Guy L. Tarnstrom Obituary (1942 - 2017)

How can words describe the essence of a man? Guys attributes were many and varied. Work, home, hobbies and just basic personality traits interwove into the kind, dedicated, witty Renaissance man that we knew. Guys interests were myriad. He loved classical music (especially Mahler), carved Celtic crosses, climbed Mt. McKinley (now Denali), loved folk dancing, sang with any group he could find, and played trombone with gusto. He loved reading bedtime stories to his kids and taking them hiking and camping. He made good beer and bad wine, performed in Gilbert and Sullivan operettas, and always had season tickets to the Boston Symphony. Guy was born December 31, 1942 in Portland Oregon to Carl and Marjorie (Nelson) Tarnstrom. Guys early years were spent in southern California before his family settled in Blythe, CA, where his father taught for many years. He was chosen for the prestigious NASA Math Camp as a high school junior and won science awards for a prototype computer. After attending Reed College, Guy was awarded the NASA Fellowship to attend graduate school at the Geophysical Institute of the University of Alaska. Guy met Dianne in 1966 when Guy was a physics grad student and Dianne was looking for help in passing a repeat physics course. They were married in Fairbanks, AK, in 1969 and lived in Guys two-room, Alaskan-style cabin (without running water) for two years before his graduation. He was active in the local climbing community and a member of both the American Alpine Club and the Alaska Alpine Club. Guys received his Ph.D. in Solar Radio Astronomy in 1971. Before joining MIT/Lincoln Lab in 1978, Guy was a research academic in Europe. He did post-doc work at Sterrenwacht Observatory in Utrecht, Netherlands, where his first child, Christopher, was born. Guy was a Fulbright lecturer at the University of Oulu, Finland, where his first daughter, Annelise, was born. He joined the staff at the Swiss Federal Institute to Technology as an Oberassistant, where daughter Kari, arrived. In 1976 Guy and family returned to the U.S. when he accepted a fellowship at the Air Force Geophysics Lab. Guys solar research was published in various scientific and academic journals. When Guy left academia to work on the staff at MIT/Lincoln Lab, his fourth child, Kristin, joined the family. Guy and his family moved to Kwajalein, Marshall Islands in 1980 and spent 3 tours there (1980-1984, 1989-94, 1999-2004), amassing many friends and memories. Upon his return from Kwajalein he joined MIT/LLs Group 34 until he retired in 2008. Guy continued to work on a flexible part-time basis until his full retirement in March 2012, spending a total of 33.5 years at MIT/ LL. Guy enjoyed his work and colleagues immensely and was proud to be associated with da lab. Guy is survived by his wife, the former Dianne Doppes, daughters Kristin Tarnstrom of Maui Hawaii; Kari Tarnstrom of Trondheim Norway; Annelise Tarnstrom Osborne, son-in-law Andrew Osborne, and three grandsons, Rory, James (Jamie), and Nathaniel (Nate) of New York City. He is predeceased by his son Christopher, who passed in 2013. Guy was a sentimental soul who treasured friends, family, and took much pride in his work. We will miss him greatly.