Douglas William Borchert

Douglas William Borchert, long time bay-area lawyer, and Martinez resident, died of COVID-19 pneumonia on March 23, 2020 at the age of 77. Doug was born in Ely, Nevada on December 2, 1942 to Jessie McClure (Ogden, UT) and Irvin Emmett Borchert (Cherry Creek, NV). He was the oldest of three brothers and lived in Sacramento until adulthood. Doug was an avid Sacramento Solon baseball fan. He attended as many Solon games as his allowance permitted. He graduated from C.K. McClatchy High School in 1961, and from U.C. Davis (B.A. in History) in 1966. Doug joined the U.S. Army but declined an officer commission in Vietnam. Instead, he served as a "scout dog" handler, looking for booby traps, ambushes and snipers that threatened his infantry unit. His valor earned him the Bronze Service Medal. After returning to the U.S., he earned an M.S. degree in Business from U.C. Berkeley, and later a law degree from the Ventura Law School. Doug worked forty-five years in title insurance, and eventually became Vice President of the Underwriting Counsel for Fidelity National Title until his retirement in 2018. In the last 20 years, Doug traveled extensively. At sixty-five he climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro and subsequently referred to himself "Babu"("grandfather" in Swahili). He continued swimming, hiking, and weight training before he became ill. Doug was an amateur historian and loved Nevada history. He was particularly interested in the famous silver strike known as the Comstock Lode in Virginia City, NV. He developed courses that featured Mark Twain, John Mackay, and other characters of the Gold Rush. As a member of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, Doug lectured throughout the Bay area and in western Nevada. He gave lectures at California State East Bay, San Francisco State University, U.C. Davis and the University of the Pacific. Doug is survived by his wife, Virginia Borchert, to whom he was married 19 years, step-son Brian Rector, daughters Megan Han and Nikki Borchert, and his younger brother, Mark Borchert. Doug's sense of humor and writings will be greatly missed by family and friends.