Jacob (Jake) Wayne Dugan

Jacob Wayne Dugan (Jake) left this life on December 8, 2025. He was born in Asheville NC on August 27, 1953, to Herman Winfred and Odessa Haas Dugan. He is survived by siblings Margaret English (Jerry), Beverly Dugan (Patrick Mahoney), Mary Miller (Tom), Thomas Dugan, and several nieces, great nieces, and great nephews. 

Jake graduated from Clyde A. Erwin High School and studied at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. He later studied Forestry at Haywood Technical College.  After graduation, he worked for Champion Timberlands.  Later in his Forestry career, he spent several months in Switzerland studying European forestry practices.  He subsequently became a Professional Land Surveyor where he performed large tract, residential, and commercial surveys. He established Mountain Man Land Surveying and later worked for King Land Surveying Company.  Late in life, he worked as a call center representative as a contract employee for an online bank and as an employee of the Biltmore Estate.

Jake was very outgoing and never met a stranger. He loved laughing and joking with his family and friends. Jake loved his family and relished family gatherings, especially when the nieces, great nieces, and great nephews were involved. He was the primary care giver for his father at the end of his life, and remarked that as hard as that was, it was special to have someone to take care of. He loved nature and living in the mountains, spending many years backpacking and fishing in his beloved mountains. He was an avid reader and a lover of all genres of music.

Jake embraced his final days with courage, lightness, and love.  He will be greatly missed by his family and friends.

A Memorial and Celebration of Jake’s Life will be held in early 2026.

The family wishes to extend heartfelt thanks to the staff at The Center for Conscious Living and Dying (CCLD) and to Flesher's Fairview Health & Retirement Center for surrounding Jake with loving attention and care at the end of his life. The family also wishes to thank Four Seasons Hospice for their compassionate end-of-life care and invaluable assistance to Jake’s caregiver.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to: St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105, https://www.stjude.org/donate/donate-to-st-jude.html  or to The Center for Conscious Living and Dying (CCLD), P.O. Box 348, Swannanoa, NC 28778, https://www.ccld.community/donation.

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