Douglas Wildfoerster

After a very long and busy life, Douglas Wildfoerster died in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, June 15, 2016, at the age of 91.

Doug was born in Mount Kisco, New York, in 1925. When he was in high school he wanted to be a musician but his plans changed with the outbreak of World War II. Doug was just two months out of high school and only 17 years old when, in August of 1942, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy. He was trained as a Radioman and in January of 1943 he was assigned to a destroyer, the USS Kendrick. He served on the Kendrick until June of 1945. During his years in the Navy he developed a taste for travel that lasted his entire life. He passed through the Panama Canal, spent a Christmas day in the Caribbean Sea, and sailed to Casablanca, Newfoundland, Argentina, Algeria, Sicily and many other places. His ship was torpedoed off Salerno, Italy, but was able to make it into the port of Oran for repairs. Doug was always very proud of his service in the Navy.

After the war ended Doug was briefly stationed at the Bremerton Naval Shipyard near Seattle where he met Jean Thompson, a Montanan who was attending the University of Washington. They got married in March of 1946 and were together for the next 70 years.

After his discharge from the Navy Doug worked as a cameraman for the DuMont television network in New York and later spent most of his working life as a salesman or manager for TV and radio stations in Montana, California and Utah. At the time of his retirement he was working for KALL radio in Salt Lake City.

After he retired Doug and Jean hung up a map of the US in their house and proceeded to see how much of that map they could fill in with roads taken and places seen. They pretty much covered the country and even got in a trip to Germany.

Doug is survived by his wife, Jean; three children: Doug (Vonnie) Wildfoerster, Karen Wildfoerster and Lynn (Kegan) Morrison; four grandchildren: Britt Wright, Carly Wildfoerster and Taylor and Sophie Morrison; and two great-grandchildren: Connor and Carson Wright.

There will be a wake for Doug on Wednesday, June 22, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Starks Funeral Parlor, 3651 South 900 East in Salt Lake City.