Douglas James Pickering

2021. He was born in Kansas City, Missouri in 1947. Doug attended Mark Twain

elementary school and Southeast High School, Class of 1965, where he enjoyed

playing football and lettering in Track.

He was part of a multi-generational Eagle Scout tradition that included earning

Warrior, Hard Way as “Least Talking Pine,” including paint for Fire Builder and

Tom-Tom Beater in the Tribe of Mic-O-Say, at the H. Roe. Bartle Scout Camp

Reservation in Osceola, Missouri. It was a tradition that included his father

(“Talking Pine”), his two brothers(“Little Talking Pine” and “Small Talking Pine”)

and Doug’s son(“Little Least Talking Pine”).

Doug also served as District

Chairman of the Heart of America Council for the Boy Scouts of America.

He served as a Medical Corpsman in the Medical Corps of the United States

Navy, stationed in Subic Bay, Philippines during the Vietnam War and went on to

graduate from The Kansas State Teachers College, in 1974, with a Bachelor of

Science in Business, in Emporia, Kansas.

Doug worked many years as Vice President of ABC Fireproof Warehouse

Company where he began and cultivated the records storage department. As

President of Designed Business Interiors, he oversaw substantial growth in the

business of Office Interior Design and Sales.

He spent many years as a member of Kansas City Rotary Club 13, including

contributions as an organizer and counselor at Camp Enterprise, a program for

teaching high school seniors about business.

Doug was an energetic and hands-on carpenter and builder. As “Pickering

Builders” he built and remodeled homes, worked on industrial buildings, built

sound-proof recording studios, and partnered with another expert to design and

remodel countless homes and offices including concrete contracting.

Doug pioneered the Biodiesel industry, building the first facility to produce and

distribute soy diesel and was recognized by the American Soybean Association

in 2019 for his work and innovation in the field. He was Honored at the National

BioDiesel Conference 2018, as one of the Pioneers to begin 25 years of

BioDiesel by the National Biodiesel Board.

Doug was an expert chef and gardener. He and Marge grew their own garden

year after year producing tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, squash, pumpkins, and

sunflowers. He was an avid barbequer smoking brisket, ribs, and jerk chicken

wings, but that’s just where the food began. Food was Doug’s love language;

biscuits and gravy, amazing soups, famous garlic toast, chicken and noodles and

traditional Thanksgiving feasts. Likely the most memorable were his Christmas

treats; peanut brittle, Chex mix and fried chicken livers and gizzards, a Christmas

morning Pickering family tradition. He was the cook for 4th of July get-togethers,

and started a traditional brunch on Mother’s Day where the men cook breakfast--

a tradition that has lasted decades.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Harold Pickering and Marjorie

(McIntyre) Pickering and his sister, Dr. Debra Jo Pickering.

He is survived by his wife, Marjorie Pickering, and two brothers Dennis Pickering

(Patti) and Curtis Pickering (Stacy); brother-in-law, Michael Hussey; three

children, Jim Pickering (Christi), Joanna Crespino (Brandon) and Carrie Kelley

(Chris); and 8 grandchildren Alyce Pickering, McKenna Pickering, Carly Jo

Pickering, Jayme Pickering, Annabelle Pickering, Brevyn Kelley, Phoebe

Crespino and Lainey Crespino. And his silver dog, Sylvie.

Outdoor graveside services for family and friends will be at Floral Hills Cemetery

in Raytown at 2PM Friday.

He l oved everyone and they knew it intuitively, even the animals knew it. He may

(?) have preferred animals to people - especially dogs, horses, and maybe birds

and squirrels too.

In lieu of flowers donations are requested for Wayside Waifs Animal Rescue. https://waysidewaifs.org/donate/