Doug Piggott

John Douglas "Doug" Piggott passed away at his home on August 31st. A Celebration of Life will be held at 1:00 PM on Saturday, September 9, 2023 at Watkins Brothers Funeral Homes, 302 W. Corunna Ave., Corunna, MI 48817. Rev. Fr. Robert C. Bacik will officiate. A time of fellowship will take place immediately following the service until 4:00 PM.
Raised in Bay City and Lansing, Doug was the son of MPC Cashway Lumber co-owner Raymond G. Piggott and Jean A. (McMullin) Piggott. The youngest of five boys, he attended St. Gerard Catholic School and Lansing Catholic Central, where he graduated in 1975.
While a student at St. Thomas Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, Doug spent a formative semester in Ireland.
He would go on to graduate from Michigan State University in East Lansing with a Bachelor's degree in urban planning.
After graduating in 1980, Doug joined VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) and served low-income and disadvantaged communities in Oklahoma. It was in Oklahoma that he met Peggy Cote, who he would go on to marry. The first community to hire him as a professional planner was Mount Pleasant, TX. Doug returned to Michigan in 1984 as county planner and emergency services coordinator for Shiawassee County. He moved to the private sector in 1990 after the birth of his son Charlie. Doug served as a planning consultant for Rowe Engineering (now known as Rowe Professional Services Corp.) for over 30 years until his retirement in October 2022.
Doug gave back to the urban planning community in many ways. He was on the Executive Committee of the Michigan Chapter of the American Planning Association (MAPA) from 1994 through 2000, including two years as President. During his presidential term, he oversaw the merger of MAPA with the Michigan Society of Planning Officials to form the Michigan Association of Planning (MAP) in 1996. He was also a longstanding member of MAP's Planning Law Committee. Doug was invited to teach planning law at Michigan State University for a semester in early 2023, and was being asked to return at the time he passed. He was recognized for his contributions to the profession with MAP's 2009 Exceptional Contributor award, and his induction into the AICP College of Fellows in 2022.
Doug was an avid reader and collector of books particularly military history (particularly World War II). He was a football enthusiast and especially a fan of the Detroit Lions. He enjoyed camping trips more than you would think. And he was a major foodie, so long as the food was beige or brown or deep-fried. He was a Red Cross volunteer and a poll-watcher for the Democratic Party.
He is survived by his wife Peggy Cote Piggott, his son Charlie, and four brothers: Raymond (Diana), Robert (Kathy), Joseph (Genese), and Mark (Theresa) along with many nieces, nephews, grandnieces, and grandnephews. He also left behind two cats whom he loved-Penny and Mrs. Bess Truman.
In lieu of flowers, the family encourages you to donate to the Shiawassee County Humane Society (shspets.org).