Richard Guy Douglass, 80
Richard “Rich” Douglass, salesman extraordinaire, left his earthly body January 25, 2025.
Rich was born May 3, 1944, to Charles and Adeline Douglass. He was the youngest of the family and a favorite of his Grandma Ada.
After graduating from Scranton High School, he joined the Navy. He served two tours of duty during the Vietnam war. After discharging from the Navy, Rich began his sales career selling pot, pans, china and silverware door to door in San Franciso. While there he met and married Kitty Davies. Together they had three children, Darren, Jarrod and Rebekkah. They later divorced.
Rich worked for several chemical companies specializing in water treatment for large and small companies. Learning all he could, he quit and started his own water treatment company serving Phoenix and surrounding communities and states.
When his brother, Rosco, was diagnosed with a brain tumor. He moved to Topeka to help with Roscoe’s care until his death. Rich worked several different sales jobs before landing on the one that worked for him. For the last sixteen years, Rich worked for the Furniture Mall of Kansas selling mattresses. He loved his job and the people he had the honor of working for and with.
As an avid KU basketball, Royals baseball and Chiefs football fan, he could be heard arm-chair coaching from afar. Those refs and umps took quite the tongue lashing.
Rich suffered the passing of his parents, siblings, Rosco Floro, Juanita McKee, Ethel Schrader, and his sons, Darren and Jarrod Douglass.
He is survived by his partner and best friend, Dianne Hilton, daughter Rebekkah (Kevin) Hewlett of Lexington, KY, stepchildren, Troy Hilton, Shane (Chrissy) Hilton, Doreen (Ryan) Weekley and Drake (Mary) Stewart. Also missing him are ten grandchildren and two great grandchildren.
Because he did not want a funeral, we had a true celebration of his life on his 80th birthday a few weeks after his cancer diagnosis. Over 100 of his friends and family were there to tell him how much he meant to them and how much he would be missed.
Those that knew and loved him are pretty sure that right now he is trying to sell God a Tempurpedic mattress.
