HALL OF FAME MEMBER
Douglas LeRoy Raasch
(A.I duplication of Douglas)
Douglas LeRoy Raasch was at his
home in Sherman, Texas when he passed away, March 16, 2016. Doug died from from complications from Parkinson’s
Disease and a non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Douglas was born in Indianapolis, Indiana on December 14,
1941 to Edward and Grace Raasch. When he was in 2nd grade, his family moved to
Corpus Christi, TX. He graduated from Roy Miller High in 1960, followed by SMU and the University of North Texas 1964. While at North
Texas, he was President of Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity.
Immediately after graduation,
Doug joined the Navy as an officer candidate and began to pursue his lifelong
dream of becoming a pilot. While on a short leave from the Navy, Doug married
his college sweetheart, Martha Sue Ellis, on December 20, 1964 in Dallas, TX.
While in the Navy, during the Vietnam War, he served two tours on the aircraft
carrier USS Kearsage, based in Coronado, CA. The Navy life took him to many
states, such as Florida, California and Texas. After the Navy, Doug began his
career as an airline pilot with Delta airlines. During this time the has 3 children, Doug, Sue, and Jeff were born in California, and Maren, was born
in Dallas, and later settled in Sherman, Texas.
While in Sherman, Doug started a
Textile Supply Company, marketing and manufacturing clean room products for the
tech industries, with offices in Sherman, Austin, El Paso, and Phoenix, selling
it after ten-plus years. He was also involved with Hagerman National Wildlife
Refuge where a hiking trail is named for him. Doug was a true Renaissance Man.
He loved the outdoors, especially the Pacific Northwest, where he and Sue had a
condo as he finished his career with Delta. He loved chocolate, carpentry, gardening,
and George Strait and Willie, and cried over Bach.
Doug was survived by his wife of 51 years - Sue; son - Jeff Raasch and his wife Haley; daughter - Maren Doherty and her husband Michael; sister - Jan Schronk and brother-in-law Stacy; brother-in-law - George Ellis and his wife Anne; grandson - Alex Doherty. He loved books and history, compiling a large library with special fondness for Lincoln, Churchill and Theodore Roosevelt, yet developed a recent enthusiasm for the Longmire stories and Dan Silva.
Doug had a succession of beloved
Labrador Retrievers and designed two homes, with a real regret that he could
live in the current home such a short time. He had a passion for learning and
had a wealth of knowledge on just about any subject.
PICTURE OF DOUGLAS LATER IN LIFE AND FROM THE ROY MILLER YEARBOOK IN 1960
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