Douglas Jackson Pew
Douglas Jackson Pew, age 81, of Wilton Manors, Florida passed away on Sunday, September 17, 2023.
Douglas Jackson Pew was born on May 19, 1942, in St. Louis, Missouri. He graduated from Webster Grove High School in 1960. He received both his undergraduate degree and Law degree from Washington University in St. Louis.
After law school he served a short time in the Peace Corps as an Attorney in American Samoa.
His first career job was with the 7-UP company in Clayton, MO. It was still a family owned company at the time. After deciding that advancement would be slow due to having a young General Council and he didn't want to wait that long he left 7-UP. After leaving 7-UP he got a job with General Dynamics communications Division here in St. Louis. General Dynamics subsequently sold that division to United Technologies in Hartford, Connecticut. He worked for UT until he retired in 2000. During his tenure at UT law he worked in various divisions primarily Otis Elevator. At Otis he was General Council for Otis Western United States and Canada, Council for Otis South America which was all South and Central America. At one point he was loaned to Carrier Air Conditioning based in Paris, France. While at Carrier he worked extensively in The Netherlands, and Israel. His work with UT required extensive world travel.
In Spring 1969, he met his future lifetime partner, Donald K. Croxton. In August of that year during a weekend trip to New York City they were sight-seeing and visited St. Patrick's Cathedral. While in the Cathedral they spontaneously decided to make their commitment vows on August 23, 1969. No clergy present. In their hearts and minds that was their wedding day until June 23, 2003, when they were legally married on the first day after Canada recognized same sex marriage as legal.
In August of 1972 after Don finished his commitment in the Naval Reserve, Doug and Don moved into their first home together at 62 Kingsbury Place, St. Louis.
While living in Connecticut they bought a house in Provincetown, MA, which was to be their summer home after retirement and a Ft. Lauderdale, Florida house for winter.
Ten years after moving to Florida Doug and Don became instrumental in forming a new gay men's chorus. Doug filed the incorporation papers and formed a 501c3 and soon after was the elected first Chairman of the Board for the Gay Men's Chorus of South Florida and served in that post for seven years and Don serving on the board for the same time. Doug and Don began as major donors to the Chorus and continue to this day. The first concert in 2010 began with 47 members and now numbers more than 180 members. The Chorus just passed an annual budget of $1,000,000.
During their more than 54 years together Doug and Don have extensively traveled the world. Most recently on a Seine River Cruise from Paris to the Normandy coast and back to Paris in June. After that cruise we had to cancel a trip to Egypt and the Middle East due to his failing health.
We have long said, "If I die tomorrow don't feel sorry for me. Our lives have far exceeded the wildest dreams we had in our younger years."
Doug passed away after a long 3 year illness battle brought on by effects of COVID.
A visitation was held on Saturday, September 23, 2023 from 2:00 - 4:00 at the Kraeer-Fairchild Funeral Home in Fort Lauderdale, FL.
Graveside Service will be 3 PM, Thursday, September 28, 2023 at Lockhart Cemetery in Cuba, MO.
Visitation will be 1 – 2:30 PM, Thursday, September 28, 2023 at Eaton Funeral Home in Sullivan, MO.
Friends may send their online condolences to Douglas’s family at www.eatonfuneralhome.com.
All arrangements are under the care and direction of the Eaton Funeral Home and Cremation Center of Sullivan.