William (Bill) M. Douglas (89) passed away on June 7, 2026, surrounded by his loving wife and family.
As the youngest son of Ina (Siers) and Albert Douglas, Bill was preceded in death by his five sisters and five brothers, including Nolan with whom he shared a special bond. He is survived by his wife of sixty-seven years, Joyce Douglas; two sons and two daughters along with their families: David Douglas (wife Elizabeth), Jim Douglas (wife Jane); Susan Kiminecz (husband John) and Karen Douglas along with twelve grandchildren; eleven great-grandchildren; two great-great-grandchildren; and special friends Bill and Tina Chapman and their two children.
Bill was born on a farm in Milo, West Virginia, before his family moved to Akron in the 1940s. He attended Norton High School, making many life-long friends while also meeting and marrying his first love, Joyce Brouse.
After attending the University of Akron and working factory and construction jobs to support his family Bill became an English teacher at Coventry schools, typically building homes during summers to make ends meet. He and his wife were blessed with two sons and two daughters and settled in a house he built in Norton.
Bill helped his brother Nolan start The Nolan Douglas Company, a custom rubber mixing business and later became Vice President. He partnered with Nolan and associates at the company to invest in C.E.D. Process Minerals, and later Rainbow Rubber Extrusions, ventures which thrived and became his primary occupation until retirement.
In 1994, he and Joyce settled in Wadsworth.
Bill believed in hard work but also relished his leisure time. He was an avid golfer throughout his life. He enjoyed vacationing, whether he was taking fishing trips to Michigan and Canada, skiing in Colorado, hitting a golf ball off the Great Wall of China, demonstrating his luck at a casino, or taking his family to the beach in North Carolina. In his later years, he enjoyed his daily paper, watching classic films, westerns, golf, and occasionally sipping a very dry Tanqueray martini.
Bill was the ultimate provider and protector, setting an example of cherishing family as friends and treating friends as family—and ensuring both were always treated well. His wisecracks came easily and often, matched by the hospitality and generosity he and Joyce shared at restaurant dinners and weekly gatherings in their home. Seeing his grandchildren always brought a smile to his face.