Today marks what would have been my brother Doug Dussman’s 47th birthday.

On September 19, 1977, Doug was born early, only 11 months after his brother John; he was small, unable to breathe, and struggling. My mother, Judith, remembers that Doug was not expected to survive. In desperation, she changed Doug’s middle name to Jude, the Catholic Saint of hope and lost causes. Not only did Doug survive, but he also thrived. A natural athlete, he was always engaged in sports, charismatic, hard-working, popular with friends, and artistic.

On this day, we celebrate Doug and his spirit, the laughter we shared with him, and the imprint he left on our hearts. He was a fighter, lover, brother, son, father, and friend. He shared a special connection to the natural world, and his ashes were dispersed on his favorite golf course, on his favorite hole, a place where Doug found true sanctuary and belonging.

Although this thank you note is very late in its delivery, we hope its delay does not diminish your understanding of our gratitude for you. Doug’s entire family is grateful for your love and support after his unexpected passing.

Your contribution to the Douglas Dussman Memorial Fund helped our family cover all the costs of Doug’s services. The remaining donations funded accounts to assist his four children, Arianna Gonzalez, Emma Weeks, Douglas Barouski, and Lillian Barouski, with expenses as they experience life’s challenges.

We will never forget the kindness of Doug’s Butler National family, who visited Doug in the hospital, praying for his recovery, sitting and talking to him, and reminding him to continue fighting. We will never forget the love of family who flew across the country to help us make life’s most difficult decision and be with him during his final breaths. We will never forget the care of those who came to his services or the celebration of life to share memories and say goodbye. We will never forget the generosity we received from one of Doug’s oldest friends, who contributed all the food and drinks to make Doug’s celebration of life possible. We will never forget the selflessness of friends who lent us a shoulder to cry on, who stayed up late making posters or dished out refreshments to strangers to make our lives a little bit easier. We will never forget the sacrifices of neighbors, colleagues, teammates, employers, golf buddies, relatives, friends, and anonymous donors who sent messages, cards, or contributed to this fund. We will never forget Doug. Today, on Doug’s birthday, we hope that something brings a smile to your face. At that moment, you will know that Doug lives on through us.

We thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

With Much Love and Gratitude,
The Dussman Family - Judith, John, Luke, Katherine

“A great soul serves everyone all the time. A great soul never dies. It brings us together again and again.” – Maya Angelou

And for the Caddyshack Lovers, like Doug:
"So we finish the 18th and he's gonna stiff me! And I say, 'Hey, Lama, how about a little something, you know, for the effort?' And he says, 'Oh, there won't be any money, but when you die, on your deathbed, you will receive total consciousness.' So I've got that going for me ... which is nice."