| Douglas Bruce Kirkton |
Thursday, February 18, 2010
|
|
|
|
| Douglas Bruce Kirkton of 3603 Blueberry Drive, Raleigh, passed away Friday, February 12, 2010 at the age of 64. Doug was born September 15th, 1945 in Denver, Colorado to Martha Wacaster and the late John Bruce Kirkton. He later moved with his family to North Carolina where they lived in Greensboro and Charlotte. Doug received degrees in Chemistry and Biology at the University of North Carolina, and later pursued graduate training in Air Pollution and Industrial Hygiene. In 1979 he met Catherine Townsend and they spent a summer managing a restaurant in Montana before moving into their Blueberry Drive home. Early in his career, Doug designed an innovative hazardous materials lab to analyze data and share research at Northrop Services. He later developed mobile air quality field laboratories and consulted on hazardous materials inspection, handling and removal throughout the country. Prompted by his interest and intelligence with computers, Doug joined IBM to teach and develop longstanding training courses. Upon retiring, he focused energies on both his family in Denver, NC and his friends and hobbies in Raleigh. He enjoyed helping others with anything and everything, and was widely considered the go-to guy for advice. He fixed computers, helped people publish books, designed web sites, donated talents for home renovations, and spent time working with family at his sister’s floral business. Other life passions included travel, hiking, camping, and spending time with his daughter, nieces and nephews. He was proud of his Scottish heritage (Clan Gordon) and he had a true love for old-time music and fiddling. An informal memorial service and reception will be held at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, February 18th at Bryan-Lee Funeral Home, 831 Wake Forest Road, Raleigh, NC 27604 where friends and family can share stories. Doug is survived by his mother Martha Wacaster (Denver, NC), his sister Jane Brown and husband Pete (Denver, NC), his daughter Emily Smaha and husband Andrew (Yarmouth, ME), and several nieces and nephews. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to PineCone, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting traditional music in North Carolina (919-664-8333). |
|
