April 19, 1943 – September 6, 2025

Douglas “Doug” Lee was ushered into heaven on Saturday, September 6, 2025, at 1:45 AM, at the age of 82.

He was born on April 19, 1943, in Shreveport, Louisiana. As a young boy, someone nicknamed him “Buster,” a name that stayed with him throughout his life. Doug was the younger brother of twin sisters who were stillborn and are now reunited with him in heaven. His brother, Paul James, was born eight years later, on December 26, 1956.

Doug graduated from Fair Park High School in 1961, where he loved playing trumpet in the marching band and second chair in the orchestra. He also enjoyed performing with the Shreveport Salvation Army Band. Dedicated to his church community, Doug often drove the Salvation Army’s oversized bus, transporting families to weekly and Sunday activities. The Salvation Army’s Captain admired how skillfully this high school student could maneuver and park the large vehicle in a narrow space between two buildings.

After graduation, Doug moved to Phoenix, Arizona, to live with his beloved grandmother, Bettie Upchurch, and his uncle, Fred. He went on to graduate from Arizona State University with a degree in Construction Engineering. Despite struggling with severe migraine headaches, he was proud to complete his studies.

In 1971, Doug was introduced to Sharen through a mutual friend. They married on October 5, 1974, on a beautiful Arizona day that reached 105 degrees. Doug and Sharen built their life together in Mesa, Arizona, where they lived for 40 years.

Doug commuted 50 miles each day to Superior, Arizona, to work as an Engineer Surveyor at the Magma Copper Mine. He loved going deep underground to locate and plot new mining sites. When the mine closed in 1982 due to falling copper prices, Doug turned his attention to biomedical engineering. He began working at Mesa Lutheran Hospital and later at Banner University Hospital in Phoenix. He enjoyed the constant learning opportunities, including traveling to the East and West coasts for advanced training. Maintaining life-saving equipment and being called into surgeries was challenging but deeply rewarding.

In 2003, after four decades in Arizona, Doug and Sharen moved to Nebraska to help care for Sharen’s mother. Doug joined Bryan West Hospital in Lincoln, where he continued his biomedical career. He semi-retired in 2019 but kept working part time. Despite his physical limitations in later years, Doug often expressed how much he missed the activity, camaraderie, and challenges of hospital work.

Doug is survived by his wife, Sharen. The couple would have celebrated 51 years of marriage on October 5th; daughter, Denise and her husband Paul. He is also survived by his brother, Paul; nephew, Christopher; and grandson, Rob.

A celebration of Douglas’s life will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, September 13, 2025, at Indian Hills Community Church, 1000 S 84th Street, Lincoln. Memorials to a charity of your choice.

The service may be viewed life by clicking the following link: Facebook.com/indianhillscommunitychurch