Boldon, M.D., Douglas
Douglas Phillip Boldon,
M.D. died on Thursday,
June 16, 2022 at the age of 79 in the Hospice unit at
Licking Memorial Hospital, surrounded by his family.
He had a glioma (brain tumor), diagnosed in December
2018. The effects of treatment prompted a slow decline, which necessitated a move to Middleton
Senior Living in 2019. The decline went from slow to fast the Friday before his death. Doug was born
April 21, 1943 to Bruce
Byron Boldon and Ruth
Kathleen (Tucker) Boldon in
Taft, California, where his father was stationed with the United States Army. He was the youngest of five children prior to his parents adopting four children from
Korea. The family farmed and moved frequently, to
Arkansas then northern
Ohio. Doug graduated in 1960 from Mogadore High
School, where he started the golf team. The principal recommended him for a scholarship, which enabled him to attend The
University of Akron. A local physician recommended him at Akron City Hospital, where he lied about his age to work the night shift in the clinical laboratory, and where he met Marilyn
Daley, a student in The
Akron City Hospital School of Medical Technology. The two married on August 10, 1963, and he earned a
Bachelor of Science degree in 1964. Doug attended medical school at The Ohio
State University in Columbus.
During his senior year, he did a student internship with Dr. Charles E. Miller, who went on to found Midwest
Allergy Associates in first child was born and he received the degree of Doctor
of Medicine in 1968.
Doug served in the United
States Navy aboard a
Benjamin Franklin–class submarine, the USS George
C. Marshall out of Groton,
CT. He interned at Akron
City Hospital, where their second child was born in 1970. He did his pediatric residency at Bethesda
Naval Hospital in Bethesda,
MD, where their third child was born in 1972.
The family moved to Guam, where he became Chief of
Pediatrics at the U.S. Naval
Hospital. After resigning his commission and returning to the U.S., Doug completed a fellowship in Allergy and Immunology at The
Medical College of Virginia,
Richmond in 1976. He picked his specialty for its regular hours so he could spend time with family. He returned to Ohio to join
Midwest Allergy Associates in Worthington and volunteered at the Children’s
Hospital Allergy Clinic, and
Neighborhood House in
Columbus. He loved seeing patients, especially pediatric ones, and was always interested in people’s lives.
Many patients remained in touch and he saw subsequent generations as patients, too. Doug saw the value of bringing the practice to the patients, establishing satellite offices throughout central Ohio.
A left hander, he used a series of fountain pens and blue ink. His handwriting was praised by his staff as mostly legible. The family moved to Granville, OH in 1978, joining St. Luke’s
Church-episcopal, where
Doug served in many key roles. He was a long-time member of a Tuesday golf league in Newark and a member of the Kiwanis
Club of Granville, serving on the scholarship committee and as president.
He loved so many aspects of the Granville Kiwanis
Fourth of July street fair, where he was on the parade’s announcing team for many years. A member of The Ohio State University
President’s Club, he hosting an annual party for the Osu/michigan game for many years. Doug was never without a camera. He trained his lens on friends, family members, birds, flowers, and places he visited.
His home and medical offices were filled with his photos. One patient was delighted to recognize her father’s fish market in
Taipei. Boating on Lake Erie be new chapter of travel, business ventures, and hard work. So important to him were his beloved boating and Kelleys Island/portside
Marina families. His favorite quotes included, “All of life is a compromise,” and “It’s all physics.” In addition to his parents, Doug was preceded in death by his sisters Judith Montgomery,kathleen
Bennett, his brothers Richard and
David, and niece Kathisue
Coffman Summers. He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Marilyn; daughters,
Kristin Boldon (George
Fischer) of Minneapolis,
MN, Amy Harper (Jim Bradberry)
of Philadelphia, PA, and Emily Boldon (Jeff Ash) of Atlanta, GA; grandsons,
Drew and Gus Fischer,
Jay Harper, and Kyle and
Eric Ash; brothers, Kato (Kim) and Tom (Kristin); and sisters, Lori Pioquinto and Lisa Parker; brotherin-law, Jim Daley (Diane); sisters-in-law, Lorraine
Boldon, Phyllis Boldon, and Nancy Daley; many beloved nieces, nephews, and cousins in the Boldon and Daley families, and the many friends who gave help and comfort throughout his illness. The family is grateful to Cathy Jordan, Julie
Lafollette, and Rosalind
Davis for their kindness and care, to Hospice of
Central Ohio, Bill and Mary
Hoekstra for their care of our family and to the staff at Middleton Senior Living.
At his request, there will be a Celebration of Life at a future date. There will be no calling hours or funeral service. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to The Kiwanis Club of
Granville (granvillekiwanis. org) or Healing Art Missions (healingartmissions.org)