, he decided his future was to return to the family farm operation. Doug met Joy Elaine McCullough in late 1962 at college, became engaged to her on February 14, 1963, and they wed in Hastings, NE on September 14, 1963.
Doug and Joy were blessed and overjoyed to add to their family with the adoption of two children: Evelyn Joy on December 12, 1967, and Ronald Dwight on March 30th, 1970.
Doug joined the NE National Guard in 1966 and completed Army Basic Training @ Ft. Bliss, OK in January 1967. He was stationed with the NE National Guard, Headquarters Battery in Scottsbluff, NE. Sgt. Major Prickett offered Doug a ‘hardship’ honorable discharge as a ‘Spec 4’ in October 1969, when his father was diagnosed with an aggressive form of MS and Doug needed to return to run the family farm operations. Doug enjoyed the discipline and pageantry of the military and said he would have remained a NENG member if it hadn’t conflicted with farm life.
Doug was involved with many organizations over the years, including the Farm Crisis Hotline, NE Panhandle (early 80’s); Camps Farthest Out as an annual attendee and eventual keynote speaker at camps around the country, served eight years on the Banner County School Board, was a longtime Pleasant Hill Cemetery Board member, served on the NE Governor’s Weather Control Commission (Norbert Tieman, Governor – ’67- ‘71) as part of the early years of a cloud seeding project, was a member of Hull United Methodist Church (rural Banner County) serving several years as Lay Leader, and became a member of Christ the King Catholic Church during the retirement years living in Gering.
Doug was an avid storyteller, remembering people, places, and incredible memories from early childhood through his entire life. His childhood was vividly memorable, including amazing hardship stories from the ’49 Blizzard.
Doug loved to travel, seek new adventures, and regularly loaded up the family to go so many places in the US, including Alaska, Canada, and Mexico. Doug and Joy also enjoyed travel to Australia and New Zealand on farm tours, trips to Canada to see fall colors, and various US locations to visit family and friends.
Doug was always a humble man, but was very proud of being a steward of the land God created and provided to his ancestors; thus allowing him the opportunity to help ‘feed the world’.
Left to cherish Doug’s memory is his wife, Joy, children Evie (Stan) Flessner, Ron (Stacey) Bolin, grandchildren Ryan (Hollie) Bolin and Reese Bolin, great-grandchildren Riley and Remington Bolin, sister Valetta (Mel) Schneider, niece Adicia (Bill) Paschal and nephew Jacob (Min Jeong) Schneider, and numerous extended relatives. Doug was preceded in death by his parents, infant son ‘Roy’, and infant nephew Andrew Douglas Schneider.
Our family is forever grateful to Brookstone Hospice, RWMC Interventional Radiology, and all the amazing Northfield Vista staff members who took such wonderful care of Doug over the 15 years he and Joy lived there and during his final days.
