Sokol family, friends dedicate memorial

Friends and family of Doug Sokol gathered on Tuesday, September 7, to dedicate a memorial to the Sisters man.

The stone memorial, fountain and viewing bench is located at the southwestern corner of Pine Meadow Village, the development that grew from Sokol's creative vision.

Doug died in a fall in the forest south of Sisters in June of 2008.

"Pine Meadow Village, as you all know, was Doug's vision - his amazing vision," said his sister Cris Converse. "He put his heart and soul into this place. He really cared about everyone who lived here; he wanted everyone to be happy."

Doug's sister Evangeline Sokol took the lead in creating the memorial.

"There was no question in my mind what this memorial would be like," she said. "It just came to me: First, the three stones floating on top of the water; then the inscriptions to engrave on them. The verse on the south rock is Doug's interpretation of Psalm 139, which he used in a song that he wrote."

Sokol, flanked by another sister, Mary Sokol Chavin, described the months-long effort:

"From the brilliant help of Ripple Effect owner Brian O'Keefe (or 'fountain man' as I called him) we came up with the plan as to how to engineer the water feature and stone placement; to the talent of Golden Eagle Enterprises owner Steve Mastrud (or 'engraver guy') who carved the stones; to the invaluable help of Casey Negus, the onsite Pine Meadow Village Manager and 'Dan-the-Man' Garrison of Pine Meadow Ranch who were always available to do the necessities .... (including) how are we going to tame (the water) flow to create the final effect of swirling water. We thank them all so much."

The family donated the memorial to the homeowners of Pine Meadow Village with a sense that the water feature that Doug had envisioned was now complete.

Doug's mother Dorro Sokol, marking her 84th birthday, cut a ceremonial ribbon and the crowd dispersed to inspect the memorial and appreciate its setting against the landscape of ranch land and the cloud-obscured Three Sisters.

Doug's wife Rebecca noted that the memorial was now part of a legacy that Doug left in Sisters.

"You see his imprint everywhere," she said.