Joseph George Depp

Joseph (Joe) was a theoretical physicist, entrepreneur, inventor, and devoted family man whose curiosity and adventurous spirit touched countless lives. He also proudly served as an officer during the Vietnam War.

After the war, Joe worked in the intelligence field at Stanford Research Institute and was instrumental in monitoring French nuclear tests in the South Pacific. Joe also founded two companies, Psistar and Accuray. At Accuray, he helped develop a pioneering technology that used a robotic arm to precisely guide a linear accelerator in a spiral pattern around the head, allowing brain tumors to be treated while minimizing radiation exposure to surrounding healthy tissue. His passion for solving complex problems and developing new technologies was a defining part of his life.

Outside of his work, Joe embraced adventure. He loved racquetball and took his family on countless memorable adventures, including scuba diving around the world, Class IV–V whitewater rafting, and many camping trips to Lake Trinity. At home, he brought that same love of problem-solving to his family, challenging his daughters with difficult math problems scribbled on napkins at dinner. He also generously shared his knowledge with others, helping many high school and college students successfully navigate their calculus classes through his exceptional tutoring.

But Joe’s greatest joy was his family. He cherished his wife, Cami, to whom he was married for 58 years, and loved spending time with his children, Laura and Marianne; grandchildren, Jessica, Logan, Sarah, and Caleb; great-grandchildren, Eleanor and Penelope; and their spouses, Ray, Allen, Hunter, and Judah. Family swim parties, holidays, and time together created many of the memories they will treasure most.

Joe had an extraordinarily generous spirit, freely giving both his time and his resources to help others. He was brilliant, adventurous, curious, generous, and deeply devoted to the people he loved.

He will be greatly missed and lovingly remembered by all who had the privilege of knowing him. We will honor his memory in a small family gathering in November.