Douglas Bonell Tuttle, age 96, of Overland Park, Kansas, passed away February 13, 2020, at the Colonial Village surrounded by loving family. Doug was born April 19, 1923, in Livingston, Wisconsin, to Clayton Larabee Tuttle and Edna Belle Tuttle (Bonell). Seventy years later as he visited his birthplace, he fondly recalled playing in the display window of the pharmacy his father owned. Doug was preceded in death by his parents, his sister Lenore, his loving wife of 55 years Marybelle and his granddaughter Kimberly.
Doug was actively involved in researching his family history and discovered direct lineage to our Tuttle family who arrived in Boston from London in 1635. Many hours were spent in his sharing of this information. This encouraged him to write memoirs from which we were able to obtain information.
Doug graduated Mary D. Bradford High School in 1941 in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and then attended classes at the Chicago Technical College. He initially worked at Frost Company on WWII deferment as chief tool designer. He was then appointed to Kings Point Merchant Marine Academy (New York) in 1943 and 1944. He served on munition transports in the South Pacific and was honorably discharged in 1945. The same year Doug returned to Kenosha and married his high school love, Marybelle Richards. There they raised their three children, built their first home and lived the American dream. In 1952, Doug joined Webster Electric in Racine, Wisconsin, as an industrial engineer. He transferred to Frankfort, Kentucky, in 1954 where he served in varying managerial positions until he eventually became plant manager of Sta-Rite Industries. Here he remained until retirement at age 55.
Doug was a loving, but tough father. He was actively involved with youth organizations as well as civic and personal endeavors. He served as a Boy Scout Explorer Leader, volunteered at Girl Scout Camp Judy Layne and served as Youth Fellowship leader at the First Baptist Church in Frankfort; a board member of the Kentuckty Public Safety Commission, the Salvation Army and the American Red Cross. He was an active Rotarian who hosted students from multiple countries. For 59 years, he was a Brother of the Masonic Fraternity. He was a founding member of the Lafayette Club (#8), Lexington, Kentucky, and a founding member of the Grand Marais Yacht Club. He and Marybelle loved traveling throughout the country as well as northern Europe and Mexico. They sailed, enjoyed horseracing, IndyCar races and wintered in Arizona. After retirement, he built their dream cabin in the woods in northern Minnesota near his son David’s family. He thrived in helping them reestablish Bearskin Lodge as a premier resort destination.
After 55 years of marriage, he lost his Marybelle. Several years later friends introduced him to a bubbly kind woman, Ginny Dean, in Arizona. They were married in Ames, Iowa, on December 18, 2002, by a friend who was a retired Methodist minister. They bought their winter home in Surprise, Arizona, and spent their summer months on the Gunflint Trail continuing their active lifestyle. Douglas returned to Europe two more times, made stained glass windows for all three of his children, enjoyed woodcarving, sketching, solving crossword puzzles, reading and was still bicycling at age 91. As he was unable to maintain his arms in an elevated position to play his organ, he had to give this up; thus, he began genealogy research. At age 94, he took acrylic painting classes. It was fitting that in his last week of life he was reading, Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom.
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