Hugh Douglas Van Demark

Hugh Douglas “Doug” Van Demark, age 90, of Plainfield, died on November 23, 2025. He was born on January 8, 1935, in Waterbury, Connecticut, and grew up in Cranston, Rhode Island, spending summers in North Waterford, Maine. He moved to Indiana during his high-school years and graduated from Greenfield High School in the early 1950s.

Doug served in the United States Air Force in the mid-1950s, stationed in the post–World War II European theater in Germany and France. After returning home, he worked briefly for Eli Lilly before beginning a 35-year career with the FAA as a long-range radar site technician and chief.

His life of faith showed itself in steady service. He was a longtime member of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church and helped launch the St. Mark’s Lions Den with his wife, Abby, and Bill Drake. What began as a ministry offering hot meals to neighbors in need grew into a program now feeding local children.

Doug was a master stained-glass artist. His work is woven into the life of St. Mark’s and found in homes and buildings throughout the community. Each piece carried his unmistakable blend of craftsmanship, patience, and quiet prayer.

Doug also played a significant role in bringing the National Episcopal Cursillo to the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis. After first encountering the movement in the Episcopal Diocese of Louisville, he helped bring its spirit and structure to Indiana. When the Episcopal Church entered into an agreement with the Roman Catholic Church in the 1980s to use Cursillo’s copyrighted materials, Doug worked to ensure the movement would take root locally and help ordinary Christians strengthen their walk with Christ.

To his family, he was “PopPop”—a steady, faith-filled presence, devoted to Abby, attentive to his children, and quietly proud of his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. His interests in woodworking, science, astronomy, and the natural world reflected a curious mind and a grounded heart. A lifelong baseball fan, he was once recruited by the Cleveland Indians before entering military service.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Abby Van Demark; his sisters, Nancy Daddona and Sally Van Demark; and his parents, Hugh Douglas Van Demark Sr. and Helen (Lovejoy) Van Demark.

He is survived by his daughter, Kristin (Neil) May; his son, H. Douglas Van Demark III; grandchildren Jennifer (Bob) Waite, Thomas (Melissa) Van Demark, Joseph (Lisa) May, Eric (Heather) Van Demark, and Eli Van Demark; and great-grandchildren Brayden Shipman, Aiden Van Demark, Jeremiah Van Demark, Bentley Van Demark, Jacob Van Demark, Camden Van Demark, Charlie Waite, Taylor May, Laura Waite, and Kaia May.

Visitation will be held at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church (710 E. Buchanan St. Plainfield) on Monday, December 15, 2025, from 9:00 a.m. until the memorial service at 10:00 a.m.