NATHANIEL PHILLIPS CARLETON

1929 - 2020

CARLETON, Nathaniel Phillips Harvard-Smithsonian Astrophysicist Age 90, of Cambridge, died February 25th from complications of Parkinson's disease. A celebration of his life will be held at 1:00PM Sunday, March 1st at Church of the Covenant in Boston. A native of Burlington, Vt., Dr. Carleton was an astrophysicist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics who made scientific observations of the northern lights, planetary atmospheres and quasar. He also helped to build innovative large telescopes for observations. He loved to solve carpentry and engineering problems around the house, conducted choirs locally, and built a catamaran that he and his wife sailed up the east coast. He raised his family in Carlisle, riding his motorcycle to work in Cambridge. He lived for a time in a houseboat in the Boston Harbor, and later lived in Winthrop until he moved back to Cambridge. Dr. Carleton leaves his wife Kay (Lapsley), his five children, Sarah (John) of Cambridge, Phillips (Vicki) of Shelburne, Vt., Mary (Lloyd) of Berkeley, Calif., Jane (Josh) of Brooklyn, N.Y., and Glen (Lynn) of Titusville, N.J.; his stepchildren David Gibbs (Jocelyn) of Somerville, Sarah Hoagland (James) of Summit, N.J., Julia Gibbs of Gary, Ind., James Gibbs (Alyssa) of Ipswich, David Beldock (Deborah) of San Diego, Jennifer Fogarty (Sean) of Cotuit, Hannah Beldock of Westerley, R.I., and Benjamin Beldock of Tallahassee, Fla.; his brother Peter Carleton (Dayna) of Lawrence, Kan.; his grandchildren Emma and Eli Stickgold, Kira, Madeline, and Emily Carleton, Sage Carleton-Ferris, Chantal Peters, Steven Hutchinson, Zakwani and Ozma Gibbs, Isabelle Hoagland, Amelia Gibbs; and many relatives in Vermont. In lieu of flowers, the family prefers donations to be made in his honor to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research or Church of the Covenant in Boston.

View the online memorial for Nathaniel Phillips CARLETON