Douglas Haag

60-year Boulder City resident Douglas Carl Haag died peacefully on Christmas Eve. Born and raised in Roseland, Florida, he graduated from Vero Beach High School in 1949. He then moved to Tucson, AZ, where he graduated from the University of Arizona with a B.S. in metallurgical engineering in 1953. Near the end of college he met Betty Stevenson, his late first wife who died in 1999. Their first child, Wendy, died shortly after birth, while daughter Rebecca Haag (of Civitella Alfedena, Italy), son Eric Haag, and two granddaughters, Kazumi and Michiko Hsieh Haag (all of College Park, MD) survive him.

Doug came to Southern Nevada in 1953, and worked briefly for the U.S. Bureau of Mines in Boulder City. He then spent 36 years with Titanium Metals Corp. in Henderson as a production engineer and project manager, retiring in 1990. In retirement, Doug became an active volunteer in the U.S. Park Service, leading hikes to magical spots in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area and serving as a Cultural Site Steward for 10 years. His self-published book, Fifteen Winter Hikes in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, remains a key resource for local outdoor enthusiasts.

Among the regular participants in Doug’s Lake Mead NRA hikes was Jennifer Sheldahl, and a bond began to form. In 2001 Doug and Jennifer married, and for the next 21 years they travelled the world together. Their many trips took in every corner of the Southwest, as well as journeys to Canada, China, Costa Rica, Europe, Mexico, and Tibet. Closer to home, they were dear friends to many and fixtures of their Park Street neighborhood. Doug also took delight in being grandfather to Eric’s children and to those of Jennifer’s daughter, Kim Leane (of Grand Junction, CO), and son, Kevin Sheldahl (of Altadena, CA).

Doug will also be remembered for his many community service activities. He served as music director at the Community Church of Henderson in the 1950’s, and for many years as a board member of the Church of St. Thomas the Questor. Working with the local Camp Fire council, he was the first male group leader and later a board member. In Boulder City, Doug also served as a youth sports coach, as a member and President of the Library Board, and as a volunteer to help those in need with BC Emergency Aid and Meals on Wheels. He also volunteered with the BC Museum and Historical Society volunteer, helping operate the main museum at the Boulder Dam Hotel at a time when both funds and staff were hard to come by. Doug was also a longtime member of the Boulder City Democratic Club.

A 90th birthday celebration provided an opportunity to bring many who loved Doug together, and a memorial planned for early January, 2022 will be another. For details on that, please send an email to Eric Haag (ehaag@umd.edu). In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the organizations noted above, to the Fellowship of Reconciliation (www.forusa.org), or to Berea College (www.berea.edu). Family and friends can sign an online memorial guestbook at www.bouldercityfamilymortuary.com