George Douglas Hudson

The lifeline of George Douglas (Doug) Hudson, most recently of North Canton, Ohio, spanned 100 years – from October 10, 1922, to December 10, 2022. He was the son of Harry M. and Eva C. (Turner) Hudson and was raised by loving grandparents along his beloved railroad tracks in Lima, Ohio. His years at Lima South High School were divided between devotion to study and to sports. He lettered in both baseball and basketball. Recollections from living his childhood and teenage years in and around Lima, Ada, Marion, Piqua, and Akron were seasoned with memories of the Great Depression… going to the nickel or dime movies with best friend Bob, weekends fishing with his dad, and on one hot summer’s day sharing a five-cent root beer with his Grandma Turner on the front porch at their Bellefontaine Avenue home.

WWII put Doug’s undergraduate studies at Defiance College on hold as service in the Navy took precedence. Many stories stemmed from his period of training which took him to Oberlin College in Ohio, Columbia University in New York City, and the Great Lakes Naval Training Station near Chicago – all before finally embarking from San Diego, California in February 1945 as a navigator on the USS Clarendon which sailed the scope of the Asian-Pacific Theater. Duties included carrying combat troops and cargo to ports such as Pearl Harbor, Peking, Okinawa, and Tokyo. In November 1945, the USS Clarendon carried troops home from Guam and Iwo Jima. During his military service, Doug also served as a medic at San Diego’s naval hospital attending to those injured in Guadalcanal. 

At War’s close, Doug resumed his studies and participation in varsity sports at Defiance College. He lettered in basketball and earned a Bachelor of Science in education and chemistry. His career started as a teacher – junior and senior high school students in Sycamore OH, Bellport NY, and Wadsworth OH benefitted from his teaching, guidance, and coaching styles. He earned a master’s degree in education from Kent State University and went on to administrative duties at Wadsworth Senior High School and Medina’s Buckeye High School, and then as the registrar at the newly established Kent State University Trumbull Campus circa 1967.

The many facets of this man shone through in multiple ways. He learned the meat butchering and cutting trade at his father’s side, first as a young tag-a-long just to be with his did and then working at his dad’s meat counter in a rented space in an Acme supermarket on Tallmadge Avenue in Akron OH. Doug had an intense love of reading – Plato, Shakespeare, Dickens, world and U.S. history, rail roading, analyses of current events and politics – nothing escaped his interest. He held all things Purdue University in high regard, from academics to the musical organizations to the playing field (his blood may have been tinged old gold and black), with every football and basketball game (men’s and women’s) on his radar. Doug enjoyed the company of boxer pups, sparred with younger opponents on the KSU Trumbull basketball court over the lunch hour into his 70s, pursued the challenge of par-scoring golf well into his 80s, and tirelessly put pen to paper as an advocate for high-speed passenger rail service connecting Ohio’s three “Big C” cities. He enjoyed outings and travels with family and friends, often to visit historic places, hear bluegrass bands, ride scenic and historic train lines, or enjoy some vacation time along the Florida and Carolina coasts. Doug was also a spiritual man and a faithful congregant of the Evangelical Lutheran Church.

It was during a naval parade exercise at Columbia University that Doug’s eyes first caught sight of Grace Marie Antos of Sayville NY who just “happened to be in the neighborhood.” Married in September 1944, they celebrated over 50 years of marriage together until Grace passed in 1995. This loss was softened by his meeting Rosemary Cade Lyntz of Niles OH – with whom he shared a 20-year marriage until she passed in 2017 – and getting to know and love her grown children and their families.    

Doug is survived by his and Grace’s daughters Lucinda (Paul) Bagocius and Holly (Barb Manikas) Hudson, daughter-in-law Nancy Winkler (Jerrit Ekama) Hudson, six beloved grandchildren – Deborah (Christian Fjeld) Bagocius, Benjamin Bagocius, Scott Bagocius, Diana (Curt) Dunn, Kate Hudson, and Rachel (Adam) Wrobel – and nine cherished great-grandchildren: Ronin, Xavier, Ellery, Jasper, Henry, Robert, Oscar, Hudson, and Morgan. Preceding him in death in addition to Grace and Rosemary were sons Stephen and Richard, granddaughter Emily Hudson, and great-granddaughter Eliza Moore. Doug is also survived by Rosemary’s children Tom (Anita) Lyntz, Theresa (Len) Davis, Alan (Jan) Lyntz, and Linda Oldacres; three dear grandchildren – Amy Saputo, Brett (Kerry) Davis, and Ashley (Steve) Minor – and four endearing great-grandchildren: Makayla, Emma, Kaiden, and Preston. 

Doug’s love of his family was expressed through his caring actions, advice, support, interest in your passions, heartfelt hugs, and sadness when you had to part ways, and now his earthly departure leaves a sadness with all his loved ones. 

The family of Doug Hudson is grateful for the encompassing care he received at North Canton’s Windsor Colonies and Medical Center while he was a resident. He was also attended to by caring personnel from Crossroads Hospice. 

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, May 20, 2023, at 11:00 a.m. at Trinity Lutheran Church, 56 N. Chestnut Avenue in Niles OH. Pastor David Conrad will officiate. Burial with military taps will occur on Sunday, May 21, 2023, at 1:00 p.m. at the cemetery grounds across the street from Jerusalem Evangelical Lutheran Church, 9282 Acme Road in Seville OH.

Monetary gifts in Doug’s name may be made to Lutheran World Relief, a 501(c)3 organization, via their website, https://donate.lwr.org/. 

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