SWEETSER, Douglas Balch Age 60, of Acton, MA, Dec. 10, 2022. Survived by wife Darra; their beloved daughter, Elle; mother-in-law, Sue Gleason; brother, Arthur & wife, Cindy Sweetser; sister, Lydia Sweetser Gollner & husband, William; sister, Adrienne Sweetser & husband, Richard Weed; nieces and nephews, Theodore & wife, Hilary Sweetser, Grace & Asa Sweetser, Alexandra & Nicholas Gollner. Predeceased by his parents, Alan & Joan Sweetser; and grandparents, Frank and Laurencia "Blanche" Quinn. A Memorial Service on Sat., Jan. 7, 2023, at 1 PM, at the First Church Unitarian, 19 Foster St., Littleton, MA, with a reception to follow. Please see the Acton Funeral Home website at: https://www.actonfuneralhome.com/obituary-listing for remote access links. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to an education fund for Elle Sweetser. Please contact Arthur Sweetser at [email protected] for the link.

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Published by Boston Globe from Dec. 30, 2022 to Jan. 1, 2023.

Memories and Condolences
for DOUGLAS SWEETSER

4 Entries

Michael Bestgen

December 5, 2023

Doug was dedicated in his efforts to set up the video streaming system at First Church Unitarian, not only learning how the equipment was connected but writing up an operator's guide and putting the referemce manuals together. I appreciated his patience with me while he trained me and his constant good humor. Large spirited and generous he was. Farewell, Doug.

Dr. Robert D Solomon, PhD, MIT

January 4, 2023

25 years of friendship, many 100s of hours of meetings - Doug was a truly unique, unconventional, highly intelligent & talented individual.
We worked together for decades on Quaternions & Visual Physics - he was way before his time.
We hope to continue his work at the Intellergy Institute & give full credit to his insightful ideas and work.
His physics passion enabled his persistence & perseverance which he applied to his family, art, music, dancing, & community.
His earlier biology lab work at Harvard & MIT Whitehead enabled & empowered famous biologists' notable accomplishments with only token credit paid to Doug.
The world has lost a rare jewel of a a human & I mourn the passing of this exceptional dear kindred spirit.
Dr. Robert D. Solomon, PhD, MIT
I welcome talking to anyone who worked with Doug on Quaternions & other STEM pursuits.
[email protected]

Cynthia J Sweetser

December 23, 2022

HOME
Douglas Balch Sweetser, age 60, of Acton, MA, passed away on December 10, 2022, following complications from a heart attack.

Douglas was born in Bronxville, New York to Alan and Joan Sweetser. A brilliant student, Doug graduated from The Blake School in Minneapolis. He received a Bachelor´s degree from MIT in 1984 with a double major in Biology and Chemical Engineering. In 2002, he completed a Master's in Computer Software Engineering at Brandeis University.

Doug´s early professional work at the Whitehead Institute on the bacterial cause of leprosy was featured on the TV show NOVA.

A self-described "general-utility nerd" who read Scientific American from cover to cover from age eight, Doug grasped the potential of the Internet and joined Boston´s first ISP, TheWorld in 1998.

In 2004 he joined Black Duck Software as the ninth employee, where he enjoyed a career of growth leading to big data product management. At the time of his death, Doug was a team lead at Synopsis which acquired the company in 2017.

He met Darra Garrison through an outing club in 1994 leading to a happy and rich life partnership then marriage spanning a total of 27 years. In the summer of 1995, they discovered the Lindy Hop, a dance that was so playful and happy that it sparked a passion in both of them. They became stalwarts in the Boston Lindy Hop community for 20 years. This love of Lindy Hop swing dance made them stellar partners on the dance floor and in life.

In 2008, Doug and Darra welcomed their beloved daughter Laurencia Elle Sweetser into their family. She was adored and encouraged to be her own person from birth. Most updates from Doug started with what was new with Elle. Doug´s passions were varied and fascinating.

Doug built a recumbent cycle and debuted it in the Westport Harbor Parade years before most people had ever seen one. He electrified the bike during the pandemic and gave up driving a car.

He and his sister Adrienne were subscribers to the A.R.T. in Cambridge enjoying precious time and a shared interest in theatre together.

Physics was a particular passion. Doug´s annual Christmas card included updates on his quest to extend his understanding of physics with graphical representations of concepts derived from quaternion equations. Using art and media to get his ideas across, Doug showcased his work at Physics conferences and on a YouTube channel. The walls of his home were decorated with art pieces Doug created and all contained math references. Learn more at Doug´s site www.quaternions.com.

Doug was a member of the First Church Unitarian church in Littleton, MA. where he was active with the men´s club and played ukelele with the UU Ukes. When the pandemic started, Doug lent his technical expertise to live streaming services, continuing to serve as tech master.

Doug generously provided remote technology expertise when called upon. These talents allowed Sue Gleason, Doug´s much-loved mother-in-law to continue teaching flute and recorder to her students through the pandemic, a gift for which she will be forever grateful.

Doug was predeceased by his parents Alan and Joan Sweetser of Wayzata, MN, and grandparents Frank and Laurencia "Blanche" Quinn of Fall River, MA. He is survived by his wife Darra and daughter Elle, mother-in-law Sue Gleason, brother Arthur and his wife Cindy Sweetser, sister Lydia Sweetser Gollner and her husband

William Gollner, sister Adrienne Sweetser & her husband Richard Weed, as well as nieces and nephews; Theodore and his wife Hilary Sweetser, Grace Sweetser, Asa Sweetser, Alexandra Gollner and Nicholas Gollner.

A Memorial Service for Doug will be held on Saturday, January 7, 2023, at 1 PM at the First Church Unitarian 19 Foster St, Littleton, MA. The service will be live-streamed on YouTube and Zoom. Please see the Acton Funeral Home website at https://www.actonfuneralhome.com/obituary-listing for remote access links. A reception will follow. In lieu of flowers, his family requests that donations be made to an education fund for Elle Sweetser. Please contact Arthur Sweetser at [email protected] for the link.