PORTLAND – Douglas Malcolm Schair, 59, of Falmouth died on Thursday, Jan. 27, due to complications from bacterial meningitis.

He was born in South Weymouth, Mass., on April 30, 1945, and grew up in Scituate, Mass.

He was the youngest of two children, and he was predeceased by his father, Burton Schair.

He graduated from Thayer Academy in Braintree, Mass., in 1963 and Colby College in 1967. Upon graduating from Colby, he owned and operated Sebago Lake Marina.

He later worked in the financial industry for two years, before attending Harvard Business School, graduating in 1971.

In 1974, he joined Insurance Investment Associates, an insurance consulting firm in New Canaan, Conn.

From 1988 to 1998, he was Vice Chairman and Chief Investment Officer of Life Re Corporation, a reinsurance company.

He continued as a principal in Insurance Investment Associates until his death.

He was a committed businessman, an entrepreneur, and a philanthropist. He was Vice Chairman of the Board of Satellife, a nonprofit humanitarian organization dedicated to serving the health, communication, and information needs in the developing world. He was also a longtime supporter and trustee of his alma mater, Colby College.

His greatest joy came from the time spent with his four children, and two grandchildren. Whether it involved boating or skiing with his family, he was passionate about life. For all his success, his family remained the primary focus of his life.

The day before he was hospitalized, he skied with his four-year-old granddaughter, watching with pride as she skied down the mountain by herself for the first time.

He was an intelligent and ethical man who reveled in a good business deal and loved his family beyond measure.

He is survived by his mother, Mildred Schair; children, Gillian, Erica, Justin, and Annemieke Schair; sons-in-law, Seth Rigoletti, and Ivan Cardona; grandchildren, Maya and Eli Schair-Rigoletti; and sister, Leslie Cohen.