When William F. Douglass got the news he was going to be a father, he set out to be the best father he could possibly be to Ashan, now 2. You would always see him riding around with him, and they were together all of the time unless William had to work, said his sister, Cheryl Douglass.
“They loved watching Coco Melon a thousand times a day, and at night he would read a bedtime story to him and filled the story with excitement to intrigue Ashan,” says Cheryl. “He loved every breath Ashan took.”
But long before that, William was just “Doob” to his family. As a baby, Cheryl said, their older brother would hold William in the air like Superman, but he would say “Dooberman!” Over the years, Doob was what stuck, and his parents Carol and Walter Smith raised him to be a gentleman and a caring person, qualities he carried into adulthood.
“The gathering place was my parents’ home,” Cheryl says. “My mother loved it so all of her children would come and bring their children to watch them while they worked. And once all of the cousin turned school aged they would continue to reside at Moms house and go to school from there.”
If Doob didn’t want to go to school, he would not only get himself out for the day but figure out a way to get all of the other kids to stay home with him, said Michelle Johnson, another sister. One day he came home from school and was filled with excitement about an art class he took. Once the family gathered around to see the artwork, they began teasing him because it was only his hands. “Although they laughed at him, he then said, “Y’all mad because your class didn’t make hands like mine did,’” Michelle said, laughing at the memory.
Doob grew up to be a fun-loving man, filled with excitement that was obvious in his voice and the big smile he carried any time he walked into the room. He was devoted to his family. If he wasn’t on the phone with at least one of them each day something was wrong.
On Friday, August 27, 2021 William was found shot on the 3100 block of North 32nd Street with a gunshot wound. He was hospitalized in critical condition and initially believed to be brain dead, but it was clear to his family he was fighting for his life.
“Doob’s eyes were open and he followed me as I left his hospital bed,” Cheryl said, recalling one visit. “The doctors said my brother would never swallow food, but he did. The doctors said Doob would never regain his motor skills and he did in some areas. He was on his way.”
Even during this time, he continued to love art and was producing artwork during rehabilitation. He even made an Etsy account where he was able to place some of his art work for sale. And he never stopped helping his family. From his hospital bed, he sent money to his nephew De’Vonte Douglass. “I felt guilty for taking the money and explained to him he needed his money,” he said. “I wanted to send it back to him but he told me no, you need it and use it.”
In the end, William didn’t make it. He died in nursing care on Oct. 31, 2022.
William worked various jobs throughout his adulthood from Wendy’s to security jobs, but he loved his last job at the construction site driving a fork lift.
“Will was like a sour patch kid to me,” his wife, Sharron Arnold, said as she broke down crying. “From our first conversation with him, it seemed like you knew him forever.”
She says he was funny, intelligent, playful, sarcastic, outgoing and a natural giver. Will had plans to begin several businesses so that his son and family would be set for whatever his outcome would be. “I miss him so much,” she said. “It hurts so much.”
At this time, police arrested a suspect but are looking for others and a witness.
