Douglas Adam

Douglas Gerald Adam, 94, of Sioux Falls, died Tuesday, January 27, 2026 at Sanford Heart Hospital in Sioux Falls.

Doug was born June 16, 1931 to Gerald J. and Fern L. (Thoma) Adam in Sioux City, Iowa. He attended Sioux City schools throughout his childhood; his first job was as a paperboy on Sioux City's northside, and as a teenager he worked for the Palmer Fruit Company and at the Sioux City Stock Yards.

He was a graduate of Central High School in Sioux City and attended Iowa State College before marrying his high school sweetheart, Phyllis R. Wiese, on October 1, 1949, in Sioux City. There they raised their five children, Brian, Brenda, Christopher, Courtney, and Eric, and spent 25 years on an acreage located on Broken Kettle Road.

A natural businessman with a strong work ethic, Doug started out as a salesman and then purchased Bryant Color Company (later Adam Paint Products) with his father. He later purchased Westergard Well Company and operated as Adam Well Company, and in 1973, he and his eldest son founded Bramec Corporation in North Sioux City.

Doug became a licensed hot air balloon pilot and instructor in 1979 and enjoyed competitive hot air ballooning for more than a decade. He and his wife, Phyl, enjoyed traveling throughout North America, Europe, and Asia both for balloon races and for pleasure. In 1988, Doug and Phyl moved to South Dakota; they spent several years in Riverland Estates before building a home on the bluffs above Lewis and Clark Lake in Yankton. They spent their later retirement years in both South Dakota and Florida, enjoying boating, fishing, gardening, and time spent with family and friends.

Doug liked to work with his hands, and his hobbies through the years ranged from collecting and restoring player pianos—one of which is on display at the National Music Museum in Vermillion—to building intricate wooden ship models. He was an automotive enthusiast with a particular interest in British vehicles, and he owned multiple vintage Jaguars. In recent years, following the loss of his wife in 2020, he enjoyed jigsaw puzzles as well as keeping up with all the latest news and technology. He was a gregarious man with a sharp wit and memory who made many friends and appreciated his care team at Touchmark at All Saints in Sioux Falls, where he moved in 2024, and at Sanford Heart Hospital.

Doug is survived by his brother, David (Janet) of Sioux City, Iowa; children, Brian (Kay) of Sioux Falls, Chris of Yankton, and Eric (Michele) of Dubuque, Iowa; a son-in-law, Gary Palmer of Yankton; 10 grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by Phyllis, his wife of more than seventy years; a son, Courtney Adam; and a daughter, Brenda Palmer.

Interment will take place at Logan Park Cemetery in Sioux City, with arrangements by Chapel Hill Funeral Home. No services will be held, as Doug requested. Memorials may be directed to Dakota Lions Sight & Health. https://dakotasight.square.site/