Muriel L. Douglass, 95

Muriel L. Douglass, 95, of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, and formerly of Hingham, Mass., passed away March 18, 2017. She died as she lived, with grace, dignity and love. Muriel was born on Oct. 2, 1921, to Benjamin Lyons and Alicia (Martinez) Lyons. She lost her mother in infancy, and was raised in New Orleans, La., by her Nicaraguan grandmother and aunts, and was bilingual at a very early age.

Wife of the late Edmund J. Douglass, she was the mother of two sons, Edmund J. Douglas II and daughter-in-law Dorothy of Trinidad, Calif., and Jeffrey L. Douglass and daughter-in-law Patricia of Coeur d’Alene.

Muriel leaves a nephew, David Douglass, niece Susan Schnebly, grand nephew Bob Douglass, all in Northern California; grand niece Camryn Douglass in New York; as well as three cousins: Pamela Argote in New Orleans, and Sylvia Blackwell and Cynthia Blackwell in Covington, La.; as well as many friends, all of whom admired her strength, passion and ageless zest for life.

She is also survived by her five adopted grandchildren (John and Amanda Adkins of Seattle, Aurora and Miguel DeHoyos of Coeur d’Alene, and Ray Adkins of New York); as well as four great-granddaughters (Sophia and Risa De Hoyos, and Ainsley and Sienna Adkins) whom she loved and who already miss her very much.

During her formative years Muriel loved to paint, which led to her selection of a major in Fine Arts at Sophie Newcomb College, Tulane University. She also studied piano and developed her taste for classical music and New Orleans Jazz. She met her husband, Edmund “Jack” Douglass, of Groton, Conn., during her senior year in college when he was stationed at Camp Shelby, Miss., and serving as Aide d’Camp to General Leonard Wing during World War II. He attended Dartmouth College prior to leaving for Officer’s Training at Fort Sill, Okla. They were married four months later on June 6, 1942, at a formal ceremony in the bride’s home. They settled in Hingham in 1950, mainly because of her husband’s love of sailing and the beauty of the colonial town. They were members of the Hingham Yacht Club for 49 years where they spent summers sailing with family and friends.

Muriel and Jack thoroughly enjoyed traveling together and an especially memorable trip took them to Barcelona, Spain, where she visited with her mother’s extended family.

Muriel painted Hingham watercolor scenes professionally and later became interested in the mental health field through her work with the National Association of Mental Health. She and her husband were active in state and national politics. She served as vice-chairman of the Hingham Republican Town Committee (though later in life she became a Democrat) and as Hingham coordinator for Edward W. Brooke when he ran for U.S. Senate and became the first black man to serve in that capacity. Muriel worked as a part-time administrative assistant to state Senator William D. Weeks of Cohasset and after that took a paid position as Executive Director of the South Shore Mental Health Association. After two years, she was offered the position of Community Relations and Housing Director for the Brockton Multi-Service Center, Massachusetts Department of Mental Health, which provided services for the city of Brockton and 10 surrounding towns. For 16 years, she handled public relations for the system and developed housing for the mentally ill. Upon her retirement, Area Director Jack Sullivan dedicated their new fully-staffed, community residence in Whitman, the “Muriel L. Douglass House” in her honor.

After 53 years in Hingham, Muriel relocated to Coeur d’Alene in 2000, where she became an active member of her new community. She was involved with the Democratic party and thoroughly enjoyed the Inland Northwest’s lively theater and musical arts, a rich group of new friends, and most especially closeness to family. She even adopted a new nickname in her Yoga class and became known to many of us as “Mimi.”

The family would like to extend our deep appreciation first to Dr. Daniel Henbest from the Palliative Care Team, her compassionate nurse Dan in critical care, Dr. Tim Burns, Dr. Robert McFarland, surgeon Dr. Heidi Jackson, and her faithful, skilled, longtime physician Dr. Dick McLandress, for their kindness and amazing support for our mother and family during the last weekend of her life at Kootenai Health.

At Muriel’s request, a gathering of family and friends in celebration of her life will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, April 15, 2017, at Blue Lotus Sanctuary (where she studied Yoga for 10 years with her daughter-in-law), 613 S. Dollar St., Coeur d’Alene.

In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be sent to Idaho Youth Ranch and Anchor House (a home for troubled teens), 1609 Government Way, Coeur d’ Alene, ID 83814, or online at http://www.youthranch.org/ways-to-give/support-our-vision.