Douglas James Leupen

Douglas "Doug" James Leupen, 79, of Raleigh, NC, passed away peacefully on December 6, 2025, at the Memory Support community of Hayes Barton Place, surrounded by the love that defined his remarkable life.

Born in Detroit on March 31, 1946, Doug was the son of Henry (Hank) and Margaret Davies Leupen. He grew up in Birmingham, Michigan, and graduated in 1964 from Groves High School, where he played on the varsity football team. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan in 1968 and was a member of Sigma Chi fraternity.

Following graduation, he served in the U.S. Navy. Commissioned as a Lieutenant Junior Grade, he was stationed in Washington D.C., where he taught computer programming and eventually attained the rank of Lieutenant. It was during his naval service in Alexandria, Virginia, that he met the love of his life, Linda Taylor. They married in 1971, beginning a partnership that spanned nearly 55 years.

After his military service, Doug returned to Ann Arbor to earn his MBA from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business in 1972. He began his professional career with R. Shriver Associates in Parsippany, New Jersey, where he and Linda welcomed their son, Bradley, in 1974. In 1978, the family relocated to Corning, New York, as Doug took a position with Corning Glass. They later moved to Hopkinton, Massachusetts, where their daughter, Alexandria, was born in 1982.

While at Corning, Doug received an individual contributor award in 1983. With characteristic vision and the seed capital provided by the award's monetary prize, Doug finally chose to pursue his lifelong dream of owning his own business.

In 1984, Doug and Linda moved to Raleigh, where he co-founded Entrinsik (originally Magna Systems) with his business partner, Jim Sutorus. What started as a small operation grew into something far greater: not just a successful software company, but a community built on trust, respect, and genuine relationships. Doug's philosophy was refreshingly simple: technology should make people's lives easier, not more complicated, and a company should treat its customers and employees with the highest respect. Anyone who met Doug experienced this firsthand through his infectious smile and his genuine interest in their story.

The journey wasn't without challenges. During the dot-com recession, when many other technology companies failed, Doug's determination and optimism never wavered. Under his leadership, Entrinsik forged ahead and developed Informer, the reporting and analytics platform that would fuel the company's resurgence, and define its next 20 years of growth, eventually serving hundreds of universities and organizations and thousands of users worldwide.

Doug believed that business success meant nothing without giving back. He volunteered with StepUp Ministry, mentoring young entrepreneurs and sharing the wisdom he'd gained through decades of building and rebuilding.

Those who knew Doug remember his unyielding optimism, his outgoing nature, and his wonderful sense of humor. Doug was always up for new experiences, new friendships and he loved traveling. Whether a cross-country drive via motorcycle or a 10-week belated European honeymoon/adventure, Doug was committed to seeing the world.

For daily pastimes, he loved tennis, golf, sailing, skiing, euchre, sudoku and, most of all, University of Michigan sports. If he wasn’t taking a weekend trip to Ann Arbor to catch a football game with cousins, his TV remained parked on the B1G Network. He was an avid reader of fiction and lover of music: Belafonte, The Beatles, Sinatra, The Cars, to name just a few. But what he appreciated most was time with friends and family: the annual beach trips to Topsail Island, family reunions in Fontana Village, NC, and the annual Entrinsik Caribbean planning retreat. There, you would find Doug relaxing with a Bahama Mama genuinely enjoying the people around him. Even a sailboat running aground couldn't dampen his spirits; he'd just laugh harder and make it part of the adventure.

In June 2025, Doug moved to the Memory Support community at Hayes Barton Place, where he spent his final months surrounded by care and comfort.

Doug is survived by his beloved wife, Linda Leupen of Raleigh; son Bradley (Christa) Leupen of Raleigh; daughter Alexandria Leupen of Wellington, NZ; grandson Hendrik Leupen of Raleigh; brother Gerald (Sandy) Leupen of Cincinnati, OH; sister Wendy (Jay) Lee of Asheville, NC; and beloved extended family, dear friends, colleagues, and neighbors.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Henry and Margaret Leupen, and his brother Thomas Leupen.

Doug's legacy lives on not just in the company he built, but in the lives he touched, the relationships he nurtured, and the values he embodied.

A memorial service will be announced at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to StepUp Ministry, Raleigh, NC ( www.stepupministry.org/donate ) or Feeding America ( https://www.feedingahc.org/donate/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=19644735558 ) in Doug's memory.

Brown-Wynne, 300 Saint Mary's Street, Raleigh is serving the Leupen family.