Harold Douglas Witt

Harold Douglas Witt (Doug) passed peacefully the evening of Friday, November 29, 2024, in Orange, California. During his long and happy life, Doug had many friends and touched the lives of countless others. Now, his legacy lives on through his three children and five grandchildren and their cherished memories of him.

Born in Buchanan County, Virgina, on February 1, 1940 to Beauford Witt and Isabella Morely, Doug fondly referred to his birthplace as the “hills of Virgina,” but at only 18 months of age, he left Grundy, Virgina with his parents for the sunny streets of Los Angeles, California. Thereafter, with the exception of his time serving in the US Navy, Doug was a resident of Los Angeles County.

Doug’s parents divorced when he was five-years-old and he moved with his mom and her new husband to Temple City, which was the town Doug remembered warmly as his childhood home, especially as he was a member of Temple City High School’s first graduating class in 1957. Because he had skipped kindergarten, Doug was always the youngest in his class, but that didn’t stop him. He was popular because of his friendly personality and ability to dance—a skill he picked up when a junior high school was built across from their home and his mom enrolled him in a ballroom dance class there. He also played football and ran track at Temple City High School. His childhood was filled with bike rides through his neighborhood near Oak Avenue and afternoons spent caring for his baby sister, Alicia, who he absolutely adored. As a child, he also loved reptiles and other animals, caring for local lizards, snakes, and even a baby crocodile until it grew too big and had to be donated to a local zoo.

Over the years, Doug developed a tremendous work ethic. While in high school, he held several jobs, including at a church camp in Santa Anita Canyon and at a veterinary hospital. He dedicated multiple weekends per month to junior ROTC in Long Beach. Because of this hard work, Doug was able to purchase a rustic cabin in the San Gabriel Mountains while still a teenager. After high school, Doug worked at Western Electric Telephone Company with some of his high school friends and commuted on his motorcycle until a car hit him, causing him several injuries and totaling his bike. Once he recovered, Doug joined the US Navy, attending submarine school in New London, Connecticut. From 1958-1961, Doug was on active duty, stationed at Pearl Harbor with patrolling missions in the deep seas of the South Pacific. Even in his last years, Doug proclaimed, “Loose lips sink ships!” when his children would ask details about his missions. On Oahu, Doug bought a used convertible and circled the island, having the time of his life with his Navy friends.

Yet, Doug’s greatest adventure in life was proudly serving his community for 35 joyous years as a member of the Los Angeles County Fire Department (LACoFD). In this capacity, he served in Temple City, South San Gabriel, East LA, San Gabriel Canyon, and unincorporated parts of Los Angeles County. He retired as a Captain from Station 5 on Rosemead Boulevard. Doug loved this career more than he could adequately express and missed the action once he retired. Prior to joining LACoFD, Doug had served 18 months with the West Covina Fire Department, where his coworker passed him the telephone number of a beautiful redhead who had attended his sister’s wedding. Doug called her up and after sharing a Coke at the Bob’s Big Boy in Pasadena, he embarked on a five-year courtship with the love of his life, Beverly. They were married for nearly 54 years until her death in 2022.

After Doug married Beverly, he became a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which provided a faith-centered framework of values within which he raised his family of three children. As a family man, Doug worked hard as the sole provider. He was strict, supportive, and loving to his children and then, grandchildren. He wanted them to have more than he did. He wanted them to succeed in everything they did. He frequently counseled them to “do what is right, tell the truth, and be careful.” Doug was helpful and would rush to the aid of anyone in need. His enduring faith gave him peace that things would always turn out the way God intended.

As a young father, Doug would get down on all fours and let his three kids climb onto his back and would give them a ride around their thankfully small house. As his kids grew, he took them to the cabin he bought as a teenager for days of sledding and hiking for mistletoe. He practiced sports with them and had them all join the marching band in junior high, recording each parade with his over-the-shoulder video camera. Doug loved the Mexican culture and encouraged his children to learn Spanish, often forcing them to awkwardly practice whenever they encountered a Spanish speaker. During summers, he took his family to Pismo Beach to camp for weeks at a time in their travel trailer dubbed “Happy.”

From the travel trailer’s bunk beds above his own bed, his kids would peer down to observe Doug eating mouthwatering nachos late at night while watching TV. If he caught a glimpse of them still awake, he would yell at them to “go to sleep!” which was nearly impossible once they saw what a party was still going on just below. One of Doug’s favorite spots on California’s Central Coast was Bernardo’s Ice Cream in Arroyo Grande, where he and his family would stand in line with the crowds for a special treat. At Pismo Beach, Doug was an avid clammer, rising at dawn to get the best and biggest clams the Pacific had to offer. Beverly would make homemade clam chowder with his catch.

Although serious about his career and dedicated to his family, Doug was a man of many hobbies. By way of professional experiences and some classes, he was a HAM radio aficionado, CB radio user, licensed pilot, golfer, gardener, and talented photographer. He even had a small business taking family portraits until it went bankrupt because he couldn’t bring himself to charge the families and then ran out of money for film and developing supplies. Doug never lost the country spirit he was born with as he and Beverly raised chickens and bunnies until they grew too busy with their children and a massive home renovation, which he largely completed himself. Doug loved to garden, regularly harvesting squash, tomatoes, persimmons, peppers, pumpkins, and figs. Doug viewed California as the land of “milk and honey.”

Doug loved to make others laugh and was a master of quirky quips, such as: “Home again, home again, jiggety jig, (insert child’s name) is going to kiss a big, fat pig!” “If it was a snake, it would’ve bit ya!” “Tables are for glasses, not asses.” “Yeah is not a word.” At one point during his children’s adolescence, he even tried to ban the phrase “oh well,” which only encouraged his teenagers to say it more and with greater emphasis.

After their children were grown and Doug had retired, Doug and Beverly traveled the country in their RV. This was Doug’s ultimate dream—freedom on the open road. In his last years of life, Doug developed Alzheimer’s Disease, which forced an end to Doug’s many adventures, but his family saw sparks of his fun and loving personality all the way until the very end. His family will miss him dearly, especially his friendly, outgoing personality and dad jokes. We’re grateful to have had him in our lives and for his example of unconditional love, service, generosity, and humility. We know we will be reunited with him. From Doug to his family and friends: “Squeaky, over and out!”

Doug’s memorial service will be an intimate graveside gathering of family members and friends at Rose Hills in Whittier on Tuesday, December 10, 2024, at 3:00 pm.