Douglas Frank Minear

Douglas Minear affectionately known as “Dougie” passed away shortly after midnight on January 24th 2025 at 79 years old. Dougie was surrounded by the love of his brother Jerry, sister Nancy, son Ryan, daughter Jami & nephew Brian during his final hours.

Dougie’s passing may have been his last stop on earth, but his friends and family can attest he lived a beautiful life. As a child he enjoyed the simple life in Seattle. Dougie appreciated how much his local firemen a few doors down, always looked out for him and his mom Francis. Dougie loved the annual Seafair hydroplane races, replicating the races with his friends by building custom wood “gutter boats” to race down the streets of Seattle for a rainy regatta.

As a young man, Dougie proudly graduated from Roosevelt High School. After a few odd jobs, he found a trade he dedicated his life to as a Northwest Sheet Metal worker. As a proud member of the local 66, Dougie built countless commercial heating and air conditioners from scratch. His ability to bend sheet metal to exact blueprint specifications without computers or technology was inspiring. His favorite trade story was working at SeaTac airport for a job when DB cooper hijacked a plane!

Outside of work, Dougie was a clever DIY guy. Dougie fixed cars, replaced walls, built sub pumps. If there was a problem, Dougie could fix it.. all without YouTube or the internet! However, Dougie proved he was a true lifelong learner, by becoming tech savvy over the last 10 years.

As an adult Dougie found a balance of providing for his family and living his best life. As a family man he religiously supported Ryan in Football and baseball (well except the day he called his son out as the umpire). During the holidays, Dougie always made sure his children had a memorable experience. During Christmas, Dougie enjoyed yearly family pilgrimages to Frederick and Nelson’s for Santa photos, constructing vintage electric trains, and carefully designing Christmas villages, tricked out with custom lighting features. During Easter, Dougie always made the day special by having Easter brunch at the Westin Hotel, or joining Uncle Jerry for a day trip to Rosario’s on Orcas Island. Every experience he provided his family truly created a core memory.

With his friends, Dougie was known for his wicked left hook in his bowling league era (Lefty advantage) and his love and humor on and off the golf course at Harbour Point. Dougie loved his friends and their adventures. RV golf trips to Alta Lake, boating to Kingston and Whidbey Island, hanging outs at Coles for a Coors light, and flirting with his “girl-friends” brought Dougie him joy. Good friends reflected on Dougie as” “A fixture in our community for years” “A good man and a good friend”, and “Anyone who took time to get to know Dougie, was easily impressed with his gentle soul and happy demeanor”

Dougie may have unexpectedly left us, but we are confident he has been received in heaven by his loving mother Frances Minear, known by her grandchildren as Hannah, his sister in law Janice, dog Gunner, and countless friends he has met along the way. Thank-you Dougie for your humor and genuine heart. Your memory will live within us forever.