Rev. Dr. Douglas Frank Hallman

Douglas Frank Hallman was born in Miami, Florida on September 19, 1949, to Marilynn Jean and Benjamin P. Hallman. He was the second of four children, and learned early on from his mother that if you only looked out for yourself, you have only one person looking out for you. But if you all looked out for each other, you would have three other siblings looking out for you. He took this to heart, and spent his life caring for and loving others. At the age of 14, he was planning to be involved in the theater and acting; however, he felt a tug toward ministry and prayed fervently for a sign from God. That day, he gave his life to Jesus and became a servant of God.

Doug attended Florida Southern College, and in 1969, when he came home for the summer, he met the love of his life, RayaSue when his mother asked her to give him piano lessons. Somewhere along the way, he decided it would be much easier to marry the piano teacher than to learn to play the piano. Doug and RayaSue were married in May of 1970 and moved to Lakeland so that Doug could finish his senior year at FSC.

They moved to Atlanta in August of 1971 where Doug attended Candler School of Theology at Emory University. Son Michael was born three days before Doug’s first day of classes at Candler, and daughter April was born two months before he graduated with his Master's Degree. His children were the joy of his life, and he was a great father to both of them. Doug later received his Doctor of Ministry degree from Drew University.

Doug loved working with children and youth. His children’s sermons were happy times for both the kids and him, and time with the youth was often spent in service to others who needed help. His preaching was inspiring and hopeful, always emphasizing God’s love for us in spite of our shortcomings. Mission work was always at the top of his list. When he became chaplain at Florida Southern College, he took groups of students on work trips to Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Costa Rica. There was also a trip to South Carolina to help clean-up after Hurricane Hugo. It planted in him a strong desire to apply to the General Board of Global Ministries for missionary service. He and RayaSue were accepted, and after missionary training in Atlanta, were first assigned to Maracaibo, Venezuela, and then to Kingston, Jamaica, where Doug was pastor of four churches. During the time in Jamaica, Doug invited work teams from Florida and a few other states to complete projects in each church. One of the churches had been meeting in schools and other venues for 20 years, and Doug supervised the construction of a church building on the property that the church had been given.

They returned to the Florida Conference after three years out of the country, and that is when the grandchildren started arriving. They brought him more joy than he could express, and times with all of us together were his favorite times.

Doug was a gifted carpenter, artist and banner maker. He was active with the Tuesday Tigers at our church making ramps for handicapped people in the community and other needed projects. He made banners for several of the churches he served and six huge banners for the walls of the Jackson Religion Building (now the Fannin Campus Ministries Center) while he was Chaplain of Florida Southern College. He also wrote and presented in full costume two plays: “The Shepherd” and “Pontius Pilate.” During the Covid epidemic, Doug authored two books which have been published: “Supremely Good” and “Interviews from the Bible.”

After 39 years of serving churches, Doug retired, and he and RayaSue settled in Lakeland. He apparently didn’t really know how to do retirement, and after one year, he was back serving a small church in the Lakeland District. Finally in 2014, he retired for good. And then his love of travel kicked in and trips were made to the Holy Land, Egypt, Greece, Turkey, Alaska, Hungary, Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, Great Britain, including England, Scotland and Wales, Switzerland, Italy, and 20 U.S. National Parks. And there were many years of tent camping and spending time in our cabin in the beautiful mountains of Western North Carolina, Doug’s favorite place to witness the beauty of God’s creation.

Doug passed away on March 24, 2026 at the age of 76. He was preceded in death by his parents, and by his son, Michael. He is survived by his loving wife of 55 years, RayaSue, his daughter April Harkins (Paul), unofficially adopted daughter, Desiree Ippolito, daughter-in-law Janet Klocek Hallman, six grandchildren: Bethany Van Aken (Scruffs O’Neil), Kaitlyn Hallman, Joshua Van Aken, Shelby Halsom (Riley), Logan Klocek (Olga) and Isabella Klocek as well as two sisters, Evelynn Diaz (Raymond), Carolynn Jenkins, and one brother, Mike Hallman (Carole).

A celebration of life will beheld on Saturday, May 16, 2026, at 2 pm at First United Methodist Church, 72 Lake Morton Drive, Lakeland, FL 33801.

“Well done, good and faithful servant.” Matthew 25:21