Gordon Gill Douglass

1931 - 2018

Gordon Gill Douglass

Reno - Gordon Gill Douglass passed away at home on January 16, 2018 at the age of 86. He was born September 15, 1931 in Beverly Hills, California, to Nelson and Dorothy Douglass, the youngest of three children.

He grew up in Beverly Hills and Encino, California, and graduated from Canoga Park High School one year early. He attended Stanford University for two years, then transferred to USC. He was drafted into the Army during the Korean War, and, after special training in the C.I.C., was fortunate to serve his time in San Francisco, an experience he always treasured. He later studied accounting at UCLA Extension, worked for an accounting firm in Beverly Hills, and received his CPA license.

In 1956 he met the love of his life, Diane Wells, and they were married in October that year. Their two children, Julie and Scott were born in the next 4 years. They were fortunate to celebrate their 61st anniversary last fall.

The family moved to Reno in 1963, where Gordon became a partner with Jack Pangborn in the accounting firm Pangborn and Douglass. He worked there until 1979, when he left to follow his dream of running a secondhand bookstore and bought The Unique Bookstall. While operating the store, he attended UNR and received his B.S. degree in 1981. The following year he opened his own CPA firm, which he ran until he retired in December 2014. He loved accounting and working with all the wonderful clients he had over the years, many of whom he continued to stay in touch with after retirement.

Gordon and Diane took many camping and road trips with their children, as well as two guest ranch stays and two trips to Hawaii. They loved to travel to the California coast, and especially to Scotland and England, which they were fortunate to visit many times. The family also had a very special trip to France and Austria.

Gordon was an avid reader and book collector throughout his life, and his favorites were travel memoirs and history. He loved the card games, square dancing, and other activities with friends. He was also proud to be able to trace his ancestry back to Revolutionary War times and his ancestor who came from Scotland.

Gordon is survived by his wife Diane, daughter Julie and her husband Kirk Gardner of Reno, six nephews, and one niece. He was predeceased by his son Scott in 1993, sister Beverly Clark, brother Bruce Douglass, and one niece.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Gordon's memory for a scholarship in history at UNR may be made to the University of Nevada, Reno Foundation, Mail Stop 0162, Reno, NV 89557-0162.

Gordon was a very special man, a loving and much-loved husband, father, and uncle, and a good friend to many. He will be sorely missed and will live on in our hearts.

A Celebration of Life will be held this spring.