Doug Serrill, 79, Approached Life And Work With Same Relish

Doug Serrill was the kind of man who went after life with both hands.

That approach took him from a job as a production-line mechanic building B-17 bombers to developing rocketry for Boeing.

When the heart disease that eventually claimed his life Thursday (Nov. 6) limited his activities six months ago, the 79-year-old tackled computers. "He was scared of computers. But we worked through that. He was out to conquer it," explained one of his sons, Jim.

Eventually, "he thought it was wonderful and was taking classes and he was making it work because he couldn't go out. One of his greatest joys was exchanging a lot of e-mail with his grandson Ryan," a University of Washington student, said Judy Swain, a stepdaughter. "He persevered. All along the way, he was learning."

A graduate of Garfield High School, Mr. Serrill entered the UW. After two years he was hired by Boeing to help build the bombers. Later, while still working on the production line, he entered Seattle University and earned a degree in mechanical engineering.

When President Kennedy made a speech about putting Americans on the moon, Boeing sent Mr. Serrill to Washington, D.C. When he returned and briefed company officials, he was sent to Huntsville, Ala., to help lead the company's development of the Saturn 5 rocket that boosted vehicles into space.

Mr. Serrill had already gained experience developing some of the company's proposals for government contracts. He later worked on the Boeing proposal for the AWACS radar system on Boeing 707s.

Another Boeing engineer, Glen Hanks of Des Moines, said Mr. Serrill "knew how to treat people and get the best out of his people and still have their high respect.

"He was very aggressive but not in an abrasive way. He would go after an objective and go all out for it; he organized people to go out and get it."

Dick Bohannon of Des Moines was a longtime fishing companion of Mr. Serrill. "Over the years of fishing up in Canadian waters, he had found what the fish there were like, what speed to troll and what lures to use. . . .

"And he shared his techniques and his secret places, and we started to catch some fish," Bohannon said.

Mr. Serrill is survived by his second wife, Jeanne, Des Moines; sons Duncan, Federal Way; Douglas, Whidbey Island; Ward, Seattle; and Jim, Federal Way; and stepdaughters Robin Russell, Seattle; Judy Swain, Burien; and Connie Eldridge, Olympia.

Services were held Monday. The family suggests donations to the Des Moines Food Bank.