Douglas Melvin Herder

In Memory of Douglas Melvin Herder March 22, 1951 – November 24, 2020 Doug Herder, 69, passed peacefully with his family by his side. “Dougie” as he was affectionately called, was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle and friend. He will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved him. Doug grew up in Thornton, CO, graduated from Merritt Hutton High School and proudly enlisted in the United States Marine Corps as an Honorable Private First-class Corporal shortly after, in August of 1969. He was awarded the National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal and the Good Conduct Medal (1st Award). After having served his 6-year term, He spent 40+ years working for Denver Burglar Alarm (DBA), Safe Systems and Denver Mass Transit (RTD) before his retirement in 2018. Doug was an avid fisherman, hunter, camper, bowler, self-claimed handyman, was a passionate golfer and enjoyed an occasional run “up the hill” to test his skills at the games of chance at Blackhawk. He had a Love/Hate relationship for the Denver Broncos, and cherished every moment he could to watch his granddaughter play a Softball game, or to see the smiles on his twin grandchildren’s faces. A man of honor and integrity, he cherished and stood by his wife’s side for 39 years until her passing. He also loved and supported his two daughters. He always had a zest for life and trying to make others laugh with his spunk, turkey calls and “Dad Jokes”. Douglas is survived by his daughter and son-in-law Kiku (Michael) Turner, his daughter and partner Tomiko Herder (John Batchelor), brother-in-law’s Donald (Kathryn) Terasaki, Bobby Kehler, and his grandchildren Allyssa Turner, Bianca and Braxton Batchelor. Doug was preceded in death by his parents Betty Lou Kaneff and Donald L. Herder, his wife Nori Lillian (Terasaki) Herder, his sisters Diane L. Holm, Debbie Kehler, and his brother Donald Lee Herder. The family would like to extend special thanks to all staff at Lutheran Medical hospital for their hard work, compassionate care and support during Doug’s recent illness. Services will be determined for a later date at Fort Logan Cemetery. Scattering of his ashes will also be determined at a later date at his favorite hunting and camping spot where he enjoyed his time hanging out with his friends and family. In Lieu of Flowers, if you would like to, the family would appreciate donations to be made in honor of Doug for financial support for his funeral services.