Douglas Ball

Douglas Maguire Ball, 67, of Fort Worth, Texas, passed away peacefully on January 25, 2025. Born on February 26, 1957, Doug was the eldest of three children born to Robert P. Ball and Doris E. Ball (née Ruhe) in Camden, NJ. He grew up in Haddonfield, NJ and graduated from Haddonfield Memorial High School in 1975. In addition to his parents, Doug was predeceased by his younger and only brother, Glenn Robert Ball.

Doug is survived by his daughters, Melissa Ball and Jennifer Ball; his sister, Janice Mahlandt and husband Bruce; special cousin Carl Ball; nieces and nephews; and his lifelong best friend Scott Earley.

At Doug's personal request there was no memorial. Honoraria are appreciated and may be made online if you are so moved: www.als.net

Doug Ball was a loving, giving and nurturing soul, often intense and stubborn, yet highly motivated. His deep appreciation of music started early spurred by his mother's love of Broadway and Hollywood Musicals and his father's penchant for Sousa Marches. He started playing trumpet in elementary school and embraced the trombone soon thereafter. During high school he also sang in choir and was selected for the NJ All State Choruses, but was most proud having made All Eastern Band and Orchestra in his final two years at Haddonfield Memorial High School. Soon his musical expertise had advanced to the point that he was arranging for the HMHS concert and marching bands, and would occasionally help his teacher and mentor, Joseph Polak, by directing the bands and orchestras in rehearsals. Doug attended Glassboro State Teachers College (now Rowan University) and did his student teaching at Overbrook High School in their Music department. During this time the world-renowned jazz arranger and composer, Manny Albam, headed the Jazz Studies department. Doug played in their illustrious "Lab Band" and got to meet his idol, trombonist Bill Watrous among other jazz masters at their annual Jazz Festivals. During and after college he also played in three different Latin salsa bands in the Philadelphia region. Having worked his way through college selling audiophile stereo systems he became involved in the consumer electronics industry. Before long he became a buyer and worked for several large mid-Atlantic audio equipment retailers. In 1994, Doug moved his young family to Fort Worth, Texas with a position at Tandy Corporation, parent company of RadioShack. During those years he won awards for excellence in his field including several cruises to the Caribbean. More than any musical style, Doug loved jazz and continued to perform trombone in a few local big bands. He also enjoyed classical music and regularly took his girls to either the Dallas or Fort Worth orchestras for many symphonic performances. Since his youth Doug was also a diehard major league baseball fan and as an adult relentlessly competed in online fantasy baseball games. After leaving RadioShack he decided to turn his passion for music into making a living for his family. He started his own lucrative singing career using professional big band arrangements of the Great American Songbook and a high-end sound system. He performed about 500 gigs a year for thousands of seniors and infirmed residents in over fifty healthcare facilities. Using the stage name "Doug Maguire" he brought joy and enrichment into many people's lives which always warmed his heart. Doug especially worshiped Frank Sinatra and said he had performed "New York, New York" more times live than ol' blue eyes himself. (You can see him on YouTube by searching "Doug Maguire Mack the Knife".) In 2010 he put his expert sales skills back to work for AutoNation in a few Ford dealerships for twelve more years. As a hobby he organized the "Doug Maguire Swing Machine" big band which he directed, played and sang in for several years. Doug retired in the Fall of 2022 shortly after getting news of his devastating diagnosis of ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease) ironically. He immediately set out planning out his sole bucket list item. Remarkably, despite this terminal illness, during the 2023 MLB season he attended many games in all 30 North American Ballparks - driving himself over 17,000 miles through more than half of the United States. Along this journey, Doug also immersed himself in many related attractions; including the Baseball Hall of Fame, the Louisville Slugger Bat Factory, Iowa's Field of Dreams and the 2023 All-Star Game. As fate would have it, his home team Texas Rangers won the World Series that very year. Among the acquaintances Doug made along the way was someone with deep connections in the MLB. In August 2024 this friend arranged for him to throw a ceremonial first pitch out for the Texas Rangers, when he also met his favorite player Marcus Semien. This was perhaps the highlight of his life well-lived. Doug Maguire Ball had said was not afraid of dying - only the ugly and fearsome obstacles he would face along the way - may his gentle and kind soul rest in peace.