Douglas E. Canter, who recently retired from The Sun where he worked in the composing room as a printer and proofreader, died of a heart attack Sunday at a hospital in Loris, S.C. He was 55.

Mr. Canter had worked in the newspaper's composing room as a printer and proofreader from 1965 until retiring this year. He was a member of the Communication Workers of America.

Born in the city and raised in Southwest Baltimore, he was a 1965 graduate of Southern High School.

The former longtime Southwest Baltimore resident, who had moved to Loris after his retirement, enjoyed playing poker and visiting the racetrack and Atlantic City.

Services were Wednesday in South Carolina.

Mr. Canter is survived by a sister, Eleanor J. Ring of Loris; a niece, Wendy Lee Roy, also of Loris; and several other nieces and a nephew.