Douglas Cartwright Halter was born in New Jersey on August 1, 1925, and passed at his home in Burbank on May 10, 2023.
He was one of five children. His family moved to East McKeesport, Pennsylvania, where they grew up. At age 18, he joined the Navy becoming a pharmacist’s mate in World War II.
Later, in 1947, he met his future wife, Carol Cunningham. They eloped in 1950 and had four children. In 1956, he and his family moved to Burbank, California, and not long after that, he and his wife had two more children; all six of their offspring attended and graduated from Burbank schools.
Douglas worked as a contractor in Burbank for many years. After he retired, he became involved as an active member of the Joslyn Adult Center. He joined the Men’s Pool Club and for twenty years (1999-2019) successfully held various volunteer positions of responsibility. From 2015-2019, at the Club’s request, Carol was asked to act as the secretary of his Men’s Pool Club!
Meanwhile, Douglas observed how his senior friends who played pool with him struggled to get in and out of their chairs, so he devoted countless hours designing and constructing over a dozen special chairs for the pool room, known as the “Senior Chairs,” which he donated, as well as pool stick cabinets that are all still in use there at the center.
Concurrently, from 2010-2019, Douglas and Carol were the beloved ballroom dance teachers at the Joslyn Adult Center. Douglas retired from volunteering in November 2019. Not long after, he was awarded a special certificate of honor by the city of Burbank and another certificate from the Parks and Recreation Department for all his years of volunteer work in the Burbank community.
