‘We’ll miss Doug’
By Ruth Schenk | .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Hearing that Captain Doug Lampe perished while flying a UPS cargo plane from Dubai to Germany on Sept. 3 shocked all who knew him. He was just 48, devoted to his family, Bible study at Southeast and
his friends.
On the days he wasn’t flying 747s, Doug was serving.
At the Christian Academy English Station Campus, where his young children attend school, Doug was an unofficial greeter, holding the doors open for students coming into the building. He read books in his children’s classes at school and coached soccer during the week.
At Southeast, he served as a Decision Guide, counseling with those who go forward after services to move their membership or give their lives to Christ and be baptized. He led a Discipleship Group a few years ago, attended a Weekend Group and was one of the first to volunteer to help out if his flying schedule permitted.
Senior Minister Dave Stone met the Lampes when they became members of Southeast in 1999.
“Doug served in so many different areas,” Stone said. “My fondest thoughts are Doug serving as a Decision Guide. Whenever a young man would respond to the invitation, I was always pleased when I could introduce him to Doug. He had a way about him with young people. His big smile and servant’s heart always made the nervousness disappear. Over time he spoke with dozens of people and guided them in the next step with Christ. There is no question where Doug will spend eternity; he loved the Lord, his family and his job.”
Stone and several Elders prayed with Cindy and their extended family last Sunday.
“Cindy is a strong woman and is leaning on the Lord and her family and friends for support,” Stone said.
Oldham Campus Pastor Kurt Sauder recruited Doug in the first, “guinea pig” Discipleship Class. Then no one knew how or if the program would work. He was in the first 19 who graduated, then led a discipleship group of his own.
“Doug was a selfless servant,” Sauder said. “He was so gracious. I loved to go golfing with him because there was no pressure or stress—even though he was good. We’d sit in the cart and talk about the Lord and our families. Doug loved life, his family and his God. He’d been transformed, and he never got over what God had done in his life.”
Southeast member Tim Meiners met Doug in that first Discipleship Class.
“Doug was always saying ‘Cindy this and Cindy that.’ We had that in common since both our wives are named Cindy,” Meiners said. “When I heard about the crash, I thought, ‘Doug got to go home early.’ I’m confident that if anybody’s in heaven, it’s Doug.”
Southeast member Tim Byrd, also a UPS Captain on the 747s, has been Doug’s accountability partner for 10 years.
“Doug was a Christian foremost,” Byrd said. “He was a great husband, a great father and a true friend. I flew both seats with him and he was equally good in both. His heart was huge. His joy was obvious and his laugh contagious.”
Before Tim’s first wife, Jennifer, died of cancer, they sought treatment in Germany. Travel and expenses added up to burdensome bills.
“I’ve saved some money for a rainy day,” Doug told Tim. “It’s raining now,” and he handed Byrd a check that would ease financial worries.
Southeast staff member Tim Antkowiak was the third partner in the accountability group.
“The three of us watched a lot of change,” he said. “We saw God at work as we celebrated wins and losses. Doug lived by the book whether that was the manual he used to fly a jet or a Bible to guide his life as a dad or husband. He did it right whether I watched him with his family or on the golf course. Doug was the kind of guy you wanted to be.”
Antkowiak said the Lampes were at the airport when he and Becky adopted their daughter and put a “Welcome Home” sign on their house.
“Doug saw his unusual work schedule as an unusual opportunity to serve. He poured big chunks of time into the church, his friends and his family,” Antkowiak said. “He was a great friend, a great husband, a great dad. When you have to make that call in the middle of the night, Doug was the one you called.”
Southeast members John and Kimi Moore are close friends with the Lampes. Since their daughters are the same age, the two families spent a lot of time together.
“Doug was a joyous person to be around,” Kimi said. “He was encouraging and uplifting, always looking for the spiritual message in all of life. We’ve talked with so many people who said he left a big impression. He radiated a servant’s heart and a Christ-like demeanor. He lived life the way Christ wants us to live.”
Byrd said Doug outran him in reaching the finish line first.
“We’ll miss Doug, but we’re right behind him in the race. We’ll see him soon,” Byrd said.