Obituary of Douglas W. McKee

Douglas W. McKee died peacefully in his sleep on September 24th, 2021 in the comfort of his own home. He was born in 1930 in Toronto, Canada to the late William and Dorothy McKee. Raised in London, England, he graduated from Queen Mary College at the University of London in 1954, with a PhD in physical chemistry. He was awarded the UK's highest university honor from the University of London (Doctor of Science, Physical Chemistry) in 1982. During a post-doctoral fellowship at the National Research Council of Canada in Ottawa, he met his future wife and soulmate Rita. They were wed in 1959. Douglas had an esteemed career as a scientist spanning 33 years at General Electric’s Research and Development Center in Niskayuna. Subsequently, he was invited to be a visiting professor at both the University de Haute Alsace in France and the Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Portugal in 1994 and 1995, respectively.

Douglas was an internationally recognized scientist in the fields of carbon chemistry, and surface chemistry and catalysis.  From his research work, he had close to 150 scientific publications and patents. He was a Member of the Royal Society of Chemistry (London, UK), the American Chemical Society, the Materials Research Society, and the American Carbon Society for which he served as Chair of its Executive Committee for 10 years.  He also served for many years as an Associate Editor for the scientific journal Carbon. In 1987, he was awarded the Graffin Travelling Lectureship of the American Carbon Society for his distinguished contributions to carbon science and engineering.

Douglas was a husband, father, and grandfather par excellence. He loved and was loved.  His passion for music, literature and art was inspirational.

In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by his brother Campbell.

Left to cherish his memory are his wife, Rita, his wonderful children, Marc (Natalie), Michou (Ed), Nicole (Steph), and Monique (Broto), and 11 devoted grandchildren. He will always be remembered as a gentleman and ... a gentle man.

Visiting hours will not be held. A funeral Mass will take place at 10:00 am on September 28th 2021, at The Immaculate Conception Church, 400 Saratoga Road (Rte 50), Scotia, NY.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the The Community Hospice Foundation, 310 S. Manning Blvd., Albany, NY 12208. https://www.communityhospice.org/donate.