Obituary of Douglas James Marr

Douglas James Marr After a hard fought battle against cancer, Doug passed away on May 13 at home in Bayfield with his life companion, Carlos Marguia, his sister Terry Marr and niece Katherine Marr, by his side. Doug was born on November 22, 1950 in Toronto, Ontario to Gerald and Jane Marr. He grew up in Waterloo, Ontario and attended Kitchener Collegiate Institute, which was more of a social event for him than a means to an education. During high school he developed an interest in painting which years later, would prove to be one of his legacies. In the 1970s, Doug, along with his father and a business partner, launched The Athlete's Foot in one tiny store on King Street in Waterloo. It was the first-of-a-kind concept in Canada – a store that focused solely on athletic footwear and clothing, which other large corporations soon copied. The business grew to become a national chain of stores that also included The Boomer Club, The Frat House and Copper Mountain Lodge. In the early 80s Doug decided he was going to get into modeling and true to his nature, he became a success, appearing in magazine and television commercials for companies such as Eatons, Players Tobacco and Molsons. With the economic recession in the late1980s the Athlete's Foot Ltd. closed and Doug decided that becoming an artist was the way he would now make a living. It was a typical decision that Doug would make. Take a risk, come up with a plan, dive in full force, and just go for it. He moved to Hawaii and began painting. In order to sell his art he hired a Hawaiian to pretend to be the artist. This was the beginning of Doug's artistic success. In the summer of 1992, he moved to Provincetown, Massachusetts where he met Carlos who would become his partner, both in business and in love. That fall they moved to Cancun, Mexico where they opened La Comidita restaurant. In Doug's true style he managed to wrangle a contract with a newly opened factory to serve their employees lunch each day. In addition, the restaurant quickly developed a reputation among locals for Doug's "Canadian" lasagna. In 1994, they sold the successful business and moved back to Provincetown. Five years later they opened Doug Marr Gallery, which featured Doug's oil paintings of Provincetown and the surrounding landscape and Carlos' photographs. Doug soon developed a reputation as a renowned artist, with a very unique style. His originals were in high demand internationally with pieces being purchased by people all over the world. In 2007, Carlos and Doug returned to Canada, and opened DaVinci Ristorante and Gallery in Bayfield. They grew a small café into a successful restaurant where many customers became much more than "just customers". Doug continued with his art and once again, locals commissioned him to paint originals for them. Doug's style of painting developed over the years, reflecting his stages of life. Many of his early pieces featured bright vibrant colours, while in the later years, he painted scenes that projected a sense of calm and peace. Although he was a very private man, Doug had an incredible sense of loyalty and caring for those he loved. If you were important to him, you knew it because of his kindness and the meaningful little things he did to make you happy. Doug wanted everyone to be happy and have fun. He also had an amazing sense of humour and his quick whit made everyone laugh. His warm smile will be missed. Doug is survived by Carlos; his mother Jane Marr of Waterloo, who he dearly loved; his brother John (DJ) of Montreal and John's children Katherine and David; his brother Jamie of Hamilton; his sister Terry of Kitchener; and Terry's daughter Claire Copland, who will miss "Bub". A celebration of Doug's life will take place Saturday, May 23 at 4 pm in Pioneer Park, Bayfield. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made by cheque to Pioneer Park Association through Falconer Funeral Homes - Bluewater Chapel, Goderich. Messages of condolence for the family may be left at www.falconerfuneralhomes.com