Douglas Edward Ott, 77, died Tuesday, Dec. 17 at Morristown Medical Center.
Born in Queens, New York to Bernard and Ellen (Schneider) Ott.
After earning his BS in Electrical Engineering at Syracuse University in 1963, he married fellow alumna, Carolyn Ott (Chemka) in 1964, at St. Matthews Church in Hastings on Hudson, New York.
Moving to West Milford in 1968, the couple invested countless hours volunteering in their community, most recently with the Friends of the Library.
Doug was recognized as the 2009 Mary B. Haase Lifetime Volunteer Award winner, notably for his work on the Environmental Commission.
Employed at IT&T Defense in Nutley, from 1963 to 1998, Doug earned the prestigious Presidents Award, and published an engineering book.
An avid hiker, Doug, Carolyn and daughters, Julia Hoar (spouse Philip Hoar) and Jennifer Metcalf (spouse TImothy Metcalf), logged miles on the trails of West Milford and his favorite Glacier National Park.
Having run cross country at Syracuse, Doug continued this passion, completing two NYC Marathons.
A gifted pianist and committed chess player.
He was the proud grandfather of Kelsey and Devon Hoar, and Sophia, Alexander and Colette Metcalf.
Doug was predeceased by sister, Judy Dieterle.
Memorial visitation is scheduled at the Richards Funeral Home, located at 1440 Union Valley Road in West Milford, on Friday, Dec. 20 from 2 – 4 and 6 – 8 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Doug’s name to the Friends of the West Milford Library.