BIG
HEARTS,
GREEN
THUMBS
By Kelly Wheeler
B
ringing beauty to life with a servant’s heart
would be the best description of a Cullman
County couple who have dedicated their re-
tirement to enhancing the beautification of commu-
nity gardens.
Pete and Donnie Douthit, married 59 years ago
and active members of the Cullman County Mas-
ters Gardeners, discovered their new love of mas-
ter gardening soon after they retired.
The couple originally lived in Florida and decided
to move to Cullman several years ago.
A retired firefighter, Pete bought some land in the
Trimble area near Smith Lake. Soon afterward two
of his sons, Steve and Don, moved onto the same
street. The Douthits’ other son, James, lives in Texas.
Still drawn to firefighting, Pete volunteered for the
Trimble Volunteer Fire Department just after they
moved back to Cullman.
“I guess you could say I just have always loved
helping people and serving our community,” he
said. “Even after retiring, I wanted to do what I
could to help.”
The Douthits working in their greenhouse.
CULLMAN COUNTY SENIOR MAGAZINE
SUMMER 2020 | 11