Douglas E. Adams

Douglas E. Adams, 97, Rockford passed away from natural causes on May 30, 2019 at Wesley Willows Health Center. He was born September 27, 1921 in the Clark County, Wisconsin farmhouse of his maternal grandparents, the son of Felix and Doris (Richelieu) Adams. Graduated from Owen High in Owen, Wisconsin, class of 1939. On February 4, 1950, Douglas married Florine “Renie” Herzog. He worked as a journalist for the Rockford Register Star for over 41 years, retiring in 1986. His college studies, which began at River Falls State Teachers College (now UW-River Falls) in 1939, were interrupted by WWII and completed when he earned a Bachelor’s Degree from Western Illinois University in 1991.
He was a life-long member of the Knights of Columbus. As part of his leadership role in the Newspaper Guild, Douglas led groups from Brazil and Columbia on U.S. tours as a foreign journalist tours team manager for the U.S. Labor Department. In retirement, he served on the Board of Trustees of the Illinois Labor History Society.
Douglas estimated that he had written more than 54,000 news stories and 2,000 editorials and opinion columns. In addition to his full-time work for the newspaper, Douglas reported for WROK’s morning news and later did public relations for the Rockford Community Chest (now known as the United Way). He also served the Winnebago County Coroner as an inquest jury foreman for more than 10 years. When he was given his choice of roles for his final year with the Register-Star, he chose to return to reporting where, as he said, he “could again join the princes and pirates of the news business.”
In retirement, Douglas and his wife pursued a wide variety of interests both cultural and natural, taking classes in birding for example, volunteering at the Nachusa Grasslands and putting his encyclopedic knowledge of cars and aircraft to use as a docent at the Poplar Grove Vintage Wings & Wheels Museum.
Douglas was kind, humble, funny and generous, and those who knew him were better for it. .
Survivors include his wife, Renie; five children: Christina (Larry, deceased) Giardini, Jonathan (Teresa), Jennifer, Julia Rose (Patrick Monaghan) and Tony (Kara Breems); 2 grandchildren, Brian (Lindsey) and Tracy (Chris) McCurry; and 3 great-grandchildren, Lexie, Carina and Hagan. Predeceased by parents, infant child Peter and brother Felix.
The family would like to thank and acknowledge the nurses and caregivers at Wesley Willows, Hunts Terrace, Ewing. for all their care and support..
Funeral service will be 12 noon on Friday, June 7, 2019 at Fitzgerald Funeral Home and Crematory, 3910 N. Rockton Ave., Rockford IL 61103. Visitation from 11:30 a.m. until time of service at the funeral home. Burial at Cedar Bluff Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be sent to Wesley Willows’ Good Samaritan Fund https://wesleywillows.org/who-we-are/charitable-opportunities/ or to Winnebago County Animal Services: https://www.wcasrock.org/index.php/support/donate-now . Arrangements by Fitzgerald Funeral Home & Crematory, Riverside Chapel. – Send online condolences at www.fitzgeraldfh.com