Obituary of Douglas Holman MacGarvey

Douglas (Doug) Holman MacGarvey, 68, passed away February 4 at the home of his brother, CMDR Ronald E. MacGarvey (USN Retired) of Duxbury, Massachusetts, in the presence of his loving family. Originally from Melrose, Massachusetts, Doug was the son of the late Mildred Holman MacGarvey and George Elliot MacGarvey. A maritime consultant and former cruise line executive, Doug was an innovative pioneer in the cruise industry and the founder of two cruise lines, Sea Venture Cruises and Tropicana Cruises. He was a senior vice president with Cunard Line in New York for 13 years, and part of the launch team for Regency Cruises, serving on that company’s first executive team, and later serving as president of Miami-based SeaEscape Cruises. During the U.S. Senate hearings on the Jones Act, Doug testified as an expert witness representing the cruise industry. He was also a partner and president for Cuisine Sous Vide, a Vermont food manufacturing company and founder and president of Royal Tahitian Cruises and International Maritime Group. Earlier in his career, Doug held positions with TWA in Washington, DC and National Airlines in Norfolk, Virginia, and served a tour in the U.S. Navy. Doug is best remembered for his enthusiastic love of people, especially his family-- and sports. He had a passion for the ocean and was an avid sailor and surfer, as well as an accomplished hockey player. He captained the 1959 Darien High School Hockey Team, played one year of semi-pro hockey in Washington, D.C., and later coached Darien youth hockey. Doug traveled to Hawaii frequently to surf the “big surf” and as a member of the Virginia Beach Jaycees in the 1960s, helped bring the East Coast Surfing Championships to Virginia Beach, establishing it as an annual event. Most of all, Doug delighted in his family. He is survived by his wife Clarice Bartel MacGarvey of Miami; two sons, Mark MacGarvey of Mt. Ephraim New Jersey (wife Jeannine MacGarvey) and Douglas MacGarvey Jr. of Miami; a daughter, Lisa Michele MacGarvey of Atlanta, Georgia; two grandchildren Mark Jr. 12, and Samantha MacGarvey 18, a student at the University of Scranton; a brother, Ronald E. MacGarvey (wife Dawn) of Duxbury, Massachusetts; two sisters, artist Georgine Holman MacGarvey (husband Steven Holman) of Dorset Vermont and Hon. Judith MacGarvey Livingston of Manchester, Vermont, a former state legislator; aunt Dorothy Glenn and cousin Bonnie Glenn Petralia of Gloucester, Massachusetts; ten nieces and nephews and nine grand nieces and nephews. Doug attended Frederick College and Old Dominion University in Virginia and is a 1959 graduate of Darien High School in Connecticut. Memory of Doug’s Life services are scheduled for 2:00 p.m. Friday, February 12 at First Parish Church in Duxbury. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Darien Community Association (DCA) Darien, Connecticut.