Douglas Van Sickle

Douglas Arthur Van Sickle , 70, passed away June 11, 2015 after a 5 year battle with cancer.
Douglas was born April 24, 1945 in Minneapolis, Minnesota to the late
Arthur Leroy Van Sickle and Leora Julia (Hahn) Van Sickle.
As a child his family moved to Barronett, Wisconsin where he attended Shell Lake schools and graduated in 1963. He enjoyed Scouting and outdoor activities as a member of the Shell Lake Boy Scout Explorers.
Douglas attended Wisconsin Technical College in Rice Lake, Wisconsin.
In 1966 he joined the U.S. Naval Air Reserve and flew aboard a P36 sub chaser.
In 1973 he received an AA degree from Orange Coast College in California. He moved to Princeton Minnesota to a country home in the pines and spent time outdoors farming the pines and hardwoods, birdwatching, discovering rare wildflowers and watching the migration of water birds from his deck beside the wetlands.
Douglas was an expert marksman and and an avid gun collector.
For 30 years he worked as a printed circuit board designer.
Douglas was a member of Minnesota Rovers
Outdoor Club. He backpacked in the Pacific Northwest, Central America, Australia, New Zealand, Nepal and Southeast Asia.
He especially liked Thailand and had a winter home he shared with Aree Rak (Mam) near Chiang Mai for the last 14 years.

Douglas is survived by his daughter Barbara Jean (Justin Peterson), Rochester, MN and granddaughter Frankie Jayden and sister Delores (Steve) Bjerke and brother William (Pam) Van Sickle and close friends Nick Bizosky and Mike Smith.
The family plans on gathering in Princeton, Minnesota at a later time.
He was cremated and will be interned in Fort Snelling National Cemetery .
Donations may be made to the Nature Conservancy.