Patrick S Mcintosh

Patrick was born November 19, 1940, in Robinson, Illinois, to Margaret Effalee (Siler) and Carl Durwood Kirkwood and later adopted by his mother’s second husband Virgil LeRoy McIntosh. He graduated from Robinson High School in 1958, where he won first in the state Bausch and Lomb science competition for his research into sunspots. He was awarded a scholarship to Harvard University and later graduated in 1962 with a degree in astronomy.

He went on to write two books on sunspots and complied over fifty years of sunspot maps. The scale used to measure sunspots, the McIntosh scale, was named after him. A digital compilation of his sunspot maps, “The McIntosh Archives”, is currently underway and will be included in the National Archives. His work led him to travel extensively through both eastern and western Europe, and he spent several months in China and Australia helping set up early warning systems to detect sunspot disruptions to communications systems.

He is survived by his son Daniel (Tonya) McIntosh of Highlands Ranch, CO, daughter Elisabeth (Ronald) Schmidt and grandsons Taylor Schmidt and Walker Schmidt of Littleton, CO, brother Michael (Gwen) McIntosh of Rohnert Park, California, sister Becky (Dean) Adams of Clinton, Illinois and brother John Wesley “Jack” (Deborah) McIntosh of Goodlettsville, Tennessee, along with two nieces and two nephews.

Memorial service to be held Friday October 21, 2016 at 11:30am at New Day Covenant Church located at 2801 Jay Road, Boulder, CO 80301. Burial will follow immediately after at Mountain View Cemetery in the Cremation Garden with reception to follow back at the church. Arrangements under the direction of Crist Mortuary, Boulder, CO.