Douglas Bray

Published 11:35 am Friday, January 21, 2022

January 6, 1922- December 3, 2021

Doug Bray passed away on December 3, four weeks short of his 100th birthday. The cause of death was indirectly related to Covid. Dad was the older of two brothers, born to Lillian and Stanley Bray. He was preceded in death by his brother, Kenneth Bray and his wife of 54 years, Hazel Louise Langdale. He was born on January 6, 1922.

Doug served in the Air Force during WWII on a PT boat in the Caribbean. He was second in command and his crew was tasked with monitoring the area and rescuing American airmen downed for any reason. He was determined to fly but was grounded because he was color blind.

He married the true love of his life and high school sweetheart, Hazel. During the War, they met in various places including Washington D.C., Miami, Florida, etc. While there may have been a war on, one senses it was also a time of adventure and the excitement of early marriage and lots of travel. Following the War and college, they moved West, where he taught at Cate School in Santa Barbara. They lived in teacher’s dorms. His favorite quote from this time was about Mr. Cate. “There was always one more horse’s ass than there were horses.” During this time, he took up golf, a lifelong passion until back surgery put a stop to that.

After leaving Cate, Doug and Hazel moved to Fresno, California where he worked in the school system, first as a PE teacher and coach. In time he rose through the ranks as Dean of Boys at Roosevelt High School, Vice-principal and finally as principal at Hoover High School. He was adamant when he went to Hoover, that it was a fresh start in style, attitude, and management. He bought all new suits for day one.

He retired on a Friday and moved to Bend the following Monday. He flew back to Fresno for his retirement dinner. (Hazel was done with the Fresno heat.) Possibly Doug’s favorite skill was his love of music. He played trombone from an early age and was rarely out of the ‘business’ the rest of his life. He played in several bands in Bend and following Hazel’s death, it became a sustaining passion. The friends he made in Bend making music meant the world to him.

Doug and Hazel raised two sons, Jeffrey Langdale of Ketchum, Idaho and Richard Douglas of Kimberly: both surviving. He is survived by three grandchildren, Douglas, Bryan and Melanie. Due to Covid and winter weather, no memorial is planned at this time. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to: Partners in Care, Hospice House 2075 NE Wyatt Ct, Bend, OR 97701.

https://www.bendfuneralhomes.com/obituaries/Douglas-Doug-Bray?obId=23521876#/obituaryInfo