Douglas Herman Hovland's Obituary
Douglas Herman Hovland was born August 9th, 1958, in San Diego CA. where he lived his entire life until he passed away July 16th, 2023. He was the youngest of two children and was preceded in death by his parents Jacob and Mary Hovland.
Doug grew up in Allied Gardens, a suburb of San Diego, where he met and made numerous memories with many lifelong friends. Doug and his father were avidly involved for many years with the Boy Scouts of America. Doug worked towards and attained the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest achievement possible in the Boy Scouts.
Doug graduated from Patrick Henry High School. He went on to explore the construction and service field, before applying at San Diego Trust & Savings Bank.
Doug began working for San Diego Trust & Savings Bank at the main office on March 3, 1981, as one of the maintenance crew and eventually became the head of the branch maintenance teams. In one form or another Doug remained working for over 40 years for SDT&SB and eventually took over the maintenance and operation of the Cyrus K. Holiday private rail car that he took great pride and joy in taking care of until the month before his passing. Doug was devoted to his tasks and the people who put their faith in him to get the job done.
Doug had many side gigs and always had something going on. Between projects, side jobs, favors... you name it, he was always on the go. When asked to do something, Big Doug didn’t know the word “no”… it wasn’t in his vocabulary.
Doug was an avid desert RV enthusiast and took great pleasure in introducing the sport to others. This was a large part of his being, "Big Doug" aka "Dune God". One of the many pleasures in his life was sharing his love of this sport with his family including his daughter and many nieces and nephews.
Doug was a devoted husband to his wife of 22 years Jerilyn Hovland (nee) Bigler, and father to his beloved daughter Kaitlyn Mills (nee) Hovland. Doug always put his family before himself or others. One of his greatest joys was to witness the marriage of his daughter Kaitlyn to Cory Mills before his passing.
Doug is survived by his wife Jerilyn, his daughter Kaitlyn Mills, son-in-law Cory Mills, his sister Judy Sawyer, other extended family members, and of course countless friends.
What’s your fondest memory of Douglas?
What’s a lesson you learned from Douglas?
Share a story where Douglas' kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Douglas you’ll never forget.
How did Douglas make you smile?