In Memory of

Douglas

Sixten

Hallgren

Obituary for Douglas Sixten Hallgren

Douglas Sixten Hallgren, 86, of Charlton Rd., passed away on Monday, March 27, 2017 at Ellis Hospital in Schenectady, NY. He was born on December 29, 1930 in New York City to the late Per Sixten and Elin (Olsen) Hallgren.

Douglas Hallgren studied at RPI and later graduated from Union College in 1960. His career began at the research firm Ernest F. Fullam, Inc. and continued at Dudley Observatory in Albany where his work found him launching rockets in the far north of Swedish Lapland and recovering them in White Sands, New Mexico. As an early researcher in the nascent field of atmospheric science, the results of his experiments at Dudley were launched into space on NASA rockets belonging to the Gemini, Apollo, and Skylab programs. Later in his career Douglas applied his skills to the terrestrial beauty of antiques and old homes through the work of his company Maple Hill Woodworking. With his exacting attention to detail and his dedication to problem solving, he became a singular resource for builders in need of custom architectural woodwork for historic renovations, often forging custom tools to precisely restore centuries-old structures. His work exists to this day in historic renovations throughout the Saratoga region, Albany and Vermont.
Douglas brought a similar degree of focus and care to his community by serving on a wide array of organizations. His contributions included the establishment of a local presence for the YMCA Indian Guides, serving as president of Little Troy Park Association, serving as the long-time chair of the Town of Ballston Planning Board, participating on the board of the Brookside Museum in Ballston Spa, being an active member of the Scandinavian Forum of the Capital District, and contributing to many committees for the Burnt Hills United Methodist Church.
This deep care and thoughtfulness for those around him was felt by many whom he touched, but perhaps it left its most indelible mark on his family. An enthusiast of his Swedish heritage, the families of his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren looked forward to holidays marked by Swedish songs and traditional Swedish food and customs. To this day, his great-grandchildren refer to him as morfar, which is a Swedish word for grandfather.
Douglas was the beloved husband of Joan (Ryer) Hallgren; loving father of Jon (Mary) Hallgren of Galway, NY, Kirsten (Michael) Endacott of Brooklyn, NY, William (Neddi Heller) Hallgren of Brooklyn, NY, Chris (Lisa Nold) Hallgren of Somerville, MA, Laura (Robert) Hallgren-Flynn of East Greenbush, NY; proud grandfather of Marta, Erik, Tom, Alex, Rebekkah, Andrei; delighted great grandfather of Sophie, Duncan, Evelyn, Lucas, Matthew Douglas, Sage, Sam, Georgia, Enzo; and caring brother of Peter (Penny) Hallgren.

Douglas was predeceased by his son William

Relatives and friends are invited and may call Saturday, April 1, 2017 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM at Burnt Hills United Methodist Church, 816 Route 50, Burnt Hills, NY 12027. The Funeral Service will immediately follow at 3:00 PM. Rev. Holly Nye, Pastor will officiate. The Hallgren family extends an invitation to a reception following the service at the church.
Memorial contributions may be made in Douglas’s name to Burnt Hills United Methodist Church in Burnt Hills, NY.