Douglas McKibben

1932 - 2019

DOUGLAS WEAVER McKIBBEN
June 24, 1932-May 27, 2019
Doug McKibben passed away peacefully on May 27th, 2019 at his home in Boise He was a caring, loving, generous man who had great spirit and talent. He will be deeply missed.
Born in Denver, Colorado, June 24th, 1932 to Mason and Dorace McKibben, Doug spent his childhood in south Denver. He enrolled at the University of Colorado and joined the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity where he met Beth Bateman. It was love at first glance.They married a year later in Colorado Springs on Halloween. The union soon blossomed into a family of six, with their travels and adventures taking them across the country from Boulder to Miami, Denver twice, Long Beach, Burbank, and with several returns to Boise.
Doug's business career began in Boulder as draftsman for an architectural firm and progressed to the buildings and furniture design firm, Hallack & Howard as a junior design manager. The firm was acquired by Western Forrest Products (later to become Boise Cascade Corp.) and the family moved to Boise, Idaho in 1960. In 1970 he left Boise Cascade to work for Specialty Restaurants in Long Beach, California as Project Manager, building theme restaurants, some of which still exist today.
There, his love of sport led him to purchase an Olympic class sailboat that he and his family learned to sail, race and enjoy for many years. In 1971 his entrepreneurial spirit emerged with the design and building of Mill Run Condominiums in Breckenridge CO, a project the entire family took part in, and one of many joyous summers they shared. He then joined Morrison Knudsen Corp. in Boise, in Real Estate development where he rose to vice president before retiring in 1988. He helped spearhead many projects, both domestic and global including Park Center in East Boise, military housing across the country, and the airport in Abu Dhabi. His unique project & design talent was noticed by the iconic Disney Imagineering group who hired him to help develop and build Muppet Town, the 3D theatre in Disney World with Muppet creator Jim Henson; enhance the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland, among other interesting projects, before heading to Paris to fast track the con-struction of the Euro-Disney headquarter building. His boardroom stories with the Imagineering group were of true Disney lore. Living three blocks from the Eiffel Tower, Doug & Beth enjoyed two amazing years in Paris. They traveled extensively on weekends throughout Europe visiting museums, chateaus and wineries. Always fun to be around, they developed many friendships and were hosted at unique events such as the Le Mans race; the French Open; hot air ballooning at Steve Forbes Estate; and spending Christmas in the Swiss Alps. While in Boise, Doug and Beth loved unleashing their creative side. In the early sixties Doug became the President of the Boise Art Gallery and a guiding force in realigning and expanding the annual Association's 'Art in the Park' from a 'clothesline' exhibition to a monumental festival that draws artists and craftsmen from all over the Northwest. Throughout his life, he always found time for art, through the design and production of stained glass, pottery, paintings, sculptures, furniture, and model sailboats (that the boys sailed in Ann Morrison Park). His final creation was a 500 page World War II novel he wrote in retirement. Athletics and family sports were the family's central source of entertainment. Doug was a terrific athlete and teacher in the art of backyard sports. Always assembling the neighborhood kids for a game of touch football, baseball or a sailing adventure. Doug's true love was skiing. He skied and jumped for the University of Colorado (which at the time had several future Olympians) winning the Rocky Mountain Ski Association's 50-meter jump in 1952. He went on to teach Beth and their four children the love of skiing, with many fond Bogus Basin days with the requisite tailgate lunch of salami sandwiches, oranges, and a little Rosé. He was preceded in death by his parents and loving wife Beth, and will always be remembered with great love by his sister, Mary Fowler, his brother, Casey and his four children; Sherry (Doug), Scott (Carol), Mark (LuAnn), Malcolm (Kathy); nine grandchildren: Tyrell, Shae (Josh), Andrew (Diana), Chad (Megan), Becky (Sam), Mac (Carmelle), Julia, Adam, and Jaclyn; and 6 Great Grandchildren.