IN LOVING MEMORY OF
Douglass Hill
Bartley
January 6, 1947 – December 24, 2022
**PLEASE NOTE UPDATED VISITATION AND SERVICE TIMES**
Douglass Hill Bartley, aka "Your Eminence," passed away peacefully on December 24, 2022, in Grafton, Wisconsin, surrounded by the love of his family. He was 75 years old.
Douglass was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on January 6, 1947, to Donald Bartley and Joan Howle Young. He attended Country Day School and graduated from University School of Milwaukee in 1965. He studied "sunbathing and golf" at the University of Arizona, completing his Bachelor of Science in 1970 and Juris Doctor in 1974. He was a member of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity in college and enjoyed living the "Greek Life" with his fraternity brothers. He returned to Milwaukee to begin his law career. On February 6, 1984, he married Suzanne Marie Jones (Young), in Lake Forest, Illinois. The couple had one child together. He was previously married to Regina Rodarte in Tucson, Arizona, and the couple had three children together.
Douglass worked as a lawyer, a judge, and a writer. He enjoyed time with family, the Boundary Waters, the Beach Boys, animals, fishing, golfing, football, basketball, and woodworking. He intensively studied the Constitution and the writings of St. Thomas Aquinas, James Madison, and Thomas Jefferson. Douglass wrote extensively, authoring the treatise The Kiss of Judice (Vols. 1 through 4), the poem The Proof of God's Existence, and numerous legal opinions and other works. In 1996, he moved to "The Island" on Farm Lake in Ely, Minnesota, where he personally built the rustic family home from the aspen trees of the land and lived without electricity, running water, or road access for several years. Over the course of his life, he made homes in Milwaukee; Tucson; Mequon, Wisconsin; Frederick, Maryland; Ely, Minnesota; and Grafton. He will be remembered for his love of nature, sense of humor, and charisma.
Douglass is survived by his loving wife, Suzanne Marie Bartley (Young) of Grafton; children: Don (April) Bartley of Panama City Beach, Florida, Amalia Brooke Steel of San Francisco, California, Becky (Erik) Smith of Durham, North Carolina, and Douglass Young Bartley of Grafton; stepchildren: Andrew (Katie) Jones of Northfield, Michigan, and William (Erin) Jones of West Grove, Pennsylvania; grandchildren: Allison, Cameron, Liam, Logan, and Thomas; and parrot: Bebe.
He is preceded in death by his parents: Donald and Joan; siblings: Truman Hedding and Nancy Kletzien (Hedding); dogs: Brit, Sarah, Preppy; cat: Trix; and ducks: Peepin, Daisy, and many more.
A visitation will be held from 10:00 a.m. until 11:30 AM on January 4, 2023, at Eernisse Funeral Home in Port Washington, Wisconsin.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 12 Noon at Lumen Christi Catholic Parish, 2750 W. Mequon Rd., Mequon. Father Matthew Jacob will preside over the Mass.
Interment will take place at Forest Home Cemetery in Milwaukee on January 5, 2023 at 10:00 a.m.
In lieu of flowers, the Douglass H. Bartley Memorial Fund has been established through St. Jude. Donations can be made in his honor at: https://fundraising.stjude.org/site/TR/GiftFunds/GiftFunds?px=7834589&pg=personal&fr_id=39300
Visitation
Eernisse Funeral Homes and Cremation Service - Port Washington
10:00 - 11:30 am
Mass of Christian Burial
Lumen Christi Catholic Church
12:00 - 1:00 pm
Graveside
Starts at 10:00 am
Burial
Visits: 0
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