- Date Of Death: November 6, 2018
- State: Indiana
Mr. Douglas Fleming Jr. was born on July 23, 1926, in Hopkinsville, Kentucky. He was the second of fourteen children born to Douglas, Sr. and Louise Fleming. He attended the Booker T. Washington Elementary School and Crispus Attucks High School in Hopkinsville, Kentucky.
Douglas was baptized at the age of thirteen years in a rock quarry called Buck Creek, in Christian County, Kentucky.
At the age of 19, Douglas enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps and served as a truck loader (supply clerk) for the Tuskegee Airmen at Army Air Field in Tuskegee, Alabama. Douglas served during World War II while the United States Army was still segregated and black soldiers were sent to the front lines of battles. The bravery and sacrifice of the Tuskegee Airmen was a catalyst for the desegregation of the military and earned one of the highest awards in the United States. Douglas received his Congressional Gold Medal in September of 2018.
After receiving his Honorable Discharge from the Army, Douglas relocated to Indianapolis, Indiana, where he met and married the love of his life, Mildred Marie Howard. Douglas is the father of five daughters and two sons.
Douglas was an outdoorsman who had a passion for fishing, grilling, and camping. He was a member of the 4Cee’s Camping Club and you could find him at Indy 500 qualifications every weekend in May. He was a great cook and the King of Barbeque. Unfortunately, we STILL do not know what he put in that barbeque sauce!
He was passionate about his family and enjoyed celebrating with his brother and sisters, almost every weekend. He was a great dancer and loved to share the dance floor with his wife Mildred. He took great pride in caring for his grandchildren. When he was not celebrating with his family, he was working.
Douglas was a strong advocate for African-American voter rights. He spent many hours working the polls during the elections and voter registration seasons. Before he took his final flight, he was able to vote in the 2018 Midterm Election, from his bedside.
Mr. Douglas Fleming Jr. departed this life on November 7, 2018. He leaves to cherish his memory his wife, Mildred Marie Fleming; children, Wanda Jean Fleming-Brittain (Tommy deceased), Rhonda Glover (Gerald), Lesley Sims, Douglas Fleming III, Kerry Johnson (Darrell), Leah White, and Lance Fleming Sr. (Micole), seventeen grandchildren, (three deceased), twenty-eight great grand-children, (one deceased), two great- great grandchildren; sisters: Josephine Wallace (Earl deceased), Arveta Pompey (McKendall), Ann Mosley (John), Dorothy Jean Sanders, Julia Mary Tivis, Judy Marie Fleming, and sisters-in-law Amanda Fleming and Vivian Allen (Henry deceased).
Douglas has four siblings who preceded him in death and they are: Carey Portis, Mary Helen Wynn, Rumsey Fleming, and GW Fleming.
