Obituaries : Doug Stufflebeam

Doug Stufflebeam

VINTON: Douglas Lee Stufflebeam (also known as Señor Douglas, Ocean of Wisdom, Doug E Fresh, and a River to his People) was a passionate lifelong adventurer.

A CELEBRATION OF DOUG'S LIFE WILL BE HELD AT 1:30 PM, SATURDAY, MAY 12, 2012 AT THE VINTON COUNTRY CLUB.

He was born in Waverly, Iowa, on January 28, 1945, and died March 11, 2012, near his home in Mount Vernon, Washington, from complications due to Lewy Body Dementia. Above all he loved his family, but his idea of family extended way beyond immediate relatives to the many people his life intertwined with throughout the country and the world.

Doug was raised in the rural town of Vinton, Iowa – and yes, the whole community raised him. It was these earlier years in Vinton that built the foundation of his character. He played football in middle and high school, dreaming of one day being a star quarterback. He yearned to travel to the places he saw in National Geographic or in the shorts he watched at the local movie theatre. His taste for adventure was cultivated through many fun and mischievous escapades that are remembered and cherished by many. It was also in Vinton that his love for animals, particularly dogs and horses, was born. Though he had many heroes throughout his life, the most influential were his parents and his brother, Kent.

After earning an AA degree at Colorado Mountain College, he attended Iowa State University and completed, a BA in Spanish, a BA in English and a BS in Biology by 1975. He received a number of awards from the English Department for his writing in college and frequently worked on ideas for books, screenplays, articles, and short stories; but family and adventure always took priority over time at the typewriter or making great efforts to get published.

Doug’s diverse job history included: Camp Counselor and Horse Wrangler at the Larry Joe Boys Ranch; U.S. Hospital Corpsman AH 12 on the USS Haven in California (1964-66); Peace Corps Volunteer with the Warao Indians in the Orinoco Delta, Venezuela (1966-68); Peace Corps Trainer in Arizona; hard rock miner in Colorado (lead, zinc, silver); Veterinary Assistant and School Bus Driver in Leadville, Colorado; worked for Dick Sparrow on a '40 Horse Hitch' of draft horses that traveled around the country for the Bicentennial; sheepherder in Colorado and Wyoming; track building crew for North Pacific Railroad in Ames, Iowa; Cannery Warehouse Foreman at Uyak Bay on Kodiak Island, Alaska; Deckhand and then Captain of the Anna A and the Bainbridge (90 ton vessels) in the Gulf of Alaska; Cowboy in Idaho; Discharge Supervisor of U.S. Aide grain ships in India, Honduras, El Salvador, Cape Verde Islands West Africa and Tanzania; and as a Spanish Interpreter for the Language Exchange, Skagit Valley Hospital, and United General Hospital. Along with his Navy medical experience, Doug was also a Wilderness EMT and used this knowledge to save numerous lives throughout his adventures.

Doug dealt with life on his own terms and created his own dream job as owner and sole (or soul) guide for International Collegiate Expeditions (1978-2001); guiding hundreds of U.S. college students on adventure (or in his words “kick-ass”) trips to Tanzania, Kenya, Colombia, Ecuador, Argentina, Chile, Egypt and Alaska. He identified himself and his adventure buddies as 'fun-hogs' and once wrote that he was, “a self-admitted cardiovascular lunatic, all-terrain mountain boarder, bicyclist, snowboarder, mountaineer, and traveler (49 states and 23 developing nations).”

Doug spent many years volunteering in the Mount Vernon School District while his sons were in school, and never missed a field trip when he was in the country. He will also be remembered for countless small and sometimes big, crazy, and selfless acts of kindness shown to people throughout his life.

Doug is survived by his wife of 32 years, Christine Kohnert, his three sons, Wolfgang Stufflebeam, Ernst Kohnert, and Ruger Stufflebeam, his brother Kent Stufflebeam, nieces Cyd (Paul) Klein, Claudia Warner, and Susan Hansen, and their families.

He was preceded in death by his loving parents Bertha and Kenneth Lee 'Stuffy' Stufflebeam, sister Cheri Kirk and nephew Tom Warner.

Doug's family would appreciate any memories of him, especially stories or pictures, that those who knew him would like to share, either by mail or though his Facebook page.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the charity of your choice. He loved animals and the indigenous peoples he worked with, he treasured the wilderness and giving young people the opportunity to experience the rest of the world (as the Peace Corps had done for him), if that helps.

A Private Committal Services will be held at Evergreen Cemetery.

Phillips Funeral Home in Vinton is in charge of arrangements.