Douglas George LaVerne, 72, passed away on April 30, 2026 after a long illness, with close friends by his side. A Celebration of Life Service will be held Saturday, Nov. 7 at 1 p.m. at ORUUC. Interment follows the service in the church's Memorial Garden. For those who would like to Zoom the service, go to Zoom on your device, choose “Join Meeting,” then enter Meeting ID: 682-663-607 and Password 678820.

Douglas was the son of Melvin Eugene LaVerne and Mary Elizabeth (McCliver) LaVerne. He was born in Oak Ridge. He is survived by his brothers, Alan LaVerne of La Jolla, California; Andrew LaVerne of Boulder Creek, California; Davie LaVerne of Sunnyvale, California; and numerous nieces and nephews. He also leaves longtime friends Gordon and Barbara Manning of St. Louis, Missouri, and John Edwards.

Douglas received a Ph.D. from the University of Tennessee, where he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He worked for the United States Government for over 30 years as a programmer/analyst for the Technical Information Center, and was in the service of the Civil Air Patrol. He was an avid chess player and champion many times over. He played the steel drums and piano, and loved being a DJ at the Playhouse. He was an accomplished photographer, capturing many delightful pictures as he traveled all eight continents of the world. He enjoyed racing his own sailboat and won many regattas. And he had a great sense of humor.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Oak Ridge Animal Shelter.