DOUGLAS LEE STUFFLEBEAM

1945 - 2012

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. He was born in Waverly, Iowa on January 28th, 1945 and died March 11th, 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 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 had 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'd 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 Exc hange, 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 3 sons: Wolfgang Stufflebeam; Ernst Kohnert; and Ruger Stufflebeam of Mount Vernon, WA; his brother, Kent (Colleen) Stufflebeam and brother-in-law, Jim Kirk of Vinton, IA; nieces: Susan Hansen, Phoenix, AZ; Cynthia (Paul) Klein, Sherril, IA; Claudia Warner, Charlotte, IA; grand nephews and nieces: Josh (Jen) Warner, Portland, OR; Matt (Julie); Mitch (Kayt) and Mike (Megan) Gabrielson; Katie, Annie and Chavon Warner; Heather (Michael) Andresen-Jensen; and Elisabeth and Jeff Hansen.

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

The family is forever grateful to North Cascade Family Physicians, Diane Kutzke ARNP, Skagit Hospice and the staff of Home Place in Burlington who provided care and comfort to Doug when he needed it most.

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 pot luck dinner and slide show will be held at the Senior Center in Mount Vernon Washington on March 24th from 1PM to 4PM, for those wishing to celebrate his life.

A second gathering is being planned in Vinton Iowa on May 12th.