Brian Gerald Doutaz, age 52, of Brandenburg, KY, unexpectedly passed away on Sunday, July 21, 2024, at Harrison County Hospital in Corydon, IN.
Brian is survived by his wife of 24 years, Allison and their son, Zeke. He also leaves behind his parents, Denny and Nancy Doutaz as well as two brothers, Dennis (Darlene) Doutaz and Patrick (Lori) Doutaz, sister-in-law Alicia (Gary) Clark and father-in-law, Paul (Bud) Watts. Uncle B had two nieces he adored and loved to tease, Ashton (Kevin) Graham and Devin Doutaz and a nephew, Drew Clark, who could “talk tech” better than Brian. Preceding him in death was Allison’s mother, Pat Watts. She and Brian shared a wonderful sense of humor. They gave each other Seinfeld related gifts for Christmas. One year Brian even brought out a Festivus pole--Seinfeld fans will get this!
Brian worked at Arkema/Trinseo in Louisville for 26 years. He was a proud member of the United Steelworkers Local 367. He served as the recording secretary and valued his position as a union representative.
He was born on October 29, 1971, in Louisville, KY. Brian spent much of his childhood and teenage years living in southern Indiana. And in true Hoosier fashion, he lived, ate and breathed basketball.
He attended Forest Park High School in Ferdinand, IN where he played basketball and ran track. He excelled in both sports. The highlight of Brian’s basketball career came in 1990 when the team, coached by his father, was the first in the school’s history to win their sectional.
Brian had a variety of interests and passions. When Brian developed an interest in a sport, hobby, etc., he was ALL in! He would spend hours reading about it, watching instructional videos and buying the best equipment for the task. Over the years, he enjoyed bass fishing and amassed quite a collection of rods, reels and lures. He embraced the world of technology and gaming early on and built his own computers and computers for others. He participated in the Million Man Lan in Louisville. One of his latest passions was smoking meat. He loved the art of preparing, seasoning and fixing food for his family and others. And boy, did he like talking about his passions/obsessions to anyone who would listen!
One of his favorite pastimes was golf. After they moved to Doe Valley, he could be found almost every day after work hitting the links, no matter the weather! Brian had a hole in one at Old Capital Golf Course and another hole in one at Nevel Meade Golf Club.
He shared his passion for golf with Zeke. Brian said there was no one he liked playing golf with more than his son. The Doutaz father/son team won two back to back Parent/Child Championships at Doe Valley. No one smiled brighter or bigger than Brian on those days!
Brian also had an affinity for vehicles. When he was a young man, his vehicle of choice was a Mustang GT 5.0.. He didn’t just drive them; he raced them too. He was a fan of Moto GP racing, which led to Brian having several sport bikes, including a Ducati and an Aprilia. He enjoyed riding through the hills and curves of southern Indiana.
Brian’s love for his family was only slightly more intense than his love for the University of Louisville Cardinals. Brian’s parents purchased season football tickets in 1986 and their family has attended regular season and bowl games ever since. Brian spent many summers at U of L basketball camps alongside his father, who coached there as well. He liked telling stories about the players and the coaches he met. When Brian and Allison started dating, many people joked that the reason Brian was interested in her was because her sister Alicia worked in the U of L Athletic Department and he was hoping for some Cardinal swag and excellent seats. He did love Allison, but would confess that having a close contact at UL was definitely a sweet perk!
Brian loved vacationing at the beach and traveling to amusement parks. Brian cherished taking Zeke to the ocean and teaching him to jump into and ride the waves. Walt Disney World and Universal Studios in Florida were favorite vacation destinations too and Zeke loved thrill rides as much as Brian. When the Star Wars section opened at WDW, Brian was the most excited to see it. Brian and Allison both grew up enamored with the original Star Wars trilogy so when Zeke embraced the movies and characters as much as they had; it made for some wonderful memories! Many hours were spent watching the Star Wars movies, playing with Star Wars toys and Zeke wearing numerous Star Wars costumes, purchased by Brian, of course! Many, many lightsaber battles occurred in the Doutaz house while quoting lines from the movies.
A memorial visitation will be held at the Bruington-Jenkins-Sturgeon Funeral Home in Brandenburg on Thursday, July 25, 2024 from 3:00- 8:00 P.M. EDT. Cremation will follow.
Expressions of sympathy may be made in the form of donations to:
Denny Crum Scholarship Fund
University of Louisville Foundation, Inc.
℅ PNC Lockbox
PO Box 772050
Chicago, IL 60677-2050
Link:
Animal Refuge Center
185 Basham Trail
Vine Grove, KY 40175
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