Douglas (Doug) Michael Sweeney passed away on January 21, 2021 at the age of 82. Born November 28, 1938 in Chicago Illinois, Doug was the youngest of six children born to Irish immigrants, William and Julia Sweeney. Growing up, Doug was involved with sports and many activities like the Boy Scouts, earning their highest achievement of Eagle Scout. At St. Philip High School in Chicago, Doug was on the debate and basketball teams. He also loved softball, and played on the Chicago Park District championship team, capturing the crown in a tournament which started with 200 teams. As most young Irish of the day, Doug was heavily involved with the Catholic Church, attending only Catholic schools and participating as an altar boy. Doug even contemplated a life with the church and attended the seminary for a while.
After brief stints as a letter carrier and an iron worker, Doug found his professional calling in the retail foods industry. As he started his family and worked his way up the ladder at Jewel Food Stores headquartered at the time in Melrose Park, Illinois, Doug also found the time to enroll at Lake Forest College, attending and graduating from their four-year Management program. Doug ended his illustrious career as the Executive Vice President of Operations with The Pantry, located then in Sanford, North Carolina. At the time of his retirement in 2002, The Pantry was one of the largest convenience store chains in the country and the leading independently operated chain in the southeastern United States with locations in 13 states. He led by example and never asked anyone to do something he would not do himself.
Although Doug was extremely proud of his forty-plus year career in the retail foods industry, the volunteer time he spent as a Citizen on Patrol with the Rancho Cucamonga Police Department/San Bernardino County Sheriff Department over the last twelve years gave him the most gratification; he loved every minute of every hour of those years. Doug was humbled and honored to participate and serve with his brothers and sisters in law enforcement.
Doug enjoyed to golf and read but he was a family man at his core; spending as much time as he could with those he loved. Doug was generous, thoughtful and kind and was the best brother, father, father-in-law, uncle, grandparent, great-grandparent and friend that anyone could hope to have. He was always smiling or joking, even toward the end when he was in much pain. He epitomized his signature mantra - PMA, or positive mental attitude, and that attitude became infectious to those around him.
Doug’s love was returned ten-fold by those who survive him - his two children, Julia and Doug, Jr., their spouses Michael and Toma, his grandchildren, Adam (Natalie), Nicholas (Denisse), Dallas (Joseph), Samuel, Peter (Taylor), Benjamin, Emma (Robert) and Katerina as well as his great-granddaughters, Arabella, Olivia and Quinn. Doug is also survived by his sister, Sheila (Bob), and his many nieces and nephews scattered throughout the country. His surviving friends are too numerous to count, and maybe that is the best legacy that anyone in this world could hope to attain.
Due to COVID restrictions, a private memorial service will be held in his honor on Friday February 26, 2021 11:00 am at Oak Park Cemetery, 410 Sycamore Ave., Claremont, CA. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, P.O. Box 98011, Washington, DC 20090-8011 or the Wounded Warrior Project, 4899 Belfort Road, Suite 300, Jacksonville, FL 32256.
SHARE OBITUARYSHARE
v.1.13.0