CULLMAN — William Douglas Hart Sr.

Graveside services for William Douglas Hart Sr., 92, of Cullman will be Sunday, Nov. 8, 2009 at 3 p.m. at Cullman City Cemetery. The Hart family would like for friends and family to join them for a celebration of Doug’s life at the First Christians Church of Cullman following the service.

Cullman Heritage Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Mr. Hart passed away Saturday, Nov. 7, 2009, at Hanceville Nursing Home.

Doug was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 64 years, Marjorie Jo Keyes Hart; his parents, Lee Ernest Sr. and Olma Lasseter Hart; two brothers, Lee Ernest “Buddy” Hart Jr. and Don Carey Hart; and a sister Martha Leigh Hart Roden Schick.

Survivors include a son, William Douglas Hart Jr. (Ann) of Madison; three daughters, Dorothy Spruell (Wayne) of Decatur, Becky Hudson (Michael) and Barbara Jo Hart of Cullman; 11 grandchildren, Greg Spruell of Meridianville, Marisa Fink of Campbell, Ohio, Amanda Whittington of Guntersville, Sarah Burns of Cullman, Matthew Hart of Madison, Richard Hudson of Lexington, S.C., Nathan Hudson of Hanceville, Leeanna H. Smith, Stephen Hudson and Jennifer Zinsmeister of Cullman and David Helms of Tokyo, Japan; and 20 great-grandchildren.

A graduate of Cullman High School, Doug attended St. Bernard College, the University of Alabama and Alabama Polytechnic Institute of Auburn.

Doug was employed by the Tennessee Valley Authority, when he enlisted in the Army Air Corps. As a pilot he was squadron leader of the Seventh Combat Cargo Squadron in the South Pacific. He served as courier for General Douglas MacArthur. First Lt. Hart was the pilot of the first plane to land at Yokota, the air field for Tokyo, after the surrender of the Japanese. They flew over the USS Missouri, while the surrender was being signed. As squadron leader he had planes take off at three minute intervals, so the Japanese would know they were there. For more than five hours the noisy engines of the C-46s announced the arrival of the U.S. forces.

After WWII Doug returned to Cullman. He operated a dairy farm until he was employed by the U.S. Postal service. He retired as a rural mail carrier in 1976.

Dough pursued many hobbies. He enjoyed woodworking. He built furniture, dollhouses and HQ scale replicas of Cullman landmarks. He was a member of the railroad club and participated in the Cullman Depot restoration. Doug was skilled in working with stained glass. He re-worked the stained glass windows at the First Christian Church with the assistance of other church members. Doug enjoyed working in his yard. He had more than ninety rose bushes. He rooted more than 130 boxwoods from cuttings from a descendent of the boxwood brought from England by Thomas Hart, who came to this country in the 1700s.

Pallbearers will be Gregory Spruell, Matthew Hart, Richard Hudson, Nathan Hudson, Stephen Hudson, Phil Blackman, Jason Zinsmeister, Christopher Smith and Jerry Whittington.

Honorary Pallbearers will be, David Helms, Wilson Henderson, Larry Ragsdale and Max Williams.