Douglas C. Rist MD

Douglas C. Rist, 84, died July 29, 2024 at Sarasota Hospice House in Sarasota, Florida.
Doug was born in Cleveland, Ohio but grew up in Madison, Ohio. After high school, he graduated from Hiram College and went on to medical school at the University of Cincinnati. After his internship at Hamot Medical Center in Erie, PA, he was recruited by Albion, Pa as a family practitioner for two years. Then a letter from Uncle Sam arrived and he found himself in the US Army Medical Corps in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. Following his tour of duty he decided he wanted a residency in Orthopedic Surgery. The next move was to Sandusky, Ohio where he was an orthopedic surgeon for 25 years. He always called himself a glorified carpenter.
Doug and his wife, Penney, raised a family of four children in that lovely town on Lake Erie. Doug met Penney Farr, a nursing student, in 1963 when he was still in medical school. They had a whirlwind courtship – mainly through letters. Doug wrote great letters. So the rest is history. They married 9 months later.
Upon retirement, Florida beckoned. Doug and Penney had 22 years together enjoying all Sarasota has to offer. Life without being always “on call” was good.
Their wonderful family: Jennifer (Andrew) DeVantier, Scott Rist, Patrick (Esther) Rist, Amanda Burge. Grandchildren: Katherine (Artem) Terentyev, Abigail (Wesley) King, John (Lindsey) DeVantier, Zoe Burge. Great grandchildren: Sam and Ben King and Theo and Evelyn Terentyev. Niece Pam (Rodney) Nevison and children Alex and Eliana. Nephew Terry (Tye) Bloom and children Devon and Madelyn
Doug was preceded in death by his parents, Shirley and Clyde Rist and his sister, Kay E. Bloom.
Doug was a student of life, always learning and curious about the world. He enjoyed taking classes and reading extensively which added more books to his large library. Genealogy, Bonsai, wood working, and photography fed his creative side. He was a long suffering Cleveland Browns fan. And he loved a good Scotch whisky.
Burial will be in Madison, Ohio at a later date.
Memorial donations may be made to Sarasota Audubon Society
www.sarasotaaudubon.org/donate. To support our Sarasota Audubon Nature Center
Online obituary and guestbook at www.behmfuneral.com