Doug was born in Bullittsville, Kentucky on September 25, 1939, to his parents, John and Dorothea Sebastian. He grew up on his grandparents’ farm in Petersburg, Kentucky, where he helped with the farm chores and enjoyed the camaraderie of a close-knit community. He often spoke of helping his grandfather before and after school and of fun times with his sister, Barb, when all the work was done. After graduating from high school, Doug worked as a mechanic and became an owner and operator of a Marathon station in Hebron, Kentucky. He also shared his talents with his friends on a racing team, keeping his beloved “Snoopy 13” running and winning.
In 1976, Doug joined his sister, Barb, and her family in Okeechobee, Florida where he met and married his loving wife, Roberta “Bert” Sebastian. They combined their five children into one family and moved to Vero Beach. Over the years, they saw their family grow and were blessed with many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Their home in Vero Beach, Florida became the heart of the family. They hosted holiday dinners, birthday celebrations, graduation parties, and everything in between.
One particular favorite family memory is Grandma and Grandpa’s Summer Camp. For many years, Doug and Bert welcomed all their grandchildren to stay with them for several weeks during the summer. This treasured event included trips to the beach, swimming in the pool, performing skits (written and directed by the older grandchildren), diving competitions, and eating lots of “Grandpa Doug’s pancakes”. Most importantly, it allowed all the cousins to get to know each other and create lasting memories.
In addition to caring for his family, Doug worked as an air conditioning and heating service technician and enjoyed solving the many challenges of repair and maintenance, meeting new people, and turning them into lifelong regulars. Because he was such a good mechanic and an all-around talented handyman, he spent a lot of his free time helping family and friends with car and home maintenance projects. Everyone knew that Doug could fix anything, “all he had to do was touch it”. He was a member of Our Savior Lutheran Church in Vero Beach and his primary hobby was caregiving. He was always busy doing something to help someone. Doug also loved taking his family fishing and water skiing and was an avid Nascar fan.
Doug is survived by his children, Beth (Steve), Bill (Kimberly), Cindy (Dave), Bill (Janet), and Laurie (Jason); his grandchildren and great-
grandchildren; his sister, Barbara; his former wife, Bonnie; and dearly loved neighbors and friends.
His funeral service will be held at Our Savior Lutheran Church, Vero Beach on Friday, July 23, 2021, at 11 a.m. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Alzheimer and Parkinson Association of Indian River County (https://alzpark.org).
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.8.18