Douglas M Pihl

Pihl, Douglas M. (1939-2020) passed on July 28, 2020 succumbing to cancer. Doug was well-known for for his exemplary technology & entrepreneurial achievements. He was legendary among the engineering communities for pushing forward new technologies & building successful companies around them with Lee Data, NetStar, RocketChips & Vital Images. Doug graduated from Washburn HS the son of Malcolm Pihl, a tool-maker for Honeywell & Colona Oddson Pihl who owned 80 acres on Whitefish Lake, establishing a family compound there. Doug's sister Audrey & his best friend Ken Hopkins later married. The 3 of them studied physics at the UofM where Doug became interested in computers later joining Data Display, then Data 100 before co-founding Lee Data where he ran software & hardware product development. He foresaw the shift from mainframe IBM computing domination to an emerging connected computing environment & in 1990 founded NetStar to develop an idea for a switched backplane router - a novel technology that enabled high speed data transfers on what became known as the Internet. Doug Chaired the Board at start-up RocketChips and also Chaired Vital Images. Doug is survived by his true love/wife Jo Abendroth Pihl; his daughter Allison Pihl (entrepreneur) and her husband Ed Wollack (noted astrophysicist), and their children Alex Wollack (quantum computing) & Andrew Wollack (cyber security); his son Todd (PhD biologist, data scientist) & wife Amy Secor (executive); & their mother Jacqueline; his sister Audrey Hopkins & husband Ken & their children Chris & Krista Hopkins (children Annaliese, Jack), Terri & Barry Draeger (children Cameron, Evan), & Katie Hopkins & her partner Chris Boynton. Doug is also survived by his well-loved mother-in-law Judy Abendroth; sister-in-law Jeanne Derrick & husband Bill (children Michael & Angela, Wesley & Tara, Lydia & Kelly Skadberg & their children Asher, Dexter, Ava, Peter; & Shelby Derrick), sister-in-law Lisa Abendroth & husband Robert Phillips; brother-in-law Mark Abendroth & wife Linda (Jason & Mindy & their children Kyla, Samara, Cameron; Matthew & Melissa & their children Arthur, Frederick), brother-in-law Bob & Anette Abendroth (children Alicia & Reno Vosloo, Alec, Donovan, Ariana), "other Mother" Mary Jane Olson & her family. Doug is preceded in death by his waiting parents & dear father-in-law Urban Abendroth.