Edward Michael Gaposchkin

Lexington - Edward Michael ("Mike") Gaposchkin died on July 28, 2024, in his home in Lexington MA.

Mike was born on May 29, 1935 in Boston to Sergei Gaposchkin and Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin of Lexington MA, where he was raised. He graduated from Lexington High School in 1953, earned a degree in Electrical Engineering from Tufts University in 1957, and, after a year working for Datamatics, enrolled in a Masters program at Cambridge University in England, where he trained in the emerging field of Computer Science. He met Anne Myers that year, and they were married in Paris in September of 1959.

Back in the US, Mike joined the research community at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in Cambridge, where he applied his computational skills to the developing field of geophysics called geodesy. In 1963, he and Anne bought their home on Farmcrest Avenue in Lexington where he lived the rest of his life. During these years he simultaneously earned a doctorate in Geology at Harvard University, awarded in 1969. He worked at the Smithsonian until 1983, when he left to found a consulting firm, "Mathematical Geosciences," and then, in 1984 joined MIT's Lincoln Labs, where he worked until retirement in 2000.

Mike had three children, Christopher (1962-2002), Daniel (b. 1964), and Marianne (b. 1970). He was a quiet, thoughtful, elegant, and kind man, who was often described as a true gentleman. He revered scientific discovery. His great joy was sailing the Persephone along the coast of Maine. His greatest love was his family.

He is survived by his wife Anne, his two surviving children Dan and Marianne, his five grandchildren, his two daughters-in-law, and his son-in-law. A memorial service will be held at 1:30 PM on Monday September 9 at the Bigelow Chapel at Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge MA (and video-streamed), followed by an open house at 55 Farmcrest Avenue in Lexington.