HYATTSVILLE, MARYLAND/NEWARK: Dr. Douglas Mark Sloane, esteemed nursing researcher and charismatic sociologist, deeply loved husband, father and “pop-pop”, and all around clever and generous optimist, hung up his well-worn high top all-star converse sneakers for good on February 19, 2024. He enjoyed 70 years of a very full life until an illness of several years caused his death.
Doug was born on July 23rd, 1953, in the small town of Geneva, NY to mother, Margaret, and father, Arthur Sloane. He grew up in nearby Newark, NY with three brothers, David, Gregg and Gary, enjoying the ease of that era of burgeoning rock music, hippy culture, and loose parental supervision. Doug was a gregarious and sharp student who graduated effortlessly as class president, honor student, and tennis champion from Newark High School in 1971. After high school, he relocated to Tucson, Arizona, where his articulate and diligent nature carried him smoothly through Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD degrees in Sociology at the University of Arizona in record time. After graduation, he swiftly earned a position at Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, where he began his illustrious career.
Accompanying him from an astonishingly early point in his journey was his wife of almost 50 years, Janis Comstock Sloane, who, hailing from the same small town, met him in 3rd grade, fell in love with him playing touch football in 5th grade, and rarely left his side for half a century after their marriage in 1974. It could rightly be said that Doug married his elementary-school sweetheart, as crazy as it sounds. During their time together in Tucson, Arizona, they were joined by their daughter, Stacia, and upon settling more permanently in Hyattsville, Maryland for the job at Catholic University, their son, Blake. Janis and Doug raised their children in a warm atmosphere full of socializing with neighbors, taking many family road trips and engaging in a lot of baseball.
Doug spent many years teaching and researching in criminal justice and statistics at Catholic University, eventually serving as Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Sociology. He was a Senior Social Scientist, Assistant Director, and supervisory statistician in the Applied Research and Methods Arm of the U.S. Government Accountability Office, where he served for over 25 years. He wrote the statistical methods, analyses, and results for over 75 GAO Reports to Congress, investigating such varied topics as the death penalty and pay equality in the workplace. This overlapped with a later position at the University of Pennsylvania as a Senior Fellow and Associate Professor at the Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research. For over 25 years, he did work in health services research that explored the relationship between nursing care and patient outcomes in the U.S. and abroad, co-authoring nearly 100 peer-reviewed publications with an esteemed research team that he loved.
As accomplished as Doug was as an academic, he was incidentally talented in many other ways. He was a natural with people and especially with children, and even the shyest was always quick to warm to him. Doug’s comedic storytelling and easy-going temperament made him an absolute hero to his three grandchildren. He was skilled at refinishing old furniture, precise in gift-wrapping, and a consummate landscaper. He had a quick wit, a solid ping pong backhand, a profoundly musical whistle, and a carefully curated collection of antique postcards. Doug turned his excellent communication skills and gift of guidance toward being a wonderful coach of little league baseball. He was also an expert cake decorator, making countless birthday cakes for his children and grandchildren. He often indulged in computer art and spent a lot of time photoshopping to perfection his collection of homemade cards and gift tags. He eventually crafted two photobooks of great historical significance to his modest hometown of Newark, NY.
Doug is survived by his wife, Janis, and children, Stacia and Blake, his daughter-in-law, Jonaki and his three grandchildren, Makai, Otis and Winona. He is also survived by his three brothers, many nieces and nephews, and a large group of friends and colleagues. He will be sorely missed and fondly remembered by them all. He likely hopes they will do their best missing and remembering over classic rock tunes and s’mores by a fire pit. Services will be held on April 3rd at 11:00 am at the University United Methodist Church in College Park, MD.
There will also be a celebration of Doug’s life in July in Newark, NY.
