Kevin Douglas, of Littleton, Colorado, passed away on December 17th in his sleep surrounded by family after a courageous five-year battle with cancer.

Born in 1957, in Weymouth, MA, he moved to Colorado in 1979 to build a life and family closer to nature, a lesson he learned on road trips as a child.

While living in Lakewood, he met a neighbor, Karen, in his complex who he fell head over heels for. They married a few years later, and enjoyed forty plus years of a happy marriage. They loved camping, travel, and skiing; along with good company, good food, and his favorite: the Cabin located right outside of Rocky Mountain National Park.  He also enjoyed yanking her chain about his love of the Red Sox and later his love of Tom Brady. She won’t look at the Red Sox the same.

In 1988, Kevin and Karen welcomed their first son into the world: Zachary. Kevin learned the hard way that he wasn’t built for the delivery room: with nurses yelling “father down, father down,” during the process. Less than two years later, in 1990, they welcomed in another little munchkin named Ryan. This time to prevent a “Father Down” scenario, Kevin took his time while Karen was in labor to go through the McDonalds drive thru, something Karen will always think of when going there.

In celebration of their 25th wedding anniversary, Kevin and Karen went on a trip to Tahiti and Bora Bora. Part of Kevin still is swimming those crystal-blue waters. The only trip he would talk about more than that one was his trip with Karen to Alaska. Ryan and Zach joke that a big part of him never came back from that trip. Kevin also enjoyed showing his friends and family around Colorado. Kevin talked about taking his brother, Rick, to Glenwood Springs and how much fun they had in the hot springs and golfing.

After a vacation to the Grand Canyon, Kevin returned to Colorado to find that his job was eliminated. Kevin, using this as an opportunity, started a successful trucking company: shipping oversized loads across the country. With this new adventure, Kevin taught his children the meaning of sacrifice, hard work, dedication, and most of all, how to be consistent on a day-to-day basis. To further demonstrate his strength of character, he went back to college, graduating in 2003 with a degree in Business. He bent over backwards to provide for his family, working his small business successfully through his kids’ high school years, college, and the Great Recession. During that time, he joined the Denver Transportation Club, networking and planning the future of transportation for Denver. He was voted twice within the transportation club to be the President, and received the “Man of the Year Award.”

When Kevin moved from Massachusetts, he brought with him his love for sports. Meeting Karen, he fell in love with the Broncos. It became a tradition to watch every game, either on TV or enjoy a few home games. He also tried to teach Karen the love of the Red Sox, although it didn’t stick. When the Red Sox won the ALCS to go to the World Series in 2004, his sister-in-law decorated his house with Cardinal flags to pull his leg. Not only did he take it in stride, but he had the last laugh with the Sox winning the Series that year. That ranked as one of his happiest moments. He has a shrine to honor that.

When Ryan proposed to his girlfriend, there was no one more excited than Kevin. Even when it came to the stressful part of the wedding—the planning—he was right there raring to go. “Ryan, what about this,” or “what can I do to help today?” He couldn’t be prouder. During the planning, he gravitated to this idea of having a selfie banner on the mountain. It became a hit. He was so happy for his son and daughter-in-law, that he decided to take the responsibility of bringing the wedding cake to the venue: riding with it up a chairlift to the top of a mountain. It’s one of those, you had to be there, but for those of us who were, we won’t forget it. 

Kevin was proceeded in death by his father, Jack; his grandmother, Nana; and Jack’s parents Daddy Jack and Ma.  He is survived by his wife, Karen, and their two sons, Zachary and Ryan, and Ryan’s wife Marissa. Also, Kevin’s Mother, Nancy; his brother Rick and his wife Kathy; two sisters: Stephanie and her partner John, and Jackie with her husband Andy; and the family he helped lead nicknamed the Village. His presence is missed, and his love will forever keep us going.

We Love You Kevin.