Community builder, shaper dies at 98

Doug Oswald [John Jernigan, May 2020]

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Posted December 8, 2021 | By Rosemarie Dowell
Correspondent

Doug Oswald, a former mayor of Ocala who played a pivotal role in the creation of the Appleton Museum of Art and drew accolades over the years for his dedication to both the civic and business sectors of Marion County, passed away Monday (Dec. 6) in Ocala.

Oswald, retired president of SunTrust Bank of Marion County and a longtime member of First United Methodist Church of Ocala as well as a decorated World War II Army veteran who was inducted into the Marion County Agriculture Hall of Fame in 2004, celebrated his 98th birthday Nov. 13.

A member of the post-war “Golden Era” football team at the University of Florida, where he earned an agricultural degree in 1949, Oswald was the oldest known living ex-Gator football player.

“Ocala has lost a giant in the community,” said Jim Williams, a lifelong family friend who recently lunched with Oswald during a long-standing weekly lunch tradition between the two families. “He was a tremendous    man and a pillar in the community.”

“He was a real driving force behind the museum and other civic projects,” said Williams, who has served as golf tournament director of the Doug Oswald Seniors Tournament, named in Oswald’s honor, for several years.

Oswald’s son, Doug “Buddy” Oswald II, a former attorney who later switched careers to become an educator, said his father had a deep sense of commitment to his family and his community.

“He was a wonderful man and a wonderful father to me and my sisters,” said Oswald. “His mission was to improve the lives of people in Ocala as well as his family’s, and he did.”

“He was an amazing role model,” he added.

A native of Marianna, Doug Oswald was a soil conservation agent in Jefferson County when he moved to Ocala with his wife, Virginia and their children in 1953 to work as Florida’s first agricultural banker for the-then Commercial Bank and Trust Company, which later became Sun Bank, a precursor to SunTrust Bank.

Buddy Oswald said his dad would likely be most proud of his involvement in the founding of the Appleton Museum of Art, which opened in 1987, but was equally as gratified with his accomplishments within the Florida agricultural industry.

In addition to his stint as mayor of Ocala in the mid-1970s, the elder Oswald served for many years as president and general manager of the Southeastern Livestock Association, founded the Ocala Bull Sale in 1957, served as president of the Ocala-Marion County Chamber of Commerce in the mid-1960s and was named Outstanding Man in Florida Agriculture in 1970.

He was also one of the founders of the Ocala Quarterback Club, established in 1955, and was a member of the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association and the Southeastern Youth Fair.

“My dad played a huge role in the development of this community over the years,” said Buddy Oswald.

Doug Oswald also served on the Marion County Golf Board for years, even taking over the management of one municipal course during an emergency stint, before getting a former college teammate to take over duties as head professional and club manager at two city-owned golf courses.

“He called his old college buddy, Jim Yancey, and the rest is history,” said Williams.

Doug Oswald was a lifelong member and former president of the Kiwanis Club of Marion County.

“Two things he cared a lot about was the Kiwanis Club and golf,” said Buddy Oswald. “He enjoyed the game of golf and being involved in several design changes at the courses.”

Oswald served with the Army’s 290th Combat Engineer Battalion during WWII and took part in the critical Battle of the Bulge in 1945. He was injured in the shoulder during a reconnaissance mission and received a Purple Heart, his son said.

“He was wounded Feb. 3, 1945,” he added.

Last year, Doug Oswald was honored by France with its Legion of Honor, that nation’s highest decoration and symbol of outstanding merit in a civilian or military capacity.

Williams said his father and Oswald were the best of friends for many years until the elder Williams passed away five years ago, but he kept up with Oswald and the lunch tradition.

“He was strong and smart right up until the very end,” he said.

In addition to his son, Buddy (wife, Lee), Oswald is survived by daughters Lynne (husband Steve) and Ginger, three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

He was proceeded in death by his wife of 67 years, Virginia, a former teacher, in 2016.

Heirs-Baxley Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. Services are pending but will take place at First United Methodist of Ocala on Silver Springs Boulevard.