Douglas Frook
It is with deep sorrow that the family of Douglas John Frook of Hanover, formerly of Brant Township, announce his passing Friday, September 13, 2024, at the age of 75.
He leaves behind to mourn the mother of his children and love of his life Donna (nee Karn) of Hanover. Doug’s loving spirit lives on in his cherished daughters Barb (Jim) of Kitchener and Michelle (Dave) of Midland, as well as in his beloved grandchildren Jake, Adam, Mikayla (Jallin), and Maeve (Johme), and great grandson Brian. Doug also leaves behind his mother-in-law Bernice (Earl), sisters-in-law Nancy (Ron), Yvonne, Heather (Darryl), and Deb (Ken), beloved cousin Ann, many nieces and nephews, and countless friends.
He was predeceased by his parents Norman and Marie (nee Schilling) Frook, father-in-law Gordon Karn, sister-in-law Dianne, brothers-in-law Ken, Wayne, Dick, Dennis, and Rick, his godson Dan, as well as many cousins and dear friends.
Doug lived his life by the philosophy if you can’t laugh at least once a day, what’s the point? He believed laughter had the power to help people through even the toughest times and that it was his responsibility to be that much needed laughter whenever possible. He loved playing jokes on people, telling funny stories, or sharing a giggle just to make someone’s day better. He used his power of laughter to impact people in every facet of his life.
Throughout his daughter’s growing up Doug was a dedicated coach with Elmwood Minor Ball, sharing his passion for the game with his daughters and all their friends and teammates. Doug had the ability to make each player feel seen and valued regardless of skill, and to this day some of the women from Elmwood who hear “It’s time to poop or get off the pot”, immediately think of coach Doug with a giggle. Not only did he provide great coaching and opportunities for the girls on his teams, but he taught them all that losing was okay as long as you could laugh about it, learn from it, and then dust yourself off to come back to play again.
Over Doug’s many years of employment he held multiple positions in a variety of fields, but always found a way to use his laughter and kindness to make the lives of those around him better. In his days at Heirloom Furniture, Doug took a union president role, even rubbing elbows with Bob Rae to ensure the voices of his fellow workers were heard. When Durham Furniture closed, Doug was quick to sign up to help at the “Action Center” set up to help newly unemployed workers. He was so proud to be able to listen to, help, and provide a laugh for his coworkers who were facing such a giant hurdle in life. Even in his role delivering medication for Brown’s in Walkerton, Doug felt a responsibility to be that moment of laughter for people struggling through some of their darkest times, and he did so knowing a two minute laugh with him could change the trajectory of his patients entire day.
Above all though, his favourite “job” was volunteering with the fantastic team at the Hanover and District Hospital. It was in his words “the privilege of a lifetime”. It was evident the impact he had on both the staff and volunteers, but also the patients as they lined up to have one last chuckle with Doug. There could not have been a better team to take care of him during his final days and even up to his last conversation he expressed how much the entire HDH team meant to him and how privileged he felt to be a valued team member.
At Doug’s request a private celebration will be held at a later date. He requested those wishing to pay last respects do so by spreading some laughter in the world around them.
Memorial donations to the Hanover and District Hospital Foundation as expressions of sympathy would be greatly appreciated. Arrangements entrusted to Grey Bruce Cremation and Burial Services, greybrucecremation.com.