Patrick Stewart McVeigh
March 13, 1952-Oct. 1, 2023
Menlo Park, California
Patrick Stewart McVeigh, 71, of Menlo Park, California, passed away on October 1, 2023, after a fourteen-year battle with heart disease. The son of Russell John McVeigh and Betty Stewart McVeigh, Patrick was born on March 13, 1952 in Manhattan, NY, raised in Montclair, NJ, and graduated from Clark University with honors and degrees in Psychology and Philosophy.
A child of the late ‘60s and early ‘70s with a passion for music and technology, Patrick began his career in the hi-fi business where he crossed paths with legendary guitar maker, Les Paul. With the advent of the PC, Patrick jumped at the opportunity to join Apple Computer in 1982. Christened ‘Mr. Consumer’ by his colleagues, Patrick’s career at Apple spanned a decade and took him to Silicon Valley where as the Director of US Consumer Sales and Channel Development he helped launch the Macintosh Performa line of personal computers. In 1993, Patrick left Apple to join a multi-media software startup. In a departure letter to all his colleagues at Apple, Patrick wrote: “Someone at Apple once said, ‘The journey is the reward.’ After 10 years at Apple, I couldn’t agree more. Many thanks to all of you for letting me be a part of your journey. I wouldn’t have wanted to miss a moment of it.” In the years that followed, Patrick worked in management roles at several technology companies including Palm Computing before founding OmniSky Corporation, one of the first mobile telecommunication service providers. Patrick led OmniSky to a successful IPO after 18 short months and its eventual sale to Earthlink in January of 2002.
With his deep, baritone voice, Patrick exuded competence, patience, and devotion to his family and friends alike. He was quick with a joke and a selfless mentor to colleagues over his decades-long career. He will be remembered for his kind and gentle nature and how deeply he connected with everyone he met. Patrick’s giant personality included a vast knowledge of many things, most notably music, history, politics, and Star Trek. At family gatherings, everyone hankered to sit next to Patrick because they knew they would learn something new and be on the receiving end of a riveting conversation.
A devoted husband, father, and grandfather, Patrick found endless joy in the success and accomplishments of his two sons and their growing families. Over the years, myriad family memories were collected on the beaches of Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard, in the rivers of Montana and Argentina, and around the Trivial Pursuit board where Patrick crushed his competition with his geeky command of the geography and science categories. More recently, Patrick relished watching Fireman Sam and Bluey with his grandchildren.
Patrick is survived by his wife of 42 years, Patricia (née Sudol) McVeigh; his sons, Russell and Colin, their wives, Jamin and Lili, his grandchildren, Lincoln, Maya and Margot; and his sisters Linda Beane of Chappaqua, NY and Saco, ME and Tracy McVeigh of Cedar Grove, NJ.
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