Eckart E Colsman

TOPSFIELD - Eckart E. Colsman passed away on Sunday morning, September 6, 2020 at his home of over 40 years in Topsfield, MA. He was surrounded by many family members including his wife Tilda and his sons Eric and Walter.

Born in Germany in 1933, he grew up in Langenberg and studied in Munich where he met Tilda and earned a Masters Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Technical University of Munich. After getting married in Connecticut, Tilda and Eckart first lived in Seattle, Washington, where Eckart began a career in aircraft engine design by working for Boeing. His career culminated in working for GE in Lynn, MA for over 25 years.

Eckart pursued skiing, hiking, gardening, and tennis with a passion. A left-hander, he was a coveted doubles partner and a formidable singles player. Later he took up sailing as a member of the Corinthian Yacht Club in Marblehead where he enjoyed sailing his Rhodes 19 for many years with the competitions, camaraderie, and yes, some hard won hardware.  He was also a member of the U.S. Power Squadron.

Eckart loved his family and friends; he was charming and outgoing, fun to talk to and be with, interested in other people, and very interested in life. He read and studied physics, Goethe, and history.   Eckart was a member of the American Physical Society and proposed a variant on Einstein’s relativity theory (Refractive Relativity Theory).  He enjoyed Wagner and trips with neighbors and friends to the Opera.

He will be sorely missed by his extended family in Germany and the US; his triplet bothers and their families, his neighbors and colleagues from over the years, and his lasting friendships including those from his Munich student days. He is survived by his wife Tilda; son Eric and wife Marina and their 4 children; and son Walter and wife Christy and their 3 children.

ARRANGEMENTS: Services are private. Assisting the family with the family with the arrangements is the Peterson-O'Donnell Funeral Home, 167 Maple St., (rte 62) Danvers. Honoring his interests in philosophy, psychology, and science including that of the brain, donations made to the McGovern Institute at MIT in lieu of flowers will be used to honor Eckart Colsman’s memory and further vital brain research. Gifts may be made at mcgovern.mit.edu/support or checks made payable to MIT may be mailed to: MIT Gift Operations, 77 Massachusetts Ave Building W98, Cambridge, MA 02139. To share a memory or offer a condolence, please visit www.odonnellfuneralservice.com

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