Douglas W. Wilson passed away peacefully at home outside of Lanesboro, Minnesota, on Wednesday, October 1st, just days away from his 70th birthday. He was born in West Concord, Minnesota, on October 6, 1944, to Harold and LaVonne (Fleener) Wilson. Doug graduated from West Concord High School and enlisted in the United States Air Force. After his service, he attended Bemidji State University and then Winona State University, where he met his wife, Linda. He graduated from Winona State University in 1971 with a degree in secondary education. He taught high school history in Lanesboro and then worked for the next 22 years with the Boy Scouts of America as a scouting executive. The Boy Scouts were a big part of his life; he had also attended scout camp as a young boy and worked for many years as a camp counselor. Doug had a deep love of the outdoors and enjoyed working with young people as they discovered their own appreciation for nature. After scouting, he and his family settled in Lodi, Wisconsin, and he worked for the Fiskars Company. When he retired, he drove the school bus for Head Start in Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin, where Linda worked as a preschool teacher. He loved greeting the children each morning as they got on the bus and described it as the "best job he'd ever had."
In the last few years, he and his wife Linda had been restoring her family's farmhouse outside of Lanesboro. He took great pride in bringing the house back to life. He loved to look out across the fields from his library, surrounded by his books and the birds outside his window. Above all else, he loved his family. Doug was a loving husband, a dedicated father, and a very proud grandpa. He is survived by his wife of 42 years, Linda Wilson (Wendt), their three daughters, Terri Wilson (Roudy Hildreth) of Carbondale, Illinois, Kristi Wilson (John Kelly) of Marquette, Michigan, and Emil! y Wilson (Mike Fauerbach) of Madison, Wisconsin, and two grandchildren: August (Augie) and Ellen Hildreth. He is also survived by his brother Nick Wilson of Sidney, Nebraska, his brother Scott (Sue) Wilson of Colgate, Wisconsin, and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his brother, Lance Wilson, and his parents.
An avid reader, skilled woodworker, and ambitious gardener, Doug particularly loved hunting and fishing. He grew up taking annual fishing trips with his parents and hunting with his three brothers. His years continued to revolve around the annual rituals of deer and turkey season. He loved spending time with his brothers and their children at his family's hunting cabin. And nothing made him happier than being in the woods, listening to the sound of the wind in the trees. Doug was a generous and kind man, with a ready joke and twinkle in his eye. He loved welcoming friends and family into his home. For the past seventeen years, he'd celebrate! his birthday by hosting a large group of his daughters' friends for the weekend. Having the house full of people and laughter (and being able to trounce them all at Whist) was the highlight of his year. His family will be celebrating his 70th birthday - and his life - in the same way this weekend.
A memorial service for family and friends to celebrate his life will be held on Saturday, October 25, at 2:00 p.m., at Eagle Bluff Environmental Learning Center, near his home. The service will be held in the Schroeder Building Visitor's Center (28097 Goodview Drive, Lanesboro, Minn., 55949). The family suggests memorials to the Lanesboro Public Library.