Douglas L. McMahan Obituary (1959

Douglas Lambert McMahan, 60, was born in Lincoln, NE on May 26, 1959, to John K and Dorothy (Gunn) McMahan. After fighting a long battle with pulmonary disease, he passed away on March 30, 2020, surrounded by family. Doug grew up in the Bethany area with his parents, big brother Dave, and big sister JoEllen. His family made yearly trips to Canada to go fishing and to Pennsylvania to see his grandmother and aunt. The Juaniata River was behind his grandmother's house and he enjoyed fishing there almost every day his family was there. Doug and his dad enjoyed spending time together while going turkey and deer hunting every year. In elementary school, Doug won the Presidential Fitness Award while injured with a broken right arm. In high school, he continued his love of sports through playing basketball, golf, and intramurals. Doug was active with the youth group and worked with his sister at Gateway Manor. In 1977 Doug graduated from Lincoln Northeast High School. He continued his education and graduated from the University of Nebraska with a degree in Natural Resources and Wildlife Management. During college, Doug began working at the Lincoln Journal Star and remained there for over 19 years moving up the ranks to become the Operations Supervisor. He remained active in multiple intramural teams, playing softball, golf, basketball, and volleyball. Doug started working at NTT Data where he remained for 15 years. Doug loved playing games (and winning!!), all sports, music, and anything outdoors. He fished and hunted his entire life. Some of his fondest memories included hunting with his golden retriever Storm. Doug hunted turkeys for over 40 years and took great pride that he "bagged a turkey every year"! He LOVED the Grateful Dead, Jackson Brown, Neil Young, Emmylou Harris as well as many other artists. Doug attended many musical concerts with his friends. Doug's son John Douglas (JD) McMahan was born in 1991. A year later Doug met Julie Hoeft, whom he referred to as "the love of my life." In 1997 they were married in a private ceremony in their home. The two united their families by having Doug's son JD and Julie's daughter Kiley be the official witnesses on their marriage license. Doug enjoyed time with his family playing games and spending time outdoors. He enjoyed attending his children's events and coached JD in basketball, soccer, and baseball. Doug and Julie enjoyed going to the Lincoln Stars hockey games, fishing, taking drives and listening to music, traveling, and checking out local garage sales. Doug was blessed with his first grandchild, Brooklynn, in 2016. From the time Brooklynn was born they were inseparable, always laughing and giggling together. The two formed a special bond through their enjoyment of fishing and being outdoors. In 2019 he was blessed with a second grandchild, Nathan. He was a wonderful grandpa to them both. He loved his family and enjoyed all the extended family gatherings and celebrations. Doug was active at Bethany Christian Church. He was a Deacon, an Elder, and Property Chair for many years. He took pride in keeping the building and grounds at his church well maintained. He was an avid supporter of the Food Pantry located in the church building. Doug had a wonderful sense of humor and was so much fun to be around. He will be greatly missed by everyone. Doug is survived by his wife, Julie (Hoeft) McMahan; daughter, Kiley and TJ Thorpe; son, JD and Susan McMahan of Knoxville, TN; grandchildren, Brooklynn and Nathan Thorpe; sister, JoEllen and Kim Beil; sister-in-law, Cassie McMahan; mother-in-law, Gladys (Kucera) Hoeft; sister-in-law, Kathy and Nader Farahbod; sister-in-law, Shelly Westfall; brother-in-law, Mike and Beth Hoeft; and brother-in-law, Pat and Laura Hoeft; and large extended family. Doug was preceded in death by his parents, John and Dorothy McMahan, and brother, Dave McMahan. Memorials will be directed to his family for a later designation. A Celebration of Life will be determined at a later date.