Doug volunteered to chair the CBCL Safety Committee. He succeeded in making our neighborhood safer for all. He took on public safety issues, such as having crosswalks installed and signs posted to alert drivers to the crosswalks and having no-parking signs posted on the street beside our bike path. He had the police monitor the speed of vehicles along our main thoroughfares to decrease the number of vehicles driving unsafely along our streets.
As was Doug’s generous nature, he always responded personally to requests from residents to help them deal with crimes or nuisances by acting as a liaison with the police. Doug personally followed up with the individuals to see that they had their concerns addressed.
Doug’s greatest efforts were aimed at crime prevention. Like anything that Doug did, he put himself into it whole-heartedly. Doug attended the city’s Citizens' Police Academy and graduated first in his class. He brought his enthusiasm with him to represent Chesapeake Beach on the Third Precinct’s Citizens Advisory Committee. Before long, he was elected 2nd Vice-President of the Citizens Advisory Committee due to his dedication and his willingness to help others.
Doug created an ongoing series of crime prevention and safety articles that appeared in every issue of The Chesapeake Beach Soundings. Through great coordination efforts, he established Chesapeake Beach as a participant in the neighborhood watch program. He had signs posted in five locations at the entrances to our community to announce our neighborhood’s resolve to stop crime.
Doug inaugurated the National Night Out program in Chesapeake Beach. He worked hard to obtain refreshments from local businesses and to encourage residents to participate in order to meet neighbors and talk with members of local law enforcement and emergency responders. His efforts were so successful that the Virginian-Pilot and WAVY TV-10 reported on his 2006 National Night Out at Chesapeake Beach.
Doug’s crime prevention efforts were so noteworthy that the city’s Crime Prevention Steering Committee voted him 2006 Citizen of the Year for the entire city of Virginia Beach.
A cornerstone of this community was lost when Doug Barner passed away, yet for all of us in Chesapeake Beach, part of Doug will continue to live on through the safety programs founded by Doug and the crosswalks installed and the signs posted through Doug’s efforts.
But if you only knew Doug from his safety articles and his crime prevention programs, then you missed out on the soul of Doug Barner. Doug was a deeply religious man, but he did not thrust his beliefs at others. Instead, he let the ever-present smile on his face or the twinkle in his eyes as he recited one of his puns speak of the love that he had in his heart for others. Every one touched by Doug always seemed happier after their contact with him. He seemed to lift one’s spirit so that one felt lighter and more carefree after being with him.
His own spirit was displayed most keenly when he successfully fought a battle with breast cancer two years ago. He hesitated to tell people in advance of his surgery, because he did not want them to worry too much over him. Yet when he received the prayers and thoughts of his friends and neighbors during his fight, he glowed with the love that he felt for each and every one of those friends and neighbors.
The light of Doug’s soul was also reflected in his artistic works. Working with the small yard that he had at his house, he created a garden so lovely that it was recognized with a 2005 Home-Front Award as one of the top neighborhood gardens. Over the last couple of years, this aspect of Doug was also expressed in landscape and still-life paintings. Doug put part of himself into those paintings—an element of the light and joy that seemed to unceasingly emanate from him. It had been Doug's dream to exhibit his work at an art show. His first art show was scheduled for November 15-17, 2007, at Alexander's on the Bay restaurant. His family proceeded with the show in order to make his dream come true.