Douglas Charles Klappich
- Published: October 6, 2023
Douglas Charles Klappich, of Yellow Springs, died of heart failure at Springfield Memorial Hospital on Sept. 20, 2023. He was 77.
Douglas’s memorial service is at 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 7, in Rockford Chapel. Current Cuisine will cater light snacks. Douglas’s photo is now on the altar at the Dharma Center. Jackson Lytle & Lewis Funeral Home handled his cremation, and his ashes will be buried with those of his parents at Ottawa Hills cemetery in Toledo, Ohio.
Douglas was born in Toledo, and lived in Woodville, Ohio; Greeley, Colorado; Eugene, Oregon; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Floyd, Virginia; then Columbus, Ohio, before moving to Yellow Springs 11 years ago.
Douglas grew to adulthood in Woodville, where his parents owned Fountain of Youth Lanes. He was its manager and once reached a score of 299, for which he received recognition from the American Bowling Congress. He served six years in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves, and one year as a police officer in Woodville. His parents encouraged his interest in yoga and natural healing. At the Integral Yoga Institute, Swami Satchidananda initiated him into yoga, and Douglas achieved certification as an IYI teacher. Douglas was next employed to grow wheatgrass at the Hippocrates Health Institute in southern Michigan.
He left Michigan and went to Greeley in order to support his sister through a divorce. In Greeley he met his wife, Deborah, at People’s Market food cooperative, where she was manager. After a year of dating, he and Deborah traveled through the American Southwest in his van, then moved to Eugene, where he opened Eugene Yoga Center and began teaching yoga and offering sessions in foot reflexology.
The next move was to Albuquerque for a year, where Douglas became certified at the Ayurvedic Institute as an Ayurvedic counselor with his teacher Dr. Vasant Lad. He then returned to Eugene, where he again opened Eugene Yoga Center and gave consultations in Ayurveda and foot reflexology.
In the 1990s, Douglas and Deborah moved to Deborah’s home town, Columbus, where he continued to teach yoga and give bodywork sessions. They soon discovered Yellow Springs, came here often on weekends, then moved to the village. Douglas is probably best known locally for starting, along with Bob Partida, the annual Bubblefests.
Douglas did his healing work in Yellow Springs for 5½ years, until his kidneys failed, when he started dialysis. During that time, he had several surgeries and hospital stays, most of them due to problems with his cardiovascular system or dialysis access. He spent his last three months in Dayspring Skilled Nursing facility.
Douglas is survived by his partner of 43 years, Deborah McGee; three daughters, who live near Bowling Green, Tiffaney Coakley, Wendy Eilert and Christie Decker; and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He spent many happy times with and was close to Deborah’s family: her brother Chuck McGee, sisters Michelle Hanson and Shawnda Schmidt and their spouses and children. Douglas was preceded in death by his sister, Sandra Adams, and their parents, Louis William Klappich and Blanche (White) Klappich. He also leaves behind friends and clients from coast to coast, including many beloved Springers. A special shout out to those who visit “The Table,” at The Emporium, which Douglas frequented before his illness.
Those who wish to do so may donate in Douglas’s name to Yellow Springs Senior Center; Yellow Springs Food Pantry, where he volunteered some time; or their charity of choice. Longtime Columbus friend Jimagination Arter has donated to Salesian Missions in Douglas’s name. Arbor Day Foundation will plant a tree in his name thanks to Deborah’s former husband, Richard Coss, and his partner, Michael Hull. Enter Douglas’s name in the YS News online search engine to find articles about him that appeared in this publication.
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Douglas was my first yoga instructor when he was teaching in Columbus on King Avenue in 1995 (or close to that). Some of the best yoga classes that I’ve taken to date. I still have “The Little Book of Yoga” that I got during my first class. I did get to visit with him many years later (around 2014) in Yellow Springs. I am very fortunate to have been able to know this wonderful person.
Douglas was such a joy! His smile could and did transform many peoples day. There was a beautiful depth to his soul that I will never forget or not be thankful that he shared with me.