Douglas Gray Mahon Iii

Douglas Gray Mahon III “Mike” died Monday, May 7th, 2018 at his home, surrounded by his family. Mike was born to Douglas Gray Mahon, Jr. and Bess Baker Mahon in Shreveport, Louisiana on April 5, 1943. Two months later, he and his mother moved to Calhoun Falls, SC and lived with his grandparents, Dr. and Mrs. Douglas Gray Mahon, Sr. “Doc” for the two and a half years that his father was in Germany during WWII. After his father’s return, the family moved to Augusta, GA. Mike graduated from Richmond Academy in 1961, where he played baseball and basketball, participated in ROTC and was voted “Most Likely to Succeed.”
He started Clemson College in the fall of 1961 and was a member of Kappa Delta Chi fraternity, where he made many lifelong friends. Mike majored in Economics and English and was a member of the first Honors program. He was also active in many organizations. He graduated in May of 1965 with top Departmental Honors in Economics and won the Furman English Award.
After graduation, Mike moved to Atlanta and worked with AT&T for three years, at which time he attended Georgia State and received his Masters in Real Estate. He married the love of his life, Jane Davis Vehorn, in December of 1966. In 1969, Mike accepted a job with Sea Pines Company on Hilton Head Island. Initially, he was in charge of home and villa rentals and was later named Vice President of Development. In 1973, he left Sea Pines to open his own real estate consulting company, Development Management, Inc., which later became The Mahon Company. Mike worked on many projects over the years, including Harbour Town Villas, Skull Creek Marina, Hilton Head Plantation and Table Rock Golf Community. In 1980, looking for a small-town environment in which to raise their daughters, Mike and Jane moved to Clinton, SC where they lived until he was offered a consulting job with The Litchfield Company in 1991.
He was eventually named President of The Litchfield Company and served in that role until the real estate development company was dissolved in 2009. Major developments that Mike worked on in Litchfield included condominiums at Litchfield By the Sea, Inlet Point South and the Peninsula. One of his favorite projects at the Litchfield Company was the development of The Reserve Golf Club and Golf Course, which he worked with Greg Norman to create.
Upon retirement, he and Jane returned to Clinton because of all of their good friends and the great sense of community. Mike enjoyed spending time at their vacation home in Cashiers, NC, where he loved the beautiful mountain and lake surroundings and the many hours that he spent fishing and being with his family.
Over the years, Mike was very involved in his church communities, including St. Andrew by the Sea United Methodist on Hilton Head Island, St. Paul’s Waccamaw United Methodist Church in Litchfield Beach and First Presbyterian Church in Clinton. Mike loved his golf buddies, with standing tee times every Wednesday and Sunday after church. He was an avid Clemson sports fan, especially Clemson football, having attended the 1981 National Championship game. He also loved to travel, with some of his highlights being snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef and spending a month in Tuscany.
In addition to his wife, Mike is survived by his daughters Wesley Mahon Whitener (Tripp) of Columbia, SC and Mary Gray Mahon Hanna (Will) of Murrells Inlet, SC. Mike was blessed with three wonderful grandchildren, Lauren Gray Whitener, Walker Jacob Whitener and Madeleine Gray Hanna. He is also survived by his brother, Stephen Gray Mahon, of Cleveland, AL, and nephews Michael Gray Mahon (Susan) of Birmingham, AL and Matthew Gray Mahon of New York, NY. On Jane’s side, he is survived by his brother-in-law, Michael Robert “Mickey” (Brenda) Vehorn of Sapphire, NC and his sister-in-law Ellen Vehorn Morris of Union, SC as well as nieces Laney Vehorn Robinson, Amy Croxton Crown and Mary Louise Morris. He was predeceased by nieces Julie Michelle Croxton and Katherine Jane Morris.
Services will be held at First Presbyterian Church in Clinton, SC on Friday, May 11th at 2:00 pm, with a visitation on Thursday, May 10th at 5:30 pm in the Church Fellowship Hall. The family will be having a private commitment. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to First Presbyterian Church Preschool or Choir. 410 East Carolina Avenue, Box 29, Clinton, SC 29325 or Hospice of Laurens County, 1304 Springdale Dr, Clinton, SC 29325. The family truly appreciates the wonderful care that Mike received from Dr. Michael Overman at MD Anderson, Dr. Mark O’Rourke and the staff of the Greenville Cancer Center and Hospice Home Care of Laurens County as well as all of the caring support from his friends and church.