MARSHFIELD, Mass. – Douglas H. Steely, 75, of Marblehead and Greensboro, Vt., passed away at home in Greensboro on June 6, with his wife and daughter by his side. Born in Providence, R.I., he was the son of the late Harold F. and Anna C. (Hrycay) Steely.
Doug grew up in Manchester, Conn., the eldest of seven children. A gifted athlete, he starred in baseball and soccer during his school years. He was also a lifelong student, outdoorsman, music enthusiast and voracious reader, developing an encyclopedic knowledge of world politics and history, as well as music lyrics and artists spanning genres from country to hard rock.
After graduating from Manchester High School, Doug attended Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. While visiting Greensboro, in 1971 with a friend, David Hicock, from Manchester, he met his lifelong partner, Palma (“Pal”) Bickford.
Doug enjoyed professional success in restaurant management and automobile sales, but his greatest passion was for people, politics and music. He treasured his time managing and bartending at The Cellar Door on M Street in Georgetown during the 1970s, where he built lifelong friendships and lived at the center of a vibrant cultural moment. Attending Woodstock inspired many oft-told tales as did the era’s protests in D.C.
Doug and Pal traveled extensively. Together they trekked Mount Kilimanjaro, the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, Torres del Paine, the Annapurna Circuit and along the Great Wall of China. They explored cities around the world, and shared their love of travel with their daughter, who joined them hiking in the Atlas Mountains, exploring Cathar ruins in southern France and adventuring through Istanbul, London, Paris and Marrakech.
In his final year, Doug chose to use Vermont’s Hospice Act 39 to put himself to sleep at home in Greensboro. The choice required deep courage and resolve as well as an acceptance of a different kind of pain, an intense exhaustion that could not be healed and an acknowledgment of an end.
Doug was a devoted family man and will be greatly missed by those he leaves behind. In addition to his wife Pal and daughter Erin, he is lovingly remembered by his sister Lois Leber (Peter); his brother Wayne (Lani Bortfeld); his brother Craig (Jennifer Borealo); his sister Kathy Ponte (partner Steven Cromwell); many Steely nieces, nephews, and cousins; Bickford in-laws Susan, Robert (Elizabeth) and Bickford cousins, David Hicock, Katherine Hicock and Jane (Mark Rudolph); Nick Sowles (Penny) and Tom Sowles (Whitney). He was predeceased by his sister Gail and his brother Brian.
For those wishing to honor Douglas’s life and memory contributions will be gratefully appreciated at the Center for an Agricultural Economy (hardwickagriculture.org) to support their campaign for the Food Hub and at Caledonia Home Health and Hospice (nchcvt.org).
