Theodore Wesley Speiser

1934 - 2016

Ted Speiser passed peacefully on April 8, 2016. He was 81. Ted was a professor emeritus at CU Boulder in Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences and consulted at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Ted's long career began in physics at CSU, and included a master's at California Institute of Technology, and a PhD at Penn State University before returning to and settling in Colorado. He was a Fulbright Scholar and Humboldt award recipient in Germany. As a post-doc, Ted spent time at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt MD, and then one year with his thesis advisor at Imperial College London. Ted was 2nd Lt in the Army. Ted had an insatiable love for travel, hiking, cross-country skiing, tennis, photography, music, football, and practical jokes. Ted also loved ping-pong, often traveling with his personal paddle. His research took him to the Soviet Union, Europe, and Asia, and he eagerly traveled with his family throughout Colorado and beyond. Ted thrilled in the pursuit of new scientific discoveries, from solar physics to experimental treatments for his Parkinsons illness. Born November 23, 1934 in Del Norte, CO to Alfred and Virginia Speiser, Ted attended high school in Fort Collins where he met and married Patricia McCrummen. Together they raised three daughters, Tanya Muschietti (California), Kelly Speiser (Lakewood), and Tertia Speiser (Lakewood). Ted greatly enjoyed his two granddaughters, Dana and Adelaide. Ted's sister Joann Hooper and family live in Longmont.