Douglas Titus

We mourn the loss of a beloved brother, uncle and friend. Doug Titus passed away peacefully in Sebring, Florida, on the morning of September 18, 2024. Doug was a lover of great music, great racing and family.

Doug was born in Flint, Michigan, on August 9, 1950 to William and Iola Titus, both deceased. He had three brothers and four sisters. Phil, Cliff and Karen preceded him in death. He is survived by Donna Titus, Linda Titus, Diane (Gary) Davis and Jeff (Anne)Titus, and many nieces, nephews and grand-nieces and nephews.

Doug grew up in Mt Morris, Michigan, graduating from Mt Morris High School in 1968.He moved to Florida about 1975, following in the footsteps of his parents and other siblings. In Florida, he made his home Clearwater and Inverness. His work life focused on service and helping people find solutions. He took care of people and helped them figure out how their needs would be met, including in the stereo, car rental and retail industries.

A family affinity for fast cars abided in Doug as well as his siblings and their kids. A love of all things automotive is a constant thread in Doug’s family, and he embraced it.Cherished time included watching races with siblings and going to nearly any kind of race at all. IMSA, NASCAR, IROC, F-1, truck races, sports car racing at Daytona and was an NHRA member for years. Nothing about moving a car fast was out of his scope of interest and enthusiasm. His brother Jeff said it best: “He paid attention to anything with a motor and wheels.”

His passion for cars bled into ownership of many Porsche 914s and a run of 1970sChevy Novas. When it came to his siblings’ cars, he could be tough to please. But one ride in his sister’s Dodge Challenger turned skepticism into approval. Another sister off-handedly saw a truck (at a race, of course) for sale and joked about buying it. Only after crawling all over and under and thoroughly checking out the truck would Doug provide his approval. One of his favorite Porsches was a bright yellow, 944 radio-controlled toy car, a Christmas gift from one of his sisters when he was about 35. Only by taking it away would he stop to join the family for dinner; there may have been a others egging the fun on, too.

Doug wouldn’t ever let you catch him poorly dressed. He enjoyed dressing well since childhood, a sense of taste and style which never left him. Though the world has become more casual over his lifetime, Doug always preferred a nicely pressed shirt with jeans as casual attire to a more relaxed look. For Doug, a suit would always include a tie, cufflinks and tie tacks as part of the ensemble.

Enjoyment of music was another passion of Doug’s. His musical taste had terrific range and was another passion he shared with family and friends. From big band music to classical to jazz (in so many varieties) to country, Doug found pleasure in many musical styles, and just as much enjoyment in sharing the musical experience with others. He could easily spend hours simply listening to jazz with his brother, on a great stereo, in the middle of the chaos that comes with family dinners.

Doug loved life, family, music, cars and being well dressed, which only touches the surface. He had a terrific sense of humor and was always on the spot with any kind of dad joke you might want. He loved his family and friends, and they love him.

The family will hold a celebration of life in Clearwater, Florida, in October.