Douglas Jon Devine

Douglas Jon Devine 1/21/61 – 4/3/16 Douglas Jon Devine, otherwise known as "Dewey", "Dougie", "Double D", "Cheap-Genius", "Rufus T. Firefly" and "D2" was born on January 21, 1961 in Alexandria, Virginia. He wanted you to know that he was born in the same town as a famous hemp farmer, George Washington, our first U.S. President. He also lived and went to many schools in various places including Libya, Germany, Paris, Sweden, California, Texas, Connecticut, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Nevada, Hawaii and Arizona. Doug attended classes at the University of Arizona in Tucson, where he studied English, History and Photography. After venturing the globe, he returned to Tucson and met the love of his life Kellie Ann Murphy. Doug and Kellie had an amazing relationship and incredible bond, supporting each other through more than 25 adventurous years. This duo did everything together, never seemed to tire of each other and was seen by many as a great team. (Kellie may say she has a very high tolerance for sarcasm). Indulging his passion for the motion picture industry, Doug moved his family to Los Angeles, California in 1994, where he worked for more than 20 years. He started out in the Art Department on low budget films, getting his first break into the Union (Local 44) in special effects with the movie Volcano. Doug worked as a Set Dresser and Prop Master on many other Hollywood productions, cinema, TV, and commercials – to name a few: Argo, MI:3, Déjà vu, Star Trek, The Call, Daredevil and television shows such as Will and Grace, Alias, CSI:NY, 8 Simple Rules, Rita Rocks, True Blood, Big Love and dozens more. Doug loved his job, not always the hours or the conditions, but the camaraderie of the crew and the cast. Doug was never 'star struck' or put too much importance on any 'star' of the production, yet two memorable experiences were: (1) receiving a big bear hug from Jim Garner; when he worked on 8 Simple Rules. He also felt extremely lucky to have worked with John Ritter, whom he had great admiration. And (2) once he came home from 'day playing' on the movie The Insider and Kellie asked "What was Al Pacino like?" and his overly giddy response was "God he was just so.. so.. AL PACINO!" To say that Doug loved music would be an understatement and to say Doug was a 'fan' of Bob Dylan would be an extreme understatement. No one can think of "Uncle Bob" and not think of Doug! After being introduced to the Grateful Dead in 1985, he went on to see them more than a dozen times. He frequented concert venues all over the world to see U2, The Rolling Stones, The Waterboys, Bob Dylan, Wilco, Van Morrison, Neil Young, Santana, Fleetwood Mac, Jackson Browne, and many more obscure bands. Doug was himself a celebrated air guitarist and winner of numerous contests in his lifetime – though no trophies have been found to back up his claims. Doug was renowned for his long strawberry blonde locks (the longer his hair, the more attractive he became to his wife), his psycho-flamboyant tie-dye attire and his vividly colored bandanas. He was also an accomplished photographer with works published in both Sports Illustrated and Golf Digest, and had an appreciation for Kodachrome! Colorful and salty language was something you could always expect from Dougie– never a hesitation with a quip, (once told he may have to be on steroids for his tumor, his reply, "and be disqualified from the Baseball Hall of Fame, no thank you!") colloquialism ("WORD"!) or a witty observation (he once told Kellie "I can't believe Keith Richards will outlive me!" and then laughed his cackling laugh). Depending on his mood, he was either the center of attention and the funniest guy in the room, or the quiet guy in the corner evaluating who was worthy of his intellectual conversation; a history buff, a geographical genius, a political wizard – unfailingly a lively conversation was always to be had with Doug. The "Dad" Doug was amazing. He loved his boys and boasted about them often. Doug coached Murphy and Jackson in little league and cheered them on in every sport they played from basketball to soccer to hockey to baseball to lacrosse. He was extremely proud and applauded every award and title they received. Doug bonded with his family through their love of sports as they cheered together, and rooted against each other, for various team rivalries, whether it was the Phillies vs. the Cubs, the Eagles vs. the NY Giants or the 76er's vs. the Clippers. As an avid hockey fanatic, Doug was beyond excited to hold the Stanley Cup three times and also drink champagne from it in 2012 (he proudly kept the picture evidence as his phone screen saver). His favorite time of the year was March, as MLB's spring training took over the family TV and trips to the Cactus League games in the Phoenix area happened almost every year. He was always a good sport to go see the Cubs (Kellie Ann's favorite team) and really lucked out if they were playing the Dodgers or the Angels. Doug made it to his last 'spring training game' on March 9, 2016. Chicago Cubs vs Cleveland Indians - seated in his wheelchair - enjoying a Chicago styled- bratwurst dog and sipping on an Old Style beer. Though shocked once diagnosed with an oligoastrocytoma glioma, he never said, "why me?" He had 10 oz. of his brain removed, and 1/5 of his skull permanently removed (he affectionately referred to that as his 'divot') but still saw life as something to enjoy and actually saw his diagnosis as a gift – from then on out, Kellie and Doug took it upon themselves to live in the moment, embrace the present and teach their boys that life is to be lived! Doug grabbed every chance to see live music, his last concert was Van Morrison at The Shrine Auditorium on January 16, 2016. Doug and Kellie were extremely grateful for the excellent care he received in 2012 at UCLA Medical Center's Neurology Department, where he underwent his initial treatment and operations. Also, Kellie and Doug appreciated all the support received, and friendships made at The Cancer Support Community - The Benjamin Center in West LA. Doug leaves behind his wife of 22 years, Kellie Ann Murphy, his sons Murphy and Jackson, plus Luke, the family dog. In addition, he leaves his brother Rick (Tucson), his mother-in-law Nan R. Murphy (Davenport, IA), other beloved Murphy family members and their spouses including Anne, Michael, Maureen (Matt), Eileen, Kathleen (Francis), Colleen (Pete), Sharon and Matthew (Amy) and numerous cousins, nieces and nephews from Tucson to Oregon to Iowa to Delaware and various other regions of the U.S. Doug was preceded in death by his parents John and Janet Devine (Tucson, AZ), and father-in-law Frank C. Murphy (Davenport, IA) and his brother-in-law Dave Jasper (Bend, OR). A "Celebration of the Devine" will be held in Los Angeles in June 2016.