Douglas E. Furney

Doug Furney was larger than life. He had great knowledge on many subjects, He was much more intellectual than he let on, with an inquisitive mind that was always eager to learn. Doug was a Viet Nam war veteran serving 3 tours in the U.S. Navy. He was an early member of the GTO association of Denver and served as their president for one term. He was the center of gravity for the performance side of the club and was always willing to lend a helping hand or loan parts or tools. His emphasis on performance is what attracted me to him originally. He was a wealth of info on all things Pontiac and automotive subjects in general and he loved to share that as well. He was known to build motors that ran hard out of parts he found lying around. He could get more out of less, more consistently, than anyone I ever met. Doug was a character. He could be counted on to liven up any encounter. He was a natural born story teller and with his vast knowledge of myriad subjects could regale listeners for hours. He did not have a jealous bone in his body and was patient with others. He loved to see other people succeed. Doug and Jan owned many performance cars over the years, most of them Pontiacs. Rudi, the rude goat, Doug's iconic gold '67 Pontiac GTO, looked like junk and ran like the wind. It was Doug's signature style...lull 'em into a false sense of security then blow their doors off. For years, Doug was a fixture at Bandimere Speedway, the drag racing venue, campaigning Rudi, or Jan's red '67 GTO, or hanging out, advising, encouraging and generally providing a rallying point for the GTO club during Club Clash races, and his myriad friends at other events. My own involvement at Bandimere was largely because of Doug. Doug had another hobby, collecting old radios, and he had some rare models. He was a member of the Rocky Mountain Radio Club. To a large degree he kept the 2 avocations apart, his radio friends and his car friends were separate entities. Doug deeply loved his family and often discussed them with me. He realized how much he depended upon them. When he married Jan, he adopted her 3 children and raised them as his own. Despite his occasionally gruff exterior, Doug was a compassionate caring person on the inside. We all extend our sympathies to Doug's family, wife Jan, children Harvey. Monica and Michelle and 2 grandchildren, Liam and Regan. Doug is also survived by his mother who is 101 years old and 2 brothers. Though Doug had been chronically he was feeling better and his sudden passing was a shock. I am proud to call Doug my friend, and by his passing we are all diminished. John Van Becay Thanks to Jan, Monica and Michelle for help in compiling this remembrance of Doug and for the photos.. Services for Douglas E. Furney will be held February 17th at Horan & McConaty 3101 S. Wadsworth Blvd. at Noon followed with burial at Ft. Logan at 1:30, a reception will follow at: The Den at Fox Hollow 13410 Morrison Road Lakewood, Co 80228 303-986-9990 2pm-5pm Weather permitting, bring your ride, Doug would've liked that....