Douglas Dakins

Douglas Michael Dakins, 55, passed away unexpectedly on August 14, 2025, at his home in Denver, Colorado. A private family burial will be held at Lincoln Township Cemetery in Zearing, Iowa.
He was born on June 20, 1970, in Limestone, Maine, to James M. and Sallie S. Dakins. Soon after his birth, the family moved to Colorado, where he and his younger sister, Alisa, were raised. Doug had fond memories of growing up in Loveland, Colorado, near Benson Park, where he and neighborhood kids would gather in the summer and fish in the lake.
He was a graduate of Loveland High School and then went on to further his education at Cornell College in Mt. Vernon, Iowa, where he double majored in computer science and macroeconomics. After graduating from Cornell, he moved back to Colorado and started his career in the IT field
In his business life, he was a successful IT manager with the Federal Reserve Bank for 15 years and then had positions with a handful of local companies leading their IT programs.
He treasured the good times he had hiking, camping, and fishing with his family, and visiting the family's homestead in Zearing, Iowa. He learned how to ski at a young age at Hidden Valley Ski Area inside Rocky Mountain National Park. Doug loved being outside to hike, bike, camp, fly-fish, rock climb, ice climb, and gaze at the stars with the telescope he built himself. He had summited Longs Peak more than 10 times – in every season except winter. He said he got really close, but a snow squall moved in on him, and he was unable to get to the peak. He had also traversed the Grand Canyon twice via the Rim to Rim trail from the North Rim to the South Rim – the first time as a trail run and the second time at a slower pace. He was very proud of his hiking, biking, and climbing excursions.
Doug was ever the explorer – he loved to travel and see new things and get a taste of the regional culture. He wanted to set foot on each continent, and he was only short by two continents – Asia and Antarctica. He biked in France along famous Tour de France routes, went on an African safari with his grandmother when he was a teen, captained a catamaran in the Caribbean, climbed peaks in the Bugaboos, snorkeled the Great Barrier Reef, toured Argentina, and had his eye on climbing in Patagonia and riding a motorbike through the Vietnam countryside visiting small villages and Catholic churches.
He was a champion shotgunner and loved competing in sporting clay events in Colorado, Wyoming, and this year, he was looking forward to shooting in Montana. He had a handful of first-place trophies from this hobby and was very proud of learning from his friend and mentor, Warren Watson.
Doug loved gardening and volunteered his time with Denver Urban Gardens for many years. Gardening produced many of the fresh items he loved cooking with. Summer was always a bountiful harvest of tomatoes, lettuce, peppers, zucchini, and winter squashes. He had gotten proficient at canning and pickling during this time and had pickles and sauerkraut in his fridge nearly all the time. He took barbecuing to a new level when he got his smoker. He learned how to smoke meats, specifically beef, and then make it into pastrami and corned beef. He learned how to cure his own prosciutto and guanciale for his favorite Italian recipes. His love of home-cooked meals came from his mom, Sallie. He would often make choucroute garni,e remembering how his mom would make it.
Music was an integral part of his life and would often send family and friends snippets of music videos to express how he was feeling in the moment. He was able to see so many bands and performers through the years, including the Cranberries, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Iron Maiden, U2, and the Rolling Stones. He was also a proficient pianist and later in his life took up playing the ukulele to pass the time.
Doug loved animals and had an affinity for his cats. He talked fondly of his cats, Snoopy and Eli, and adored his "fur babies," Isabelle and Rascal – sibling gingers.
He was very proud of his two nieces, one who has been commissioned into the US Navy as an officer after attending school to be a chemical engineer, and the other going to culinary school to fulfill her dream of being a chef. He also held a special place in his heart for his stepdaughter, who recently graduated with a master's degree in geological engineering.
He is survived by his parents, Jim and Sallie, sister, Alisa Costello (Chad), nieces Bethany and Jocelyn, wife Carlie, his stepdaughter Amelia, beloved cat Rascal, and ex-wife Kristen Whitten.