Douglas Edward Belknap, 75, of Ashtabula, Ohio, passed away surrounded by family on Sunday, April 20, 2025, at his daughter's home in Mentor, OH. He was born on September 13, 1949, in Lansing, Michigan to parents Clinton and Audrey Belknap and attended Kent State University where he received an Associates Degree in Accounting. On January 13, 1992, Douglas married Virginia Wendel in Jefferson, OH. Over his 24 years serving as the accountant for the Ashtabula Metropolitan Housing Authority, Douglas received multiple awards for his dedication and excellence before retiring in 2023.
Douglas loved sports, particularly baseball, and assisted in coaching his children's little league teams in their youth. He was a competitive wrestler in high school and enjoyed tennis recreationally, but his most well-known love was for music. In his youth, Douglas performed live music regularly, capturing hearts across the country with his beautiful voice and acoustic guitar. As a father, he went on to share this passion with his children and grandchildren teaching them how to play piano, guitar, and to harmonize together, singing both popular music and praises to his Lord and Savior in churches such as First Baptist of Ashtabula.
He is survived by the mother of his children, Virginia Belknap; children, Aaron Belknap, and Sarah and Matthew VanDyne; granddaughters, Lyla Belle VanDyne and Chiara Hope VanDyne; siblings, Nancy Parker, Gregory Belknap, Larry Belknap, and Shari Slaith. Douglas was preceded in death by his parents, Clinton and Audrey Belknap; grandparents, Edward and Grace Belknap, and Floyd and Pearl Linebaugh; brothers, David Belknap and Dennis Belknap. A visitation will be held on Monday, April 28, 2025, at 3pm with a service starting at 5:30pm at Lake Erie Cremation & Funeral Services, 1500 Harpersfield Rd, Geneva, OH 44041. The family would like to thank the medical teams of both University Hospitals and the Hospice of the Western Reserve for all their wonderful support and care. Lake Erie Cremation and Funeral Services assisted the family with arrangements. www.LakeErieCrematory.com
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