Douglas Leroy Waterbury 1953 - 2008

MORRIS, WATERBURY

Posted By: Connie Swearingen (email)
Date: 5/19/2019 at 13:43:02

Sioux City Journal
28 October 2008

SERGEANT BLUFF -- Douglas L. Waterbury, 55, of Lincoln, Neb, formerly of Sergeant Bluff, passed away suddenly Friday, Oct. 24, 2008, at his residence.

Graveside services will be 1 p.m. today at Lincoln Memorial Cemetery, Lincoln, with the Rev. Gary Harris officiating. Local arrangements are under the direction of Waterbury Funeral Service in Sergeant Bluff.

Douglas Leroy Waterbury was born July 20, 1953, at Camp Roberts, Calif., the son of Clayton and Mary Lou (Morris) Waterbury. He was a 1971 graduate of Corning High School in Corning, Iowa.

His work career began at Continental Trailways, where he rose through the ranks to become the youngest terminal manger in the country for Trailways. Later, he used his supervisory skills in the plastics and molding industry for several companies including Lenco in Lincoln, Neb., and of San Bernadino, Calif. Positions included everything from sales manager to plant supervisor. In 2005, he moved to Sergeant Bluff to help his brother start up a new funeral home, the first in Sergeant Bluff's 150 year history. With his management skills and as general manager of Waterbury Funeral Service, he was instrumental in keeping affordable funeral service available without sacrificing service.

He found great pleasure in helping others as he was a prolific blood donor, volunteered for the Big Brother program and even in death, was an organ donor. He was a "jack of all trades" and would constantly help out his friends and family on various projects. His love of sports included watching pro football, collecting sports memorabilia and was an exceptional billiards and darts payer, winning many trophies during his playing days. As a youth, he was a competitive diver and swimmer. He passed along his diving knowledge to his son, Cliff, who became a successful college dive coach. He was also extremely proficient and proud of his winning record when playing online simulated war games.

He had a gift of training animals and had numerous pets throughout his life, including his beloved dogs, cats, a monkey and he even had an alligator at one time. As a young man, he trained Kipper, a wild pigeon and would walk through his hometown streets with Skipper riding on his shoulder.

In his later years, when his beard grayed, people would confuse him for the country singer, Kenny Rogers, which led to his passion for karaoke singing. When the "Gambler" took the stage, the appreciative and sometimes rowdy crowds would thoroughly enjoyed his performances.

Late in life, he met the love of his life, Kathy. Their romance blossomed while working in the same factory together in Wahoo, Neb. He would send her love notes while she was working on the packaging assembly line and she would miss them and package them up. Whereas they would then have to open up the package to retrieve the love note. After a brief courtship, they were married in Las Vegas, Nev., on Sept. 13, 2007. The time he spent with Kathy was the most enjoyable time of his life. A month before his passing, they took a trip to the Pacific Northwest. Their sightseeing adventure included the Olympic Game Farm, Seattle and the loggers competition. Although the marriage was only 134 months, he was the most content and happiest he had ever been.

Survivors include his wife, Kathy; a son, Clifton Waterbury of Omaha; a daughter, Angie Farmer of Lincoln; three grandchildren, Avea, Bailey and Mason Farmer; his parents, Clayton and Mary Waterbury; two brothers, Roger Waterbury of Sergeant Bluff and Bruce Waterbury of Bremerton, Wash.; two sisters, Shirley Odinas of Las Vegas, Nev., and Pam Wheeler of Covina, Calif.; and eight nieces and nephews.