Douglas Paul Klocke

Douglas Paul Klocke unexpectedly passed away on February 5th, in Phoenix Arizona. A beloved Husband, Father, Son, Brother, Uncle, Coach, Friend and Colleague, Doug’s infectious smile, laugh and zest for life touched and impacted so many lives. His passing leaves a vacancy words can’t describe.

Born on February 18, 1975 in Fremont, Nebraska to Dwayne and Lucy Klocke, he was baptized and confirmed at First Lutheran Church in Fremont. Doug had an all-American childhood in Fremont and his school days were filled with friends, family and sports. He loved baseball and he was a member of the golf and football teams in high school. His love and passion for sports and being a part of a sports community remained strong throughout his life. He loved to coach his kid’s soccer and t-ball teams and he was a diehard Husker and Sun Devil fan. From fixing up a 1967 Mustang to moving a 400 lb palm tree around in his yard, Doug would never farm out a project when he knew he could get it done.

His work ethic was undeniable and started at the young age of 8 when he had his first paper route. He loved fireworks as a child, and even more so as an adult. He and his friends would deliver leaflets for the firework stand to earn money to purchase their own fireworks. His favorite part time job as a teen, and most likely the inspiration for his university studies and career, was working for the city public works department in Fremont, Nebraska.

Realizing the West Coast provided endless sunshine, flip flops and golf year-round, after visiting many colleges, it was Arizona State University that won him over. Recognizing his passion for building and construction, he graduated in December of 1997 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering. He made lifelong friendships at ASU and was a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity. After college he went to work for Whiting-Turner Contracting Company working on projects in Orange County and Northern California, such as the House of Blues and the Buzz Light Year Experience at Disneyland. This also allowed him to fulfill one of his bucket list items of living on the beach. For the past 20 years, he had a successful career at Lincoln Property Company where he rose to Vice President of Development/Construction Management overseeing Commercial Real Estate Developments throughout the Southwest.

On a blind date at Arizona State University, he met the love of his life, wife and mother of his 4 children, Stephanie. They married in 2002, naturally on a golf course, and built a beautiful life together, although Doug would probably prefer it be written that they built the “Championship Klocke Team.” He was all in as a dad, gladly sharing all parenting duties, and spending every waking minute outside of work with his family. In his additional spare time, he was always on call to help his extended family, whether it was rescuing Stephanie’s grandmother when she locked herself in the bathroom or just being a sounding board to his nieces and nephews as they navigated their teenage years. Doug channeled his “sports minded leadership” into volunteering many hours with I9 Sports and AYSO as a coach. Coach Doug brought fun and inspiration to the sports field and created magical memories for his players that have stayed with them long after their seasons ended. For all of those who loved him and were lucky enough to share in his life, Doug’s joyful spirit will stay with us long after his season has ended.

Douglas Paul Klocke is survived by his wife of nearly 23 years, Stephanie Guilbeau Klocke, beloved sons Cal Douglas and Hudson Chad; cherished daughters Peyton Jo and Shay Alexandria; his parents Dwayne and Lucy Klocke of Arlington, Nebraska; his sister Lynette and brother-in-law Brian Andersen of Omaha, Nebraska; nephews Jordan Klocke, Jaycob Andersen, Mathew Guilbeau and Alexander Giolito; nieces Maggie Andersen and Morgan Guilbeau and the rest of his family and friends who will miss him dearly. A visitation will take place on Thursday, February 13, 2025 from 6-8 p.m at Gilbert Memorial Park in Gilbert, Arizona. A Celebration of Doug’s Life will take place on Friday, February 14th at 11:00 a.m. at Dayspring United Methodist Church in Tempe, Arizona.

For those unable to attend the service it will be live streamed by the following link: https://vimeo.com/event/3920595

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be given to the non-profit, Athletes for Arizona, which promotes athletics in elementary and middle schools in underserved communities in Arizona. Donations can be made at the following website: https://www.azfoundation.org/ways-to-give/%20give-by-impact-area/sports-athletics/athletes-for-arizona/ .