IN LOVING MEMORY OF

Douglas Keith

Douglas Keith Flanary Profile Photo

Flanary

Sep 24, 1935 — Jun 9, 2026

Obituary

Douglas Keith Flanary, 90, of Raleigh, NC died on June 9, 2026, in his home. He was born in Keokee, VA on September 24, 1935, son of the late Tal and Ruth Flanary.

He was raised in Loveland, OH, attended Loveland High School, and excelled in both academics and sports – football, basketball, and baseball. He worked on a neighbor’s farm after school and during summers. After high school, Keith received his associate's degree from the University of Cincinnati and then entered the US Air Force where he served as an instructor of airplane engines, teaching both mechanical and electronic maintenance and repair.

He enjoyed years of singing and performing as part of Barbershop quartets and choruses, serving as president of the Cincinnati chapter, and running Harmony Lodge. He loved teaching others about music, computers, software, and radio.

Keith worked at IBM for 42 years learning computers from the ground up. He was always ready to help coworkers debug software problems. He never hesitated to stop what he was doing when someone came to ask for assistance. He was often sent overseas to help with customers’ mainframe installations and upgrades. He was instrumental in the development of the first ATM machines in the 1970’s.

He met his wife Cecelia at IBM where they both worked in software support. In 1997 he converted to the Catholic faith, which he truly loved. On June 20, 1998, they were married by Msgr. Jeffrey Ingham at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church. They would have celebrated their 28th anniversary this year. They loved spending time with family and attending family events, they devoutly practiced their Catholic faith, singing in the church choir, and participating in bible studies. Keith served as a lector while Cecelia served as a cantor. They enjoyed several wonderful trips abroad and occasionally went to the opera and ballet. During his last days, he told his wife, “We did it all!”

Keith was a huge part in starting and running Raleigh’s first Catholic Radio station – Divine Mercy Radio. Keith learned to operate all the software needed to run a station, and how to edit audio for local shows. With the station’s AM engineer, Craig, the two of them spent many a happy hour at the tower site or working through the occasional bugs and connectivity problems.

Keith is preceded in death by his parents, his sister Chloe Bird, and his granddaughter Sophia Grace.

He is survived by his spouse, Cecelia, children Amy Elizabeth Flanary of Cincinnati, OH, Nora Flanary Bowman (Paul) of Dillsboro, IN, Jonathan Keith Flanary of Greensboro, NC, and Patrick Emery Lundergan (Jenny) of Cary, NC; his grandchildren Brooke, Allexandra, Olivia, Sam, Luke, Grace, Otis, James, Abby, and Lex; and his 6 great-grandchildren Brynna, Nicholas, Pamela, David, August, & Everest. He is also survived by 2 nieces, many cousins and friends.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Monday, June 15, 2026, at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 2811 Poole Road, Raleigh, NC 27610. A Rosary will be prayed starting at 1:30 p.m.

Burial will be the following day, Tuesday, June 16, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. at Historic Oakwood Cemetery, 701 Oakwood Avenue, Raleigh, NC 27601.

In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations to be made in memory of Keith to Divine Mercy Radio, 343 E. Six Forks Road, Suite 160, Raleigh, NC 27609, or Catholic540.org.

To send flowers or plant a memorial tree in memory, please visit our flower store.

Funeral Services

Mass

June
15

St. Joseph Catholic Church

2811 Poole Road, Raleigh, NC 27610

Starts at 2:00 pm (Eastern time)

Burial

June
16

Historic Oakwood Cemetery

701 Oakwood Avenue, Raleigh, NC 27601

Starts at 10:00 am (Eastern time)

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