Joseph Macek Obituary

Joseph H. Macek, 87, of Catonsville, MD, died on February 26, 2025, after a long illness. He grew up on a farm in South Dakota, studied engineering physics at South Dakota State University and received a PhD in physics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1964. After postdoctoral fellowships in Washington, DC and Harwell, England, he took a faculty position in 1968 at University of Nebraska-Lincoln. In 1988, he joined the Physics Department at University of Tennessee-Knoxville as a Distinguished Scientist with a joint appointment at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, retiring in 2014. Over the course of his prolific career, he authored or co-authored more than 100 scientific papers and earned an international reputation as a leader in the field of theoretical atomic physics.

He is survived by his wife Ellen Allard Macek; his sons Stephen (Jacqueline), Paul (Michelle) and Peter (Regina); his grandchildren Aleeza, Sophia Rowe (Zachary), Sebastian, Eva and Nathan; his brothers Richard (Janet) and Robert (Anne), his sister Sharon Callaway (Alex), and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his brother Harold and his parents Joseph and Esther.

He will be remembered as a devoted husband and father, an enthusiastic teacher, a supportive mentor, and a wonderful storyteller with a unique sense of humor.

A memorial service is planned for May 3.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Macek Memorial Scholarship c/o Charlestown Scholarship Fund. Please send checks to 719 Maiden Choice Lane, Baltimore, MD 21228 Attn: Philanthropy. Please write in the memo line: Macek Memorial Scholarship.