Douglass MacKenzie

June 1, 1943 - Dec. 28, 2023

Douglass Ian MacKenzie passed away on Thursday, December 28th, 2023 with his wife, children, grandchildren and great grandchildren, sister, nieces and nephew by his side throughout his brief battle with pancreatic cancer. Doug was born in Portland, Oregon to a large and loving family that helped to influence the type of man we have come to admire, a person who did the right thing because it was the right thing to do, regardless of accolades. He worked for many years as a printer, but his most important work was loving, encouraging and supporting family, as well as a tireless dedication to activism in social justice, democracy, and nature restoration and preservation. Aside from his work, he led many adventures 'following his nose to fun'; biking, camping and hiking all over the NW oceans, lakes, rivers, National Parks or walks around Manitou Beach, on Bainbridge Island, where he resided with his wife. On those expeditions, he took every opportunity to use his keen eye and love of photography to capture beautiful natural landscapes that he wished to preserve for future generations, leaving a legacy of his vision for everyone to appreciate. Doug entered the world with a curious mind and left recognizing that he was still learning and growing in all aspects of life. He had a great desire to make the world a better place than he had found it. His relationships with those he loved grew in that spirit. He was a beloved husband, dad, grandfather, great grandfather, brother, uncle, son and friend that will be greatly missed. He is survived by his wife, Gay Shepherd-MacKenzie; his children Sofie Vastano, Jared MacKenzie, Henry Shepherd, Celia Shepherd, Andy Shepherd, Hope Shepherd, Ben Shepherd, and Emilie Shepherd; and his sister Lorna MacKenzie. In lieu of flowers you can donate to help with end of life expenses https://gofund.me/d89cd226 Working class heroes give away the shirts on their backs to those who need it more— and now it is our turn to help. You may also make charitable donations to help support one of Doug's favorite causes/non-profits in his name. Here are three that we recommend that speak to Doug’s sensibilities: Puget Sound Restoration Fund : https://restorationfund.org/support/ Partnership With Native Americans : http://www.nativepartnership.org/site/PageServer?pagename=pwna_home 23rd Legislative District Democrats : https://kitsap23rd.com/ Doug is to be composted to become a tree ~ a beautiful tribute to his life in accordance with his wishes. It is in this spirit we, his family, encourage you to become active in your community in preservation and restoration of the natural world for future generations. Lastly, make your voice heard - VOTE! Need to register? You can do it on-line and make Grampa proud! https://olvr.votewa.gov/