Article by Larry Jock
The Ocean City fishing community lost an icon over the winter when Doug Ake, owner of Ake Marine in West Ocean City, passed away on March 22nd at the age of 69 after a long battle with cancer.
Doug, the son of Jean Ake Miles and the late Marshall Ake and stepson to Joshua W. Miles, II, was raised in Gumboro, Delaware and worked at Wallops Island prior to earning his degree in Ocean Engineering from Florida Atlantic University.
After marrying Elena Danforth in 1975, Doug and his new wife founded Ake Marine in 1977. The original location for the business was at the south side of the White Marlin Marina before relocating next to the Ice House on Philadelphia Avenue. Their final move was in 1990 when they relocated to its present location on Sunset Avenue in West Ocean City.
In addition to his wife of 38 years, and his mother Jean, Doug is survived by daughters, Dr. Jennifer Marie Romanow and Christina Ake Harrison. He was an adored grandfather to Haven Victoria Harrison and leaves behind his beloved dogs “Trouble” and “Dirty Harry”.
Funded by donations in Doug’s memory, the Ocean City Reef Foundation has built a reef in Doug’s name. The Ake Reef will be located at the center of Russell’s Reef.
Over the last 38 years, many people, including myself, were touched by Doug, his knowledge, his generosity and his kindness.
I can remember the day, shortly after I had purchased the Coastal Fisherman and was hoping that people liked what I was doing, when Doug pulled me aside and said, “I just want to let you know that I think you are doing a great job with the paper. I wasn’t sure how it was going to go, but I feel good about what you are doing with the paper.” This comment was one I really needed and came at a perfect time.
Others also have fond memories of Doug:
Captain Monty Hawkins, of the “Morning Star” remembered, “Only time I think I ever irritated him was back in 1986 or 1987. I sent a then 14-year-old mate, who would work with me for many, many years, to get points & plugs for our 12 cylinder Detroit diesel engines, which, of course, don't have spark plugs. I expected the youngster to get a swift kick out the door. Instead, what was easily the prettiest counter help at any marine supply business in the world (Annette Cropper), wrote out a special order. Doug called me at home and told me to knock it off. Not a lot of men I truly looked up to. He was one.”
Bob Lemley, owner of 1st Service Refrigeration & Air Conditioning Service said, “When I started my business, Doug told me ‘Treat the customers like you would want to be treated and they will be hooked.’ He would always lend an ear when I got frustrated. He will be a tough act to follow.”
Jack Keaufer, long time captain of charter and private boats in Ocean City remembers his first encounter with Doug. “I walked on over to his Talbot Street store because I had heard that he dealt with a lot of engine parts and was the most knowledgable guy around. On this day, Doug was hardhat diving under a boat. After waiting 20 minutes for Doug to come up, I ran out of patience and stood on Doug’s airhose, forcing him to come to the surface. Well, he came up and told me that if I didn’t get off the hose he was going to come out of the water and kick my butt. We have been friends ever since.”
Tommy Fowler at North Bay Marina, said, “When I got into the boat business and started dealing with Doug, I quickly found out that he was “The King” when it came to boat parts. You could always count on Doug to get you what you needed and charge you a fair price. I know there were times when we needed a $.10 part and Doug would bring in $20 worth of them just to get the one you needed. The thing that always stood out about Doug was that he always said ‘Thank you for your business’, even if he lost money selling you the part. Doug Ake was truly one of the nicest people to walk on this earth.”
Captain Franky Pettolina of “Last Call Charters” remembers, “There are so many stories about Doug over the course of thirty years of friendship that it is tough to choose a single one. I can remember going into his store behind the White Marlin Marina (we always called it the Ice House store) and asking him to order me some "Bob Schneider Rattle Yap" teasers. This was during the 1980’s when getting stuff custom ordered from Florida was almost impossible. Doug had a crowded store and in comes this demanding 14 year old (me) wanting him to do the near impossible. He took me to the back where we found order sheets, and within a week or two I had my teasers. Over the years Doug always found my "stuff" for me. He was my catalog, my tackle.com, askDoug.com, and most of all, my friend.”
Dennis McDermott, Reel Doctor at Ake Marine, relayed the following story: “Doug was very serious about working on pumps and motors and things like that. Someone would come in with a problem with their motor and Doug would come back to the Reel Room where he kept two 5 gallon buckets, one empty and one filled with water. He would connect hoses to the motor in question and test it with a car battery. As he was working on the motor, Doug would be explaining to me what he was doing. One day a customer brought in a motor that they said was only dribbling water, and as he was connecting the motor to the hoses, he was so engrossed in telling me that the motor wasn’t pumping water that he forgot to place the hose into the 5-gallon bucket. Needless to say, as soon as he connected the motor to the battery the water came blasting out of the hose and right into Doug’s face. Well, he was spitting nails mad, and I was trying to hold in the laughter. After a minute, Doug cooled off and we both were laughing hysterically. It was quite a sight!”
No doubt, Doug Ake left a lasting mark on the entire fishing community in Ocean City and will be greatly missed.
Donations are being accepted in Doug’s name, by the Ocean City Reef Foundation, P.O. Box 1072, Ocean City, MD 21843 or by the Ocean City Volunteer Fire Company, P.O. Box 27, 1409 Philadelphia Ave., Ocean City, MD 21842.
