Douglas Robert Head, 76, went into the arms of Jesus on February 26, 2022 after fighting valiantly for several years against a body that never seemed to want to cooperate in staying healthy. Doug was born on December 4, 1945 in Johnson City, TN to William Robert Head, Jr. and Helen Head (Barbour). He possessed a mischievous sense of humor, and as a kid, he enjoyed playing pranks such as shoving potatoes into exhaust pipes of parked cars. Doug was also fearless as a child, once jumping off a pile of rocks only to have a piece of glass impale his arm, which frightened his mother nearly to death. That fearlessness took him all the way to Vietnam, where he served the Army as a Green Beret, jumping off of airplanes and helicopters. (This meant that riding on roller coasters with him was no fun.)

While he was stationed in South Korea, Doug met the love of his life, Hye Ok (O) in Daegu, and adopted her daughter, Su Jin, raising her as his own. It was during this time in Korea that he also found his obsession with anything extremely spicy, which his co-workers resented because he would always come back from lunch smelling of garlic that he would have eaten raw with his Korean lunch. He would continue to feed this obsession until his last week of life, where he would put sriracha on everything he ate.

After serving in the Army for 26 years, which included serving stateside in Desert Storm, Doug retired as a sergeant and returned to Florence, AL so that he could spend more time with his parents. He adjusted to civilian life, working at Ace Hardware and later at SouthWire. Doug was also part of the FreeMasons. But he really came alive when riding his Honda Gold Wing. He would hitch a trailer to its back and take off with Hye Ok, traveling all over the U.S. including Niagara Falls and Las Vegas. Doug also loved to tinker with things, doing wood work in his shop, and he took great pride in his beautiful lawn. But above all, he loved his family and was a devoted husband and father. He was a kind and gentle soul who adored teasing his granddaughters but also teaching them to play solitaire on his ever present iPad.

Doug leaves behind his wife, Hye Ok, and his children, Scot Head, Kimberly Head, and Su Jin (Tae) Jeong. He also leaves behind four grandchildren (Lillia, Elenora, Elijah, and Josiah) and his sister, Dianna (Bobby) Quinton.

Doug's life will be celebrated via a graveside service on Wednesday, March 2, 2022, at 2 p.m. at Tri-Cities Memorial Gardens, 2601 Florence Blvd., Florence, AL 35630. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to help wounded veterans at woundedwarriorproject.org . You can also check the air in your tires and make sure your car's windshield had Rain-X applied, just as Doug would have any time his children came to visit.

You are invited to leave condolences at www.elkinsfuneralhome.com.