DOUGLAS EUGENE NESS
August 14, 1945 ˜ August 18, 2022

Douglas Eugene Ness, 77, of Tacoma, WA, passed away Aug. 18, 2022 at home in Vancouver, WA. Despite ongoing medical issues in his later years, Douglas met every day with courage and strength. His family will never forget his love of family, incredible work ethic, and wonderful sense of humor.

Douglas was born Aug. 14, 1945 in Tacoma, WA. He was the second son of Orvin Ness and Irene Fitzgerald. He lived a largely idyllic childhood, where he and his brother, Gordon (Gord) were doted on by their loving mother and learned hard work and all elements of mechanical and electrical engineering from Orvin, an electrician at the local paper plant.

A self-described workaholic, hard work was a hallmark of Doug's life. He started his career in the newspaper industry at age 10, sharing an early morning paper route with Gord and using that money to buy their first boat which they repaired and enjoyed taking out into Puget Sound. This also began Doug's lifelong love of "go-fast" boats and cars.

In between working and fixing up cars and boats, Doug attended Stadium High School (Class of 1963) and set his sights on college. He applied and was accepted to Washington State University (WSU). He was the first person in his family to attend college.

Doug graduated from WSU in 1969 with a double major in Finance and Accounting. He and his first wife, Nancy Wearne, settled in Portland, OR, and had their first daughter, Meeka. Three years later, Maree, Kiira, and Jenna arrived and completed their family. In 1987 Doug and Nancy divorced, and Doug moved to North Portland where he bought a home with a view of the water. From that point forward, he always made sure he had a waterfront view from his living room.

Doug took his trademark work ethic to his time as a consultant for Arthur Andersen. However, when offered partner, Douglas made the choice to resign rather than be away from his family for an extended assignment. He took several different jobs during that time, but in the end, was hired as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) by a local newspaper publishing company called The Columbian. Taking the CFO role at The Columbian was one of the defining moments of Doug's life. He spent the remaining 31 years of his career there. Don, the owner and publisher of The Columbian, often said, "Hiring Doug was the best business decision I ever made." Doug always spoke fondly of his years at The Columbian, working with owners/publishers Don and Scott and his administrative assistant and lifelong friend, Julie Sellner. Doug was deeply respected during his time there. He always said he had the best job in the world. Doug had a brilliant mind and navigated The Columbian through some of its best years and most difficult times. He was instrumental in not only strengthening The Columbian, but also the economic growth in Clark County. He served two six-year terms on the board of the Columbia River Economic Development Council (CREDC), which honored him for his leadership of the CREDC Blue Sky Committee, promoting expansion of business recruitment and marketing, and subsequent transformation of CREDC from a membership to an investor-driven organization.

In addition to his extraordinary work ethic, Doug's other great defining characteristic, known far and wide to friends and family was his deep commitment and love of his family. Despite working 60/hour weeks for the majority of his career, Doug always made time for his daughters. He doted on them and ensured that there were vacations, road trips, boat outings, zoo visits, bike rides, skiing, theme parks, and a myriad of other experiences both large and small.

Throughout his life, he showed his daughters they were loved in too many ways to count, sending flowers to their schools on their birthdays, staying up all night to put together bikes for Christmas, visiting them at college, and leaving work early to drive an hour away or more to watch their track and cross-country meets. He never missed an opportunity to tell them how much he loved them or give them a hug. He was always there for them whenever they needed him, and like any truly great parent, was only a phone call away for help, support, or a listening ear.

In 2003 he married the love of his life, Edna Jacobson. They blended her family of three sons with his four daughters. Edna and Doug had many adventures and brought great joy to each other's lives. Edna devotedly and lovingly cared for him until the end of his life.

Doug loved to live life to the fullest and at its fastest. He held a lifelong love of fast cars and boats. He owned many of both, and always sold them looking better than when he'd bought them. He never tired of boat shopping and even when he was so ill he could barely walk, was still perusing boats for his next purchase. He loved to ride motorcycles and took several cross-country trips on his Harley.

Unfailing optimism, hard work, and the best sense of humor made Doug one of a kind. He was tougher than anyone could imagine and seemed to thrive off of pushing through difficulty. He used to ride the Seattle to Portland bike race with less than a week of training after barely riding for a year. He once rowed a sinking boat out of the middle of the Columbia River safely into the marina. He loved to be outside rafting, biking, skiing, boating, and enjoying every single moment life had to offer.

Though Doug experienced serious, unexpected medical issues in his later years, he met it all head on with resilience and optimism. No matter how ill he was, when asked how he was doing he'd answer with his standard, "Living the dream," response. Even in tough times, his ability to be grateful for what he had and his belief that he would make it to the other side brought comfort to his family and inspired all who met him.

Doug is gone too soon and his family misses him every single day. But we are comforted to know he is reunited with his beloved mother, father, and his Uncle Jim and by years of memories full of hugs, jokes, advice, boat rides, long conversations, and time spent together.

Doug is survived by wife, Edna Ness; and daughters, Meeka (husband Ryan) Kullberg, Kiira Ness (husband Parmjeet Singh), Maree Ness (partner Shume Merid), Jenna Ness; brother, Gordon (wife Carolyn) Ness; stepsons, Matt (wife Robin) Schuckmann, Jamie Jacobson, Nic (wife Kristen) Jacobson; grandchildren, Tate and Derek Kullberg, Mekdes Merid, Connor and Madeleine Schuckmann, Marley Jacobson, Zale Jacobson; and niece, Kim (husband Mike) Osterman.