Douglas A. King was born January 30, 1937 to Otis Yeoman and Ruth Allen King in Lake Placid.
He graduated from Lake Placid Central High School in 1955 and earned a degree in Forestry from Paul Smiths College in 1957. Upon graduation, he was employed by Draper Corporation in Tupper Lake.
Douglas (a.k.a. Dooley) was the youngest person to ride down the Lake Placid bobsled runs. He also earned a medal for “bravery” and “foolishness” for training as a Olympic ski jumper, but he did not take that path.
Otis wanted Douglas to take over the bait and fishing guide business. “Who could make a living doing that? Who would have known what the internet did for professional fishing people. Bass masters prizes for fishing can reach $300,000 a season. They give you a boat, truck, cooler full of beer.”
Douglas also was a scuba diver and had a underwater salvage business.
His father Otis was a fishing guide and kept young Douglas busy retrieving items that seemed to jump out of the boat (for you that knew Otis the apple did not fall far from the tree).
Douglas tried salvaging logs in the Raquette River, and Cranberry Lake, to saw at his mill, but the water stains made them valueless, and at that time there was a plethora of wood here. Now the wood peckers have to pack a lunch.
Douglas for 20 years was woodlands manager of 75,000 acres for Draper Corp/Rockwell International, and worked 17 years for Wagner Woodlands of Lyme, New Hampshire managing Yorkshire Timber Company out of Tupper Lake.
His forestry domain was from Piercefield to Canton, as many in this town knew.
Doug guided the annual snowmobile trips, from the Riverside of Tupper Lake, Piercefield Hotel, Sevey's, Conifer Hotel to Merchants, Newton Falls hotel, Wind Fall House, Blue Birds Star Lake, Oswegatchie, Judy’s in South Colton and somehow every one made it back alive…a few stitches, broken helmets, missing skis and mad wives.
Douglas was the first snowmobile guide to take the Tour of the Adirondacks, sponsored by Ski Doo from Canton to Lake Placid. Troopers and forest rangers are still looking for the culprit.
1979 was the last year of the snowmobiles, as the snow was really sparse, and the state was closing off the land to riding as well as boating in the summers. Long winters made a void for the thrill of crashing and the need for speed. Four wheels did not quite fill the need so in 1982 Doug and Scott bought their first airplane, a 140 Cessna. It had a few issues, well quite a few, in fact. Three out of four cylinders were good, and you could not fly when it was damp because you lost your air speed indicator. Nothing serious, though. It just falls out of the sky then. The Cessna was priced right, all most free. That should have been the eye-opener. A friend who flew said it was a a deal. Ooo yahhh right! It was lime green and it was aptly named Kermit.
Doug and Scott did not know anything about planes so our friend gave us crash lessons. Doug really took this to heart….The age difference was important in the learning curve. Scott's brain was developing and Douglas’ was decreasing!
So the pair took four quick lessons and soloed without their friend. They had no formal instructions and did not read the manuals. Actually they didn't know they had them.
So then they decided after they flew for a couple of months to get a student pilot license and signed up for instructions,
The instructor showed up early for their instruction on the first day and was waiting as two students flew in together and stepped out of the plane.
First impressions are everything.
So after formal training they had the paper work for speed, so we could go over state land, private land where every we wanted to go.
When winter came they bought skis for Kermit.
Then it was raining and Doug came over and wanted to fly in the rain His son said no, reminding him the air speed indicator did not work in the rain. Douglas proved why you should not fly in the rain. He came back to house with blood running down his face and the air plane was on its roof. They do not fly that way.
Another time the airplane's ski stuck in the slush on the ice? There's a whole other story to that.
Doug perfected the art of crashing and walking away.
Doug's wife, Judy, thought she wanted to try flying and after the first time she had enough of the crashing and walking in the snow.
Doug kept flying until he could no longer, not because he ran out of planes.
Douglas enjoyed traveling out west, hunting and panning for gold. He preferred to run equipment better than running a pan, went on a few cruises, showed his grand kids a few things as well as them showing him a few things.
Did you see the picture of him riding the Jackolope? The west will never be the same.
Douglas was not all that fond of water slide tubes, especially when they were over 4 stories tall, and once the grand kids tricked him into it. The kids are still laugh about the screaming. He’s still mad at his son Scott and that damn need for speed. He preferred to be in something when he was speeding.
Douglas battle began in 2012 and passed all expectations, He was taken to experts in the field in Montana in 2014. He returned home in 2017 and passed peacefully at his home in Tupper Lake,
Douglas was a 60-year member of the Masonic Lodge of Lake Placid 839, New York and Shriner of the Oriental Temple of Troy, New York.
Douglas was predeceased by his daughter, Vanessa Lynn King Malerba, father, Otis Yeoman and mother, Ruth Allen King as well as brother-in-law, Roger L. DeFoe.
Douglas and Judy Dixon King were married almost 62 years and were blessed (cursed) with three children, Vanessa Lynn Malerba, Tupper Lake. Laura King Lavigne of Deerfield Beach, Florida .Scott King of Montreal, MO; five grandchildren, Craig Allen King and wife, Lacey King, Wyoming, Rebecca King Vaughn and husband, Kevin, North Carolina, Mitchell and fiancé Jessica Talley, Camdenton Missouri, Lindsay Lavigne Mozdzier and husband Aaron, Larry Douglas Lavigne, Tupper Lake.
He is also survived by seven great grandchildren Evelyn M King, Otis Allen King, Wyoming, Skylynn King, Missouri, Mason and Preston Talley, Missouri, Samuel and Layne Mozdzier, Tupper Lake, a sister, Shirley King DeFoe, a brother Allen Roger King and wife, Karen L. King, several nieces and nephews and great grand nieces and nephews.
Doug loved the outdoors, was very active and wasn't afraid to try something.
He’s back in the air now where he's still flying and doing what he loved.
