George Douglas Christie

July 22, 1925 - December 27, 2016 George Douglas (Doug) Christie of Sun Valley, Idaho, died Dec 27, 2016 in Danville, CA after battling cancer. He was 91.Doug was born July 22, 1925 in Kelso, WA to George Douglas and Ann Emily (nee Rath) Christie and grew up in Seattle. After graduating from Broadway High School, he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps (precursor to the Air Force) and trained as a pilot. World War II came to an end before he saw action.After the war, he enrolled at the University of Washington, earning a degree in Business Administration. While a senior at the UW, he met Virginia Irene "Ginner" Taylor, who became the love of his life. After sweeping her off her feet, he proposed to her on the steps of the campus library.The couple were married in Tacoma on May 27, 1950. After living briefly in Tacoma and Seattle, they settled in Bellevue, WA. They had four children, Barbara, Douglas, Michael and Timothy.After college, Doug worked for General Motors Acceptance Corp. for three years and then went to work as a salesman for Sylvania Lighting. He worked for GTE Sylvania for the next 40 years. In 1969, he moved his family from Bellevue to La Canada, CA after he was promoted to western regional sales manager.He was an avid downhill skier, a sport he enjoyed into his mid 80's. He loved getting to the mountain soon after the lifts opened so he could carve up virgin corduroy.Golf was another lifelong passion. He played to as low as a 12 handicap and played courses all over the West, Hawaii and Great Britain. He continued playing golf until he was 90 with a vibrant group of friends.Doug was a lifelong fan of Washington Husky football, holding season tickets for more than 50 years.After he retired, he and Ginner moved to Sun Valley, ID where they enjoyed the rarified air, a wide circle of friends and mountain town lifestyle.To use a phrase he was fond of, Doug was a "glass half-full" kind of guy, always taking a positive view of life. Nothing was more important to him than his family.He was preceded in death by his wife, Ginner, in 2004.Survivors include his four children, Barbara Murphy of Olympia, WA, Douglas Christie of Los Angeles, Michael Christie of Danville, CA and Timothy Christie of Eugene, OR, 12 grandchildren, six great-grandchildren and his loving companion for the last 12 years of his life, Annie Fuller of Sun Valley.A service will be held at 1:00 pm on Saturday, January 14th at the Oak Hill Park Community Center in Danville. There will be a celebration of life in Sun Valley this summer. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Hospice of the Wood River Valley, 507 First Ave North, Ketchum, Idaho 83340.Graham Hitch Cremation & Memorial CenterDanville, CA 925.837.2500