Chester W. Douglass

DOUGLASS, Mr. Chester W. Kalamazoo, MI Went to be with the Lord, Monday afternoon September 3, 2007. Chester was born May 8, 1917 in Bloomingdale, Michigan a son of William and Beatrice Shaw Douglass. During WWII and the Korean Conflict, he served with the U.S. Army Air Corp. He had been a lifelong Kalamazoo area resident and was employed with the Kalamazoo Fire Department for 30 years, retiring as Chief in 1975. He was also a member of the Bethel Baptist Church; Michigan Fire Chiefs Association; International Fire Chiefs Association; and the Michigan National Guard Association. He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Donna Douglass on March 19, 1999; 2 brothers, James and Kenneth Douglass; and a sister, Bonnie Hilliard, He is survived by 3 children, Laine Michael Sullivan of Schererville, IN, Denise Rev. Gordon Daam of Portage; and Colleen Terry Gerdts of Concordia, MO; 7 grandchildren; 15 great-grandchildren; a sister, Esther Gene Gift of Kentucky; special friend, Margaret Krum of Portage; and several nieces, nephews, and cousins. A memorial service will be held 11 o?clock Thursday at Bethel Baptist Church, 402 S. Westnedge Ave. There will be no visitation. Private interment will be in Riverside Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the Bethel Baptist Church Building Fund or Rose Arbor Hospice.