John B. Douglass, Sr., of Reading, Massachusetts, passed away peacefully on March 21, 2026, while on vacation in one of his favorite places, Stowe, Vermont. The love of his life, Patricia, was at his side. He was 89 years of age.
Born into a long lineage of funeral directors, John proudly became the fifth generation of his family to serve Massachusetts families with compassion and care. He was born in Everett, Massachusetts, on October 15, 1936, to the late Albert F. Douglass and Marion (Rooney) Douglass.
John moved to Lexington, Massachusetts, in the second grade and graduated from Lexington High School in 1954, where he was a member of the golf team. John went on to attend Denison University in Granville, Ohio, graduating in 1958 with a Bachelor of Science in Geology. While at Denison, John shared a deep love of hockey with his brother. Together, they helped form a new hockey program and served as captains of the Denison University hockey team. During his college years, John was also a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) fraternity.
Following college, John pursued his calling in funeral service and graduated from the New England Institute of Mortuary Science in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1960. Upon graduation, he returned to Lexington to work alongside his mother and brother, Arthur, at the Douglass Funeral Home. That same year, John married Judith Martin. They moved to Reading, Massachusetts, where John and his family opened a second Douglass Funeral Home and raised their five children.
In 1974, John married Mary Jane Enlich, with whom he shared many happy years until her passing in 2010. In 2011, John reunited with his high school sweetheart, Patricia Rowe. Their reunion blossomed into a loving marriage of 15 years, filled with companionship, joy, and shared adventures.
John lived an exceptionally active and fulfilling life. In his early years, he cherished time spent at his family home in Rangeley, Maine, where he enjoyed boating, water skiing, snow skiing, and flying his airplane. While in Rangeley, John ran a water-skiing school and competed as a water skier. Music was his greatest passion—he played multiple instruments and performed in several bands, bringing joy to audiences wherever he played. From 1978 to 2020, John was a proud member of the Boston Yacht Club in Marblehead, Massachusetts. He loved sailing the East Coast—from Canada to Florida—and his children fondly remember the many special times spent together aboard the boat. In later years, John enjoyed traveling the world and taking cruises, making friends wherever he went. John was also a devoted dog lover and could often be seen walking his beloved pups through downtown Reading. He and his wife, Patricia, enjoyed their time together watching classic movies, playing the piano, guitar, and ukulele, and singing songs from the 1930s and 1940s. They loved going out in the evening for dinner and dancing. John and Patricia returned to Rangeley several times to reconnect with family and lifelong friends. John will be fondly remembered as a legendary storyteller and a man of many jokes who always aimed to leave others smiling.
A devoted member of the Reading community, John was a former member of Meadowbrook Golf Club and was a proud Mason, holding membership in Good Samaritan Lodge A.F. & A.M. of Reading and Simon W. Robinson Lodge A.F. & A.M. of Lexington. John was also a former member of the Reading Lions Club and Junior Chamber of Commerce. When John first moved to Reading, he became a member of the First Congregational Church and also enjoyed attending services at the First Baptist Church of Reading.
Throughout his long career as a funeral service professional, John faithfully served families with dignity, compassion, and care. He was recently recognized by the Massachusetts Funeral Directors Association for 65 years as a licensed funeral director. He passed his love of service onto his son John. Together they celebrated the 65 years of the Douglass Funeral Home in Reading. He loved working with his grandchildren, Lacey and Sean, and took pride in the compassion and attention to detail of his staff.
John was the beloved husband of Patricia (Nordling) Rowe Douglass and the late Mary Jane Douglass. He was the devoted father of Martin Douglass and his husband, Robert Messick; Christina Ahern and her husband, Daniel; Melissa Douglass and her life partner, Hughie Langdon; John B. Douglass II and his wife, Laurie; and Julia Galione and her husband, Kris. Through his marriage to Patricia, John felt especially blessed to welcome eight additional children into his life: Eric Rowe and his husband, Nick Shiren; John Rowe; Patricia Rowe Jones and her husband, Michael; Kristen Rowe; Paul Rowe and his wife, Patricia; Robert Rowe and his wife, Marissa; Michael Rowe and his wife, Angela; and Victoria Rowe.
John was the loving grandfather of Douglass Ahern and his wife, Kaleah; Shawn Ahern; Riley Lynch and her husband, Graham; Andrew Jackson and his wife, Carley; Lacey Douglass; Sean Douglass; Lucas Ohm; Robert Galione; Mark Davey and his wife, Rachel; John Davey; Taylor Ward and her husband, Mike; Scott Rowe and his wife, Lauren; Connor Rowe; Teagan Rowe; Sebron Rowe; Gibson Rowe; Robert “Rob Jr.” Rowe; Gretchen Williams and her husband, Nathanial; Campbell Rowe; Holly Rowe; Samantha Rowe; and Ella Rowe. He was also blessed with great-grandchildren Iroh Ahern; Foster and Bowen Lynch; Annabelle and Olivia Davey; Henley and Emerson Ward; George Rowe; and Rowan Esposito.
John was the brother of the late Arthur F. Douglass and is also the uncle of Susan Johnson and her husband, Jay, Mark Douglass, Brett Douglass and the late Scott Douglass.
Visiting hours will be held at the Douglass, Edgerley and Bessom Funeral Home, 25 Sanborn Street (corner of Woburn Street), Reading, Massachusetts, on Sunday, March 29, 2026, from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. A funeral service celebrating John’s life will be held at the First Congregational Church of Reading, 25 Woburn Street, Reading, on Monday, March 30, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. Burial will follow at Wood End Cemetery in Reading.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the First Congregational Church of Reading www.churchofreading.org/donate/ . For directions and the online guestbook, please visit www.douglassfuneralhome.com.
