Joy W. Douglas, Businesswoman and Civic Leader

Joy W. Douglas, Businesswoman and Civic Leader


The following is excerpted from an obituary appearing on the Scarpelli Funeral Home of Cumberland, Maryland website, October 26, 2019. The excerpt focuses upon the professional and community contributions of Joy W. Douglas (1927-2019).

”Born in Cumberland, Joy Douglas was the daughter of the late Alvin H. and Elizabeth Hauger Wilson. She was also preceded in death by her husband of 60 years, W. Bruce Douglas; their infant daughter, Margaret Jean; and her brother, Alvin L. Wilson.

She was a homemaker for much of her life, but later she was president of Douglas Smith Construction Company and secretary of The Bowler Inc.

She was a dedicated community volunteer throughout her life, with Cumberland's history an area of particular interest. She was one of the founders of Heritage Days, for which she produced pageants in the early years and later provided a slide show and lecture on the architecture of Washington Street for many years. Her knowledge of history and architecture also were put to use on the Historic Preservation Commission and in her co-authorship of ABCs of American Architecture: A Study of Washington Street Historic District, Cumberland, Allegany County, Maryland. She chaired the Cumberland and Allegany County bicentennial celebrations. She also was president of the Junior Women's Civic Club and chapter president of the American Field Service exchange program.

She was a 1944 graduate of Fort Hill High School and a 1948 graduate of Pennsylvania College for Women (now Chatham University). She was a member of St. Paul's Lutheran Church, an excellent cook, enjoyed playing bridge and gardening, and loved gathering friends together. She was known for her fabulous dinner parties.

She is survived by her family, son, Richard W. Douglas and his wife, Kandyce, of Hagerstown; son, Robert B. Douglas and his wife, Harriet, of Oakland; daughter, Elizabeth Medcalf and her husband, Travis, of Frostburg; granddaughters, Heather Papp (Adam), of Vine Grove, Kent., Megan Musgrove (Steve), of Rockville, Laura Kuhn (Jason) of Bel Air, Dana Douglas (Brian), of Ellicott City, and Dinah Douglas, of Sherman Oaks, Calif.; and great-grandchildren, Jonah and Luke Papp, Logan Kuhn, and Mila Jurgelewicz; sister-in-law, Susan K. Wilson, of Cumberland; sister-in-law, Miriam Sanner, of Richmond, Va.; and brother- and sister-in-law, Alan and Judy Douglas, of Payson, Ariz.”

On a personal note, Joy Douglas was one of my many mentors within the realm of community service. She served as Chair of the City of Cumberland’s 1987 Bicentennial Commission of which I was a member (a photo of this group is attached,) as well as the 1989 Allegany County Bicentennial Committee.