Douglas Ward Bancroft, 91, of Cypress, Texas, passed away on May 26, 2024.

Doug was born in Cortland, New York on September 1, 1932 to Ward and Esther Downing Bancroft.  He grew up a farm boy in Moravia, New York, where he lived a small-town life and learned to love growing things.  He had two brothers Wilfred and Merrill and one sister Maralee.  Doug graduated from Moravia High School in 1950 and went on to study Poultry Science at Cornell University.

After graduating from college, Doug entered into service in the Air Force and served as a navigator mostly in Louisiana.  It was in Louisiana where he met his future brother-in-law John Hartman, serving as his Boy Scout leader.  Doug worked in various jobs across several states and finally ended up working for U.S. Customs which took him to Houston, Texas.  It was in Houston where Doug met his wife Marcia Hartman in the parking lot of the Methodist Church.  They were married on June 6, 1964.  They went on to have two children, Tim and Amy.

Doug had two favorite hobbies: watching or listening to baseball and beekeeping.  He grew up listening to the radio and preferred his baseball that way; however, he enjoyed it any way he could get it.  On weekends, he worked with his bees.  Over the years, Doug interacted with the local Bee Association, made friends who also kept bees, sold his honey, and often taught others about bees.  Doug always had a garden and later in life, helped out at the farm of his friends Don and Hazel, where he also kept bees.  Planting and harvesting at the farm became a real source of joy in his later years.

After retiring from U.S. Customs, Doug spent the next thirty-odd years serving in his church, attending Bible studies, volunteering at Northwest Hospital, beekeeping, visiting sick and shut-in church members, going on the Belize mission trips with the church, and serving with The Gideons International.  He was devoted to handing out Bibles and spreading God's word.  Doug was a loyal friend and wrote letters and cards often to keep up with friends and family.  In recent years, with new cell phone technology, he could often be found texting or calling friends to keep up with them.

Doug was preceded in death by his parents, Ward and Esther, his brothers, Wilfred and Merrill, his wife Marcia, his brother-in-law John Hartman, and his grandson Matthew.

He is survived by his son Tim, his daughter-in-law Kimberly, his grandchildren Meredith and Andrew, his daughter Amy, his sister Maralee Gunderson, and numerous nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will be held at Spring Woods United Methodist Church on June 29, 2024 at 11 am.  In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to The Gideons International, an organization Doug felt strongly about and served faithfully.