Doug was born in 1949 and grew up on a farm near Hay Springs, Nebraska. He loved farming, riding horses and collecting rocks - an interest that would later progress into a fascination with gemstones and minerals.
In 1967 Douglas started his education at a small state college in Nebraska. He majored in art, not knowing what media he would ultimately choose, but wanting to use what he was told was a natural ability. Thinking he would pursue a career in commercial art, his education took him on a journey through freehand drawing, watercolor, ceramics and art history. While studying three-dimensional design, he began to get a feel for the type of media that suited him; he enjoyed three dimensional things more than two dimensional art and liked working with metals, stone and wood.
Bored with college, and uncertain what to do next, Doug began traveling around the United States and Canada, working various jobs--a lumberjack, horsewrangler and mechanic. While working in Flagstaff, Arizona, he decided to pursue his interest in art, metalwork, and gemstones. He sought out a mentor, learning the basics of silversmithing and stone-cutting in the Southwest Indian style. After leaving Flagstaff in the fall of 1974, Doug moved to Greeley, Colorado where he set up his first retail operation, The Whitesmith Shop. He took on all jobs and made whatever he was able to, teaching himself as he went along - until the summer of 1976 when he was burglarized and lost almost everything.
By spring of 1977, a new chapter began. Doug liquidated what remained from the theft and began traveling the world. First stop was Maui to visit a friend, then to Indonesia, where he was to build a house for his sister. When the house was completed, Doug began a journey through Asia in search of the beautiful colored gemstones that he loved. He ended his travels in Germany, learning valuable skills from German master goldsmiths and gemstone cutters.
Upon his return to the U.S. Doug began looking for a place to settle. However, 'the mainland' no longer felt like home to Doug; he felt out of place because "everybody was so pale!" November of 1979 found him returning to Maui, a sort of 'middle ground' between the mainland U.S. and Asia. He worked there in the jewelry trade for over two years.
Doug later moved to Honolulu, where met Elizabeth, whom he married in 1989. Longing to return to a more rural lifestyle, Doug and Elizabeth moved to the Big Island in 1992. They settled in Ahualoa on the Hamakua Coast.
In 1997, their only child, Noah,was born. His son was the joy of his life and Noah adored his dad. They were together all day, every day, as Doug's workshop was in his home. After work, they'd be out on the property, hiking, clearing trees, harvesting macadamia nuts from the farm, or just playing. Doug often made toys for Noah and his friends, turning out a variety of exquisitely crafted items in wood, metal, and bone: cars, swords, and cowboy rifles for the boys, and later a beautiful rocking horse for his little goddaughter Zoe.
Children loved to watch him wiggle his ears and tell stories. He was famous the world over for his hilarious rendition of "The Wide Mouthed Frog." Though his son was born in his later years, Doug always said, "Noah keeps me young!"
Doug continued making custom jewelry, developing clients in the nearby town of Kamuela, throughout Hawaii, the U.S. mainland and internationally. By now a master goldsmith, he excelled at designing and crafting gold and platinum jewelry. He continued to prefer colored gemstones and particularly enjoyed designing pieces using the gems he had cut, carved, or sculpted himself.
Doug established his store at the
Kona Village Resort in 1996, where he
and Tracey Jensen, his faithful friend and
salesperson, built a loyal clientele who
would come back year after year to see
his new custom designs. His creativity and
quality craftsmanship earned the appreciation
and respect of his clients and friends.
Business thrived and in 2001, he took on an apprentice - his young
cousin Sarah Peck. Sarah worked under Doug's tutelage for seven
years and continues to market her own custom jewelry designs
through her business, Blue Door Jewelry.
Doug loved the rural lifestyle he
had chosen, spending hs free time
digging around his farm on his beloved
John Deere tractor. He, Elizabeth, Noah
provided a quiet, restful place for friends,
family, and many 'friends of friends'
from all over the world to visit and relax.
Doug not only loved his rural neighborhood, but also the lovely nearby town of
Honokaa. The town had been severely depressed after the closing of the main 
employer, the Hamakua Sugar Mill. Doug dreamed of someday opening a business there. When the opportunity arose, he bought a small commercial building on the main street, Mamane, where he opened a second store in 2004. Later he moved his workshop to this location. Doug's integrity, honesty, gentleness, willingness to help others, and quick humor quickly made him a beloved figure in the small community.
Sarah Peck-Ednie is currently operating out her business out of this location, where she displays both her own work, and Doug's remaining pieces.
In October of 2009, while working on his land, Doug contracted leptospirosis. This bacterial infection is difficult to distinguish from the flu and while many recover without any treatment at all, Doug's case rapidly became severe and irreversible complications developed. On October 30, 2009, just one week after his first symptom, Doug crossed over into eternity. A man of strong Christian faith, he lived his life truly believing that he was "only passing through" this world. He didn't fear death, but viewed it as the beginning of his eternal life with his beloved Savior, Jesus Christ.
With the apostle Paul, he could honestly say that for him, "to live is Christ, and to die is gain."
His endearing presence is greatly missed, though his talent and craftsmanship will continue
in his jewelry and his memory in the hearts of all who knew and loved him.
DOUGLAS GLENN
January 6, 1949-October 30, 2009
