Douglas M. Leybourne, Sr.

With a life that spanned nearly a century, Douglas Leybourne was a vibrant, hardworking, and successful man who was an inspiration to others. There was no guesswork when it came to what was right and what was wrong in his book, yet he was never boisterous or overbearing in his thoughts and beliefs. Doug was a devoted husband and loving father who was thrilled beyond measure to welcome grandchildren into the fold. His wisdom was timeless, and although he was a man of few words he led by example. Dougs children and grandchildren will proudly carry on the legacy that he put in place while holding the memories they made with such an extraordinary man close to their hearts. The early part of the 1900s saw great change in our neighbor to the North. The Canadian Navy was established in 1910 with the passage of the Naval Service Bill, which proved to be a fateful move as it was only a few years later in 1915 that Canada engaged in WWI with their first battle at Ypres, Belgium. It was in this same year that a young couple from Toronto, Canada, was pleased to announce the birth of their baby boy on March 30th. Douglas M. was the older of two children born to his parents, John and Frances (Dobbing) Leybourne, and he was raised in the family home alongside his sister, Doreen, who was born in 1917. His father worked painting automobiles for Ford in Detroit, while his mother was a buyer for Hudsons Department Store, also in Detroit. In many ways Doug experienced a typical upbringing for the youth of his generation. There was plenty of love to go around in the Leybourne family, and his parents referred to Doug and his sister as Dinky and Dot. He loved fishing with his father whenever he could. Doug and his family moved from Canada to Detroit and all became naturalized citizens in 1929. He attended Cooley High School where he was an accomplished runner who was on the track team and ran the mile in 4:49 minutes. He also threw the javelin and was on the cross-country team. Doug managed to earn a D in French class with Madame Nissel, which was something he was proud of. He loved spending time at the family cottage, Willow Crest on Duck Lake to the north of Howell, Michigan. Doug started playing golf in 1929 and was a masterful photographer who also developed his own pictures, specializing in black and white. He was able to capture the most breathtaking pictures of lightening at night. When he was just a young teen, Doug lied about his age and became a casualty insurance agent clerk for Standard Accident Company in Detroit in 1930. Prior to WWII he became a traveling representative for the North American Insurance Company, which took him from town to town visiting agents. On one memorable visit when he was getting around with a sore foot Doug met a beautiful young nurse at Dr. Carrols office in Detroit. Her name was Anna Marie Kolodziejski, and sparks flew right from the start. With our entrance into WWII after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Doug signed on with the Army and served in the European Theatre. With a love for explosives, he became an artillery officer with the 69th Infantry Division while his beloved Anna went on to become a Navy nurse. Doug was sent to France were he was heavily engaged in the Battle of the Bulge. He was very adept as a forward observer for artillery and was awarded two Bronze Stars for putting himself in harms way to observe incoming shells. Dougs best friend and fellow soldier, Richard Zimmerman, absorbed a mortar shell only 10 feet away from Doug, which left him untouched. Because he was so accurately able to pinpoint the location of origin of the incoming shells, return fire was enabled to silence enemy guns with numerous casualties. Dougs company went on to liberate Buchenwald Concentration Camp, which was something he never talked about, but he did share wonderful stories about the people, places, and experiences of his non-combat time in the military. Dougs division was the first to meet up with the Russian Army. When he was no longer needed in Europe, Doug was ordered to the West Coast. Throughout his time in the service his sweetheart was never far from Dougs heart and mind. With the end of WWII in 1945, he and Anna Marie were married on August 22, 1945, in Riverside, California. The newlyweds soon came to Grand Rapids, Michigan, where they remained until moving to Muskegon in 1951. By that time their family had grown to include their daughter, Ann, in 1947 and their son, Douglas, Jr., in 1948. Doug attended Oberlin College for one year and achieved the CPCU professional designation in 1960. He later went on to open his own agency. Doug built a successful and rewarding career in the insurance business. Although his work was deeply rewarding, there was nothing that was more important to Doug than his family. As a parent he was attentive, caring, and loving, and he treated his children with the utmost amount of integrity and loved having fun with his children. Doug taught his kids to explore and have fun while always working hard in everything they did. Together the Leybournes enjoyed memorable vacations to Augusta, Georgia, and also the East Coast where they also took in Washington, D.C. Dougs son wanted to see President Eisenhower, and when that wasnt to be it was Doug Sr. who had a hard time dealing with that disappointment. Dogs were an important part of life in the Leybourne home including Bullet, Shadow, Roxie, and Lady, in addition to their car, Pepper. The holidays were a special time in their family, and it was quite something to see Doug on the lookout for mushrooms as he was known to stop the car in a skid to venture into the woods for them. Doug was deeply saddened with Anna Maries death in 1999. Over the years Dougs life was enriched in so many ways. He was an active member at St. Pauls Episcopal Church for several years. Doug enjoyed spending time with his close friends including Fred Anderson, Russ Thomas, George Anacker, and Jim Hooper. He was thrilled when grandchildren came along, and he loved spending time with his grandchildren fishing and taking them for rides on the lawn tractor. Later in life Doug married Peggy Matrone with whom he shared the rest of his journey. He retired from the insurance industry at the age of 82, but he stayed busy as he got started on painting his house right away and always had some sort of project going. All who knew Douglas Leybourne, Sr. would agree that he was a genuine gift in every way. He was a master of corny one-liners, and kept those at hunting camp laughing nearly the entire time. All who knew Doug admired his character, his moral convictions, and his impeccable work ethic, but it will be his unending love for his family that people will remember most.