Douglas E. Karr Obituary (1946 - 2021)

Douglas E. Karr, 75 of DeForest, WI pass away 5:56 PM October 9, 2021 at the William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital, Madison, WI two years after being diagnosed with end stage liver disease, which may have been caused by Agent Orange exposure in Vietnam. Services will be 11 AM Friday, October 15, 2021 at Calvert Funeral Home, Clinton, IL with Pastor Penny Dahl officiating. Burial will follow at Long Point Cemetery, Wapella, IL with military honors. Visitation will be 10 - 11 AM Friday at the funeral home. Memorials may be directed to Douglas E. Karr Memorial Fund. Born September 24, 1946 and raised in Wapella, IL, Doug grew up on a dairy farm. Before his freshman year of high school, his parents, Raymond and Thelma (Douglas) Karr, moved the family to Clinton, WI. Growing up, Doug was an active member in 4-H and FFA. Doug enlisted in the Air Force in November 1965, coincidentally the same day he received his draft notice. After attending basic and air police training, he left for Vietnam in April 1967. Stationed in Cam Ranh Bay for a year, Doug guarded aircraft and eventually got into customs. He loved his work there and almost enlisted for an additional 6 months. After Doug was honorably discharged from the Air Force in 1969, he met Phyllis (Knutson) Karr at church. They were married in November 1971 and moved to Cherry Valley, IL. For the next 8 years, Doug attended night school while working at GTE. On the day of his graduation, Phyllis told Doug that she was pregnant with their first child, Kimberlee. Two years later they had a son, Jeffrey, and their family was complete. In 1987, Doug received a promotion and relocated to DeForest, WI where he established a local chapter of the Rotary Club, which is still active today. After 26 years at GTE, Doug left the company and went to work for TDS Telecom where he would spend the rest of his 43-year career in the phone industry. After Doug retired, he enjoyed spending time at his cabin in Humbird, WI riding ATVs, hunting, and sitting by the fire. He is survived by his wife, Phyllis (Knutson) Karr, daughter, Kimberlee, son, Jeffrey (Tiffany), three grandchildren, Dylan, Weston, and Jaiden, and his cat, Mork. He was preceded in death by his parents, Raymond and Thelma (Douglas) Karr.