Douglas Ashcraft

Douglas Gale
Ashcraft,
60, of Midland passed away peacefully in his home on May 29, 2013. Doug was born July 30, 1952 in St. Louis, Missouri to Clifford Hugh Ashcraft and Jestene Seawel Ashcraft. He graduated from Kirkwood High School in 1970 and continued his education at Rice University in Houston, Texas where he graduated in '74 with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering. He married his loving wife of 37 years, Julia Hewlett Ashcraft on July 5, 1975, and then returned to Rice University to complete his Masters of Science degree in '78.
Doug enjoyed a long successful career as a structural engineer at Jack D. Gillum & Associates in St. Louis, Walter P. Moore & Associates in Houston as well as Smith Engineering in Midland. He worked on such notable structures as the George Bush Presidential Library and Reed Arena at Texas A&M University, Minute Maid Park in Houston, the New Orleans Sports Arena and the National Air & Space Museum at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC. He was a published author for the Modern Steel Construction periodical and was an active member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and the Structural Engineers Association of Texas. Doug was also a member of the Midland West Rotary Club before his illness.
Doug was a recent member of the Woodcrest church of Christ in Midland. In the past he served as a deacon with the Kirkwood church of Christ in St. Louis and a deacon and elder at Kleinwood church of Christ in Houston.
He is preceded in death by his father, Clifford Hugh Ashcraft.
Doug is survived by his wife, Julia Ashcraft; his children: Amy and Ryan Smith of Nederland, Texas, Aaron and Rachel Ashcraft of Birmingham, Alabama, and Keith and Kristin Ashcraft of San Antonio, Texas; his four grandchildren: Chloe Smith, Camden Smith, Carson Smith and Avery Ashcraft; his mother, Jestene Ashcraft and mother-in-law, Janet Hewlett, as well as numerous nieces, nephews and extended family members and dear friends.
A visitation will be held at Brookside Champions Funeral Home on Thursday, June 6, 2013 between the hours of 6:00 and 8:00pm and a memorial service will be held at the Kleinwood Church of Christ on Friday, June 7, 2013 at 1:00pm.