We lost our treasured husband, father, grandpa, friend and renaissance scholar, Nathan Cramer Douthit, on April 16. 2024.
Nathan started life on September 9, 1938, in Clarinda, Iowa with parents John Warren and Anna Douthit. After serving abroad during WW II, Warren moved his family to Central Point, Oregon. Nathan excelled at academics, played all sports, rode horses with his parents and worked summers in pear orchards and in the woods. After graduating from high school, he joined ROTC and moved across the country to earn an AB degree, majoring in history, at Harvard College where he was a member of Dunster House and the Harvard Class of 1960. He followed his undergraduate degree with four years in the Marine Corps, retiring with the rank of Captain.
In 1963 he started graduate school at the University of California, Berkeley. A blind date led to his future wife of sixty years, Eva Hovde, newly arrived from Norway. After receiving his doctorate in American History, Nathan, Eva and son Randall moved to Coos Bay, Oregon, where Nathan taught at Southwest Oregon Community College until he retired in 1997 as Professor Emeritus of History and Political Science. The family enjoyed exploring back roads, hiking beaches and dunes and Nathan became interested in the rich local history of the south coast where he used to vacation with his parents every summer. He self-published The Coos Bay Region, 1890-1944; Life on a Coastal Frontier, as well as A Guide to Oregon South Coast History; traveling the Jedediah Smith trail. The latter was republished by Oregon State University, which also published his book Uncertain Encounters; Indians and Whites at Peace and War in Southern Oregon, 1820’s-1860’s. The copyright for the Coos Bay Region is now owned by the Coos History Museum.
Nathan also became passionately involved in developing the old Marshfield Sun building on Front Street into a working printing museum where he loved to set type for his poetry and give tours to interested visitors and school groups.
In 1999, with the birth of Laurel, the first grandchild, Eva and Nathan moved to Portland. Ella completed the family in 2002. In addition to enjoying watching the children grow, Nathan took full advantage of Portland’s cultural scene, attending plays, symphony and opera, but his favorite hangout was downtown Powells where you could find him searching for titles that explored the elusive concept of what it means to be human.
Nathan is predeceased by his parents and survived by his wife, Eva, his son Randall, daughter in law Sharon (Vojta) and grandchildren Laurel and Ella. We all miss him dearly but are so grateful for the good memories.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to either the Marshfield Sun Association or the Coos History Museum.
