Cecil H. Douglas

Cecil Hoeck Douglas, beloved husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, great- great-grandfather, brother and friend passed away peacefully on April 22. 2020 at The Haven Assisted-Living Center in Hurricane, Utah at the age of 103 of natural causes. He was one week away from his 104th birthday He was born on May 7, 1916 in Bucyrus, Missouri. His parents were Oscar Lee Douglas and Lottie Amelia Hoeck (Douglas). He married Eloise Welch (Douglas) on November 2, 1939 in Midvale Utah. Their marriage was solemnized a year later in the Salt Lake Temple. They were blessed with nine children: Josiah (Linda) Douglas, Sarah (Jay) Ostler, Cecil H. Jr (Diane) Douglas, Bruce (Sue) Douglas, Robert (Janet) Douglas, Lottie (John) Oliphant, McKay (Ellen) Douglas, Eloise (Shane) Seright, James Merredith Douglas (Deceased). He has been blessed with a large posterity. He has 57 grandchildren, 217 great-grand children and 30 great-great grandchildren. Indeed, his quiver is full. All of us have benefited from his love, encouragement, teachings of the Gospel, and help throughout our lives. He always carried a paper in his pocket with all of his family on it: children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and great-great grandchildren’s information and when they would visit he would get it out and call all of them by name and look to see if they had a birthday coming up. He cared about all of them. He always had a smile for everyone and always told us to “be good” and live the commandments. He had a strong testimony of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and loved to share it with all he met. When asked how he had lived so long, he said: 1.Wake up happy, 2.Work hard, 3.Eat good food and 4. Read his scriptures each day. Great advice for everyone! He grew up on a farm in Missouri when horses pulled their plows and it was hard labor every day, especially for a young boy, but it made him the man his is today. His father had a small dairy where they milked cows, morning and night, by hand and sold it to the creamery. They also seined for fish in their pond for meat for the table. They had no electricity in their home growing up. Cooking was done on a wood stove. His mother used what they had and made it do. She canned fruit they grew. They ate meat from cattle they grew, had chickens for eggs. He became strong and tough from working so hard. He attended grade school in Whiterock and attended and graduated from high school in nearby Houston, Missouri. When he graduated from school the great depression was on. He wanted to help his family, so left to go west with a friend to find work so he could send money home to his folks to help them on the farm. They worked their way across the country helping with the crop harvests along the way. He always sent some of the money he earned home. They ended up in Utah and hired on the railroad. His friend went on to California later. He went to the Methodist church in Midvale Utah and was active in that faith. He was selling magazines door to door to help fund activities for the youth of the church and there he met his future wife. Her father was the mayor of Midvale and bought some magazines, but he was interested in his daughter Eloise. He started dating her. She was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints but agreed to go to his meetings if he would go to her meetings as well. She taught him a lot and they even had her teach at the Methodist youth group. He soon fell in love and she with him. He believed the Church was true and joined. The rest is history. They always followed the Gospel. We have been the recipients of a great legacy that keeps moving forward with each generation of Douglas’. He served in many church callings: Scoutmaster, deacon and teacher advisor Seventies Presidency and High Priest group leadership, counselor in several bishoprics, stake auditor, Jordan River Temple ordinance worker, ward fiance clerk, genealogy teacher trainer, gospel doctrine teacher, stake missionary. He was good as a stake missionary and loved his time doing it. He and his wife served a Lamanite mission for the church to the Zuni Indians in Holbrook, Arizona for one year. Many of his children and grandchildren have served missions for the Church. From his small seed of faith and becoming a member of the Church, the gospel has been brought to many throughout the world by his own family. Out of small things great things grow. What a testimony to each of us of what faithfully living the gospel can do! Dad was a hard worker no matter what job he had. He worked sometimes three jobs just to keep his family afloat. He never seemed to run out of energy. He worked at Kennecott on the powder gang when he first hired on. That proved to be a bit dangerous and he moved on to work at the car shop repairing trains. Later he was transferred to the large truck shop where he worked on huge haul trucks as a mechanic. That is where he worked when he retired from Kennecott at age 65. During that time he also built a baler that baled wood shavings into small bales for animals at the Welch Planing Mill. He made extra money there when Kennecott was on strike but also worked there for years baling shavings. He even worked as a janitor at Jordan High School when Kennecott was on strike. He usually had three jobs at a time. He also still sent money to his parents back in Missouri every month to help them out. He helped them get electricity to their home and other amenities that they had not previously had plus took care of his own family. He taught all of his children to be hard workers and give an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay. He always had a large garden and raised rabbits to sell. All of his children worked on these projects. A favorite ride for his family was a ride to Salt Lake for shopping. The highlight was always a stop at the ice cream store for a soft serve ice cream cone! He is preceded in death by his wife Eloise. She passed away April 26, 2003. Also a baby son, James Merredith, passed away on November 17, 1960. He is preceded in death by his parents, a sister Margaret Wall, a sister Lois Steele, a brother Leland Douglas, a brother Walter Douglas, a brother Herbert Douglas. He is survived by a sister Gladys Criss. Due to COVID-19 virus and social distancing, no traditional services or viewings will be held. Graveside services will be held for immediate family members on Tuesday, April 28, 2020 at 2:00 PM. Interment will be at Larkin Sunset Gardens Cemetery, 10600 South 1950 East, Sandy Utah under the direction of Serenity Funeral Home of Southern Utah.