Doug Kingsley entered his eternal home on March 21, 2026 at the age of 75 after a long battle with a rare form of Alzheimer’s. He was born August 25, 1950 to Mahlon and Addie B (Skelton) Kingsley of Ellis, KS.
August 25, 1950 – March 21, 2026
This is Doug’s Dash
Doug acquired the love of farm and farm life very early in life. The truth of this can be seen in how he lived his life, with honesty, loyalty and integrity. He always stood at the ready to help anyone in need. He never failed to pass on the lessons he learned from growing up on the farm and from his dad, Mahlon. He used them as examples when teaching his sons how to grow into honorable men and to others through the devotions he prepared later in life for a Methodist church service he was involved in called Salt & Light. He continued to use these lessons as he traveled the different journeys of his life. Even though farming was their life, his mother made sure he and his brothers were introduced to other interests. The one that affected them the most was the love of music.
Doug always believed in being involved. Whether it was in high school functions at Ellis High School, college classes at Fort Hays State or his college fraternity, the AKLs, it carried him through all the phases of his life. Early in his adult life he was involved in two successful businesses in Hays, Stereo West, and a first of its kind, kitchen and bath specialty store, Country Lane. He was also involved in the Lions Club, Rotary Club, helping organize the first Octoberfest with Honey Brown and Leona Pfeifer and was even approached to run for city commissioner. Unfortunately, he was too young to run for office. However, he was selected to participate in an exchange program with the Rotary Club in India. He spent 6 weeks in India exchanging information and learning the ins and outs of their farming principles. Upon returning from India, he put together presentations from the many slides he took and conducted programs in the local schools, introducing the students to a different culture, worlds away.
In 1980, he went to work for Paul MacDonald at Paul MacDonald Chevrolet. He started as a salesman and worked his way to general manager. There he met his wife of 38 years, Debbie. Together they worked side by side for 18 years.
Doug’s dad wasn’t the only one who gave him a passion about something. His mother, Addie B, had taken the family many times back to her roots in the Missouri Ozarks. It didn’t take too many visits as a small boy before that area found a special place in Doug’s heart and he soon began to fantasize about retiring to that area. After he married Debbie, he shared his dream and they began to spend their family vacation there every summer. After several summers they decided to begin making plans for retirement and purchased property, knowing retirement was way down the line. When the dealership sold in 1998, even though retirement was still in the distance, the two followed Doug’s second passion and moved to the Missouri Ozarks. Landing in a quaint little town called Kimberling City, just 22 miles southwest of one of the most veteran friendly towns, Branson, Missouri. Settling into a new way of life was both easy and a dream come true. Doug was presented with many opportunities and experiences in his 19 years of living there. The Kimberling City Methodist Church served as the first opportunity where Doug was able to share his love of music. He sang in the choir, played in the praise band, prepared and led the worship music for the contemporary service and was in charge of the music for the new Wednesday evening service, Salt & Light.
Being a salesman at heart, the first goal was to acquire a realtor’s license and sell real estate. Which he did for Shepherd of the Hills Realty. He wanted to help people get the dream they had, but he made sure it was within their means. He never wanted to sell someone more than they could handle and would educate them as best he could. Honesty and integrity. Things were going great until our Nation was hit with the 9/11 tragedy. This ended the American people’s dream of a vacation or lake home. Money now had to be saved and used for essential things until we knew how our Nation was going to heal. On to the next opportunity.
Doug landed a job as group sales manager (there’s that “sales” thing again) at the Hughes Brothers Theatre in Branson, Missouri. This show was highly recommended to all the diverse groups that would come to Branson on a Motorcoach. It is still a vibrant show today in Branson. Doug loved introducing the people on the coaches to the friendly hospitality of the Branson area. There were many different groups that came through the theatre, but the ones that found a place in his heart were the military ones. This led him to meet the owner of a company that strictly dealt with military reunions. Eventually, this led to an offer from the owner of this company to oversee the military reunions. Doug loved meeting all the veterans and listening to their stories. This job was over the top because Branson is known for their love for veterans and recognizing them at all the theatres. Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances for the company, this job came to an end.
Well, not to be one who just sits around, Doug found himself in the most fun job he ever had. While looking for full-time employment he landed a part-time gig with a new winery in town, Mount Pleasant Winery. He learned a lot about wine and wine making. Of course, the fun part came with holding wine tastings with the tourists as they came into the winery. Yes, you guessed it! He was back to selling, but it came along with educating the guests about the wine they were tasting. He stayed here until he was offered a full-time job with a hotel, The Honeysuckle Inn, as their group’s manager. He oversaw putting packages together to entice groups coming to Branson to use the Honeysuckle Inn as their lodging choice.
While living in Branson, Doug and Debbie enjoyed all that the area had to offer. Boating on Table Rock Lake, golfing, music shows, museums and so much more. He was so looking forward to being involved in his grandchildren’s lives and teaching them all he learned growing up on the farm. Unfortunately, he did not get to experience this. In 2012 Doug was diagnosed with a rare form of Alzheimer’s. The next five years were spent navigating the many life and personality changes this kind of diagnosis brings. In 2017 Doug felt the need to move back home. Now he has moved to his forever home.
Doug was preceded in death by his parents, Mahlon and Addie B (Skelton) Kingsley. He is survived by his wife, Debbie of Hays, two sons, Austin Fickel of Branson, MO, and Brad Kingsley and wife Rebekah of Bentonville, AR, two grandchildren, William and Anna Grace Kingsley, two brothers, Roger Kingsley and partner Jody Patton of Ellis and Tim Kingsley and wife Lilly of Hays, and several nieces and nephews.
Funeral services will be at 11:00 am on Thursday, April 2, 2026 at Celebration Community Church with Pastor Brant Rice officiating. The family will receive friends from 5:00 pm until 7:00 on Wednesday, April 1 at Hays Memorial Chapel Funeral Home and from 10:00 am until service time on Thursday at the church. Memorials are suggested to Shriners Children’s St. Louis. Condolences and memories of Doug may be shared with his family at www.haysmemorial.com