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Celebrating the life of Sidney E. Douse, Jr.
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Obituary for Sidney E. Douse, Jr.
A celebration of Sidney's life will occur on
Saturday, June 19, 2021
West laurel Hill Chapel (Peace Chapel) 225 Belmont Avenue Bala Cynwyd, Pa, 19004
Viewing: 10:00 -11:00 a.m.
Service: 11:00 a.m.
Live streaming will be offered
Go to www.cwoodfh.com . Click the third box under Sidney's' picture Click "watch Webcast:"
The Live Stream Service will begin at: 10:50 a.m.
We request family and friends who prefer to send plants or flowers, to coordinate with one of the following reliable local florists:..
Have the florist deliver your selection to the West Laurel Cemetery later than 8:30 a.m. the day of the service.
DUE TO A GLITCH IN OUR SYSTEM PLEASE DISREGARD THE FOLLOWING NOTATION REGARDING ANY ORDERS INCLUDING FLOWERS, CANDLES OR MEMORIAL TREE PLANTINGS WITH THE TRIBUTE STORE!!!! THANK YOU!!
Life Story
Obituary for SIDNEY ELBERT DOUSE, JR SIDNEY ELBERT DOUSE, JR., 85, a lifelong educator, mentor, and dedicated family man, departed this life on Friday, June 11, 2021. An only child, he was born to Sidney E. Douse, Sr. and Willie “Billye” Atkins on November 6, 1935, and baptized in Burke County, Georgia. Sidney received his early education in Georgia schools, ultimately graduating high school from the Lower Merion School District in Pennsylvania. There, “Slim Sid” became a state-ranked cross-country runner and was inducted into the Lower Merion High School Track and Field Hall of Fame in 2018.
Sidney graduated from West Chester State Teachers College (now West Chester University) in 1959, and later received his M.Ed. from Antioch Graduate School of Education. While attending West Chester, he was initiated into Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., and became an accomplished cross country runner.
Sidney often said the highlight of his college years was seeing a pair of “beautiful twins” arrive on campus – and he was determined to date one of them. On July 22, 1961, he married Joyce Douse, née Odom, a union that lasted almost sixty years.
After teaching in The Cleveland Ohio School System for five years, Sidney embarked on a thirty-five-year career with the School District of Philadelphia where as a classroom teacher, and in various other roles, he made his mark in education. As a Testing Coordinator, he led the evaluation of instructional programming and developed strategies to minimize racial bias in standardized testing. In fact, Sidney served as Instructor in Educational Testing for Antioch-Putney School of Education. Sidney also managed the Follow-Through Program which focused on improving low-performing elementary schools in the district. He oversaw and collaborated with staff, volunteers, and parent groups to ensure program goals were met. Sidney also served as an Administrative Assistant to several district and regional superintendents until his retirement in 2006. Over the course of his career, Sidney developed a reputation for being “The Fixer.” Principals and superintendents relied on his direct approach to problem solving. When interacting with parents, staff or students, he never minced words (or cared about political correctness). Sidney consistently “got the job done.”
Sidney always put family first. While he was tough at work, he was soft at home. Sidney was a true romantic; holding hands with Joyce and bringing her flowers “just because”. He embraced non-traditional roles for men, doing weekly grocery shopping and often preparing family meals. In the early years, there were long Saturday morning bike rides with “Kimmie” and 4:00 am fishing trips with “Little Sid”. Sidney routinely made visits to check on elderly relatives and his children remember joining him while making rounds checking on grandmothers, aunts, and uncles all over the city.
After retirement, Sidney and Joyce enjoyed movie nights and vacationing across the United States, the Caribbean and abroad. They routinely visited with their grandchildren in Cincinnati, the family holiday gathering place, and also looked forward to heading “down south” to spend time with their son and daughter-in-law in Atlanta, Georgia.
Sidney loved his family, his family loved him, and he will be greatly missed. Sidney’s one-of-a-kind dry sense of humor was evident, even toward the end of his three-year battle with cancer.
He leaves to cherish his memory: his loving and devoted wife, Joyce O. Douse; a daughter, Kimberly D.Saxon and her husband Frank; grandchildren Michael C. Saxon and Lauren M. Saxon; a son, Sidney E.Douse III and his wife Kara; Sister-in-law, June O. Bullock; and a host of relatives and friends.
