Douglas Barlow
Douglas Atherton Barlow passed away on September 9th, 2022 at Brookdale Senior Living in Albuquerque, New Mexico of natural causes. He was 71. Doug was born in Silver Springs, Maryland on October 28, 1950 to Barbara and Wallace Barlow, the second child of three. An adventurous and colorful spirit following the Barlow family tradition, after attending Lehigh University where he studied engineering and community planning, Doug spent his youth traveling the US and Europe, eventually landing in New Mexico, a place he felt was truly alive. He loved this state and this city dearly.
After several exciting careers, Doug decided to devote his life to social service, taking a position with ARCA as a case manager for people with developmental disabilities, where he worked for 28 years before retiring in 2021. At ARCA Doug made numerous friends and profoundly affected the lives of many, many people, providing stability, assurance, kindness, and most importantly, friendship. He was adored and trusted by his colleagues and the people he served. A faithful lover of pop culture, Doug was an amateur music historian, often in possession of quick facts about everything from the origins of Rock and Roll (his favorite) to the histories of obscure but influential bands. His taste in music was expansive and impressive, and he was often on the leading edge of popular sounds, even as “an old
guy.” He often bragged about having been a subscriber to Rolling Stone since their beginning.
In his younger years he could be found dancing the night away with a cadre of fun-loving people at many of Albuquerque’s excellent music venues. In his later years, having slowed down a bit, he could be found encouraging others to dance the night away, while also still tapping a toe or two. He was committed to living a full and fun life, and encouraged others to do the same. His love of reading nearly rivaled his love of music. Being very well read, he was as knowledgeable about classical literature as he was about checkout line
novels. He was particularly fond of modern
American rabble-rousing authors in the vein of Edward Abbey and Hunter S. Thompson. Not being fond of cooking, he was a lover of good food prepared by others, particularly New Mexican cuisine, and delighted in having meals out with friends, with whom he had many. It could be argued that Doug, with his cast of companions, kept a revolving list of restaurants in Albuquerque afloat. When meeting for lunch or dinner one would be lucky to catch him pulling up to a restaurant in his old blue ’64 Chevy Impala station wagon, standing out among the drabness of modern cars and still in excellent shape despite its age, much like Doug himself . Doug loved his cars almost as much as he loved the company of friends and family, music, nights on the town, good New Mexican food, good books, and good movies. He had a particular fondness for Jaguars, but being a practical person settled into a love for Hondas. He was also likely one of the few people in town to have owned a Morgan automobile – quite the distinction. Doug was a generous, kind, faithful friend, never forgetting to remember a birthday or a holiday, and always willing and able to lend a hand. He was a handsome, brilliant, thoughtful, classy, sometimes persnickety, lovable man. Perhaps that is why he was loved by so many, and why he was a lover of many. He was a wonderful and unique person, and his passing weighs heavy on many hearts.Doug is survived by his nephew Forrest Barlow, his niece Julia Barlow, and his sister Elizabeth Barlow, each of Bellingham, Washington, as well as his stepmother Theresa Barlow of Washington DC He is also survived by the “Many people in New Mexico and beyond whose lives he touched, and who are lucky enough to have called him a friend. He was family to many. We love you Doug and miss you dearly. We’ll all see you on the other side out.” among the stars someday.
Published by on Sep. 18, 2022.
34465541-95D0-45B0-BEEB-B9E0361A315ATo plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
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