John Louk Douglass

 John Louk Douglass, 78, of Canton passed away at 10:17am on August 24th, 2020 at Graham Hospital. John was born on March 22, 1942 to Rollin & Doris (Hollister) Douglass in Avon, IL. They proceeded him in death. Surviving are his brothers, R. Hollister (Karen) Douglass of London Mills, IL, Paul (Susie) Douglass of Centennial, CO, his sister Donna (the late Del) Miller of Avon, IL, son, John Douglass, daughter Anna (BJ) Walters of Canton, and the lights of his life, his grandchildren, Conner & Ellison Walters.

John grew up in Avon, graduating from Avon High School in 1960. From there he attended Canton Community College and participated in the inaugural year of the CCC basketball team. Drafted into the army on April 26th, 1965 and after basic training he spent the next 2 years in Germany. He was an avid photographer while overseas and carried that passion back home in October 1967, after his honorable discharge from the Army.

After returning home, John lived in Avon & continued his career at Freeman United Coal Mining Company where he had worked before entering the Army. He was there for a total of 23 years, working his way up to foreman before its closing in 1984. In these years he became a die-hard fan of the St Louis Cardinals, the Green Bay Packers, the Boston Celtics and the Boston Bruins & continued his love of sports throughout the rest of his life, enjoying many games in St Louis & other cities.

On March 8th, 1968 John married the love of his life, Katherine Marie Ellison. They owned and operated The Jack & Jill Shop in Canton together starting in 1985. They prided themselves in their business and built lasting friendships with other local business owners and customers. John lost his beloved wife, Kathy, after a long and brave battle with breast cancer on May 29, 1993. He closed the door of their store later that summer.

John went on to work in sales at WBYS from 1993 to 1999 then worked as a bartender at Official Time Out until March 2009 when he hung up his work hat at the age of 67. Both of these jobs were extremely rewarding for him. He loved staying active in his community, keeping up with old friends and making new ones. There was never a day he didn’t go to work with a button-down shirt and tie on.

John was an over 50-year member of the Olive Branch of the Odd Fellow Lodge in Canton. He also spent 14 years on the Graham Hospital Board of Trustees from 1979 to 1993. After his retirement, he continued to give back to his community by volunteering at Graham Hospital which brought him so much joy.

One thing John was truly passionate about was the fight against breast cancer. Years after losing his wife to the disease, he decided to make a generous donation to Graham Hospital in honor of her. His hope was that the women in his community could continue to receive screenings and diagnostic mammograms for years to come. He also hoped to help provide the suite with the most cutting-edge technology to ensure that women didn’t have to travel far to get the testing they needed. On August 24th, 2018 the Katherine Douglass Mammography Suite was opened. This was one of the happiest days of his life.  

In honor of his life, his love for his wife and in support of his dream, any donations can be made to the John & Kathy Douglass Mammography Suite in care of the Graham Hospital Foundation.

A graveside service with military rites will be held at White Chapel Memory Gardens on Saturday August 29th, 2020 at 2pm, Pastor Harry Ellison officiating. In keeping with his love of sports & casual outlook on life, his family encourages you to wear your favorite teams’ apparel.

A celebration of life will be held at Lakeland Park at the Nagel Pavilion on Sunday September 13th, 2020 from 1pm – 4pm.

Oaks-Hines Funeral Home and Crematory is entrusted with services. To leave online condolences please visit oakshinesfuneralhome.com