Alice Rawsthorne Douglas
Alice was born in Globe, Arizona and moved to Santa Barbara as a toddler with her family. Always a gifted athlete, she was the only girl to compete as a member of the Boys’ Tennis Team at Santa Barbara High School.
She married Walter Douglas after graduation from high school and together they raised four children and many well-loved pets. The family made life-long friends when living in a Santa Barbara community along the Santa Ynez River, Paradise. They lived across the meadow from the schoolhouse, enjoying potluck dinners and ice cream socials at the Community Building. The family piled into the station wagon for summer camping trips to Kings Canyon.
After divorce, she took teenaged daughter, Jena, on a summer road trip around the entire United States in 1977 – sleeping in a camper on the back of her Ford Courier truck. Alice was adventurous and fearless.
She enjoyed working as a Census-Taker, school bus driver (on mostly mountain roads), retail at Mission Paint & Art & Riverside Gift Shop, Children’s Medical Clinic business office and helping many after obtaining her Counseling Certificate from UCSB Extension.
Alice missed her desert roots and returned several times to live remotely in Why, AZ and Golden Valley, AZ, thriving in the “dry heat;” mesmerized by magnificent desert skies. She also enjoyed the beauty of country living in Mariposa, CA.
Alice was a gifted artist, singer and pianist. She enjoyed camping, fishing and sailing (once owning her prized Star sailboat). She could sew, embroider, knit and crochet any pattern created, always with beautiful results. She was a rock hound and made jewelry. She always had a novel by her side, Sudoku puzzle book, and a jigsaw puzzle going. She enjoyed Bingo – always feeling lucky.
Alice was loved wherever she lived. People were drawn to her. She was the best listener and always spoke the truth. We were happy to have her return to Santa Barbara in 2008 to be closer to family. She felt blessed to have granddaughter Kelly as her caregiver.
Alice was the third of four children born to Elizabeth White Rawsthorne and Wilbur Rawsthorne. Survived by children Dudley, Aaron (Darlene) & Jena Douglas, many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Preceded in death by siblings Lorraine Rawsthorne, Owen Rawsthorne and Alene Congdon, daughter Kim Douglas, grandchildren Jerome and Phillip Coberly and Adriana Douglas.
When asked years ago how she’d like to be remembered she said simply,
“She was a rebel.”