Douglas Lawrence Harpel, 88 years old, of Temperance, MI passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by family on Saturday, June 13, 2026. The son of Arnold and LauraBelle (Jensen) Harpel he was born on August 5, 1937 in Fremont, OH.
He graduated from Sandusky High School in 1955 and proudly served his country in the U.S. Navy from 1955 until 1963. Doug met the love of his life Gayle in 1964, while operating the Blue Streak roller coaster at Cedar Point. They were married August 16, 1969 in Sandusky, Ohio. Doug retired from Ford Motor Co. with 32 years of service.
Doug was an incredibly generous person known for his funny sense of humor and ability to turn every situation into a joke. He was the kind of guy to hurl a snowball at you, then offer to shovel your driveway for cookies.
Doug loved the game of Softball and was known for being a walking rule book. He coached for Bedford High School and Start High School. He also umpired for decades, all around SE Michigan/NW Ohio.
His favorite thing to do was drive his Ford F-150 pick-up truck on the Silver Lake Sand Dunes. He was incredibly competitive while playing dominoes, card and other board games with his neighbors. He was also a die-hard Cleveland Browns and Ohio State Buckeyes fan.
Doug was an amazing family man. He looked forward to holidays, birthdays, cook-outs, sporting events and any reason to just be together. He loved bragging about all the accomplishments of his kids and grandkids. He was their #1 fan.
He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Gayle Harpel; daughters, Jennifer (Jerry) Edmondson, Kelley (Lance) Mushung, Holly (Mike) Holmes, Heather (Carl) Fausze, Diana (Mike) Tuttamore, Donna (Burl) Nesbitt; grandchildren, Veronica and family, Richie (Alyssa) Abigail, Ryan (Kayla), Alexis (Evan), Heidi (Josh), Emily, Peighton, Hannah, Parker, Hayden, Jessica, Eryn, Brittany, Sam, Marissa (Chris) and Kaitlin; great grandchildren, Billie, Ezra, Charlotte, Tristen, Zayden, Zolen and Luna; siblings, Jeff (Nancy) Harpel, Kim (Naomi) Harpel, Larry (Lora) Allison, John (Holly) Allison and Nancy Allison.
He was preceded in death by his parents and siblings, Jack Harpel, Roger Harpel and Marlene Monahan.
A memorial to honor his legacy will be on Wednesday June 24, 2026 from 3:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. in the Urbanski’s Bedford Funeral Chapel 8300 Lewis Ave. Temperance, MI. The memorial service will be at 6:00 p.m. with military honors conducted by Lambertville VFW Post 9656 at 6:30 p.m. In lieu of flowers please send contributions to Bedford Public Schools (Memo: Softball Program) or Hospice of NW Ohio. Online condolences may be shared at www.bedfordfuneralchapel.com.
