Obituaries

JOHN ERIC MESSIMER Aug. 11, 1963 – Dec. 23, 2015

John Eric Messimer, 52, passed away December 23, 2015 in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

John was born in Albuquerque on August 11, 1963. He graduated from Los Alamos High School in 1981. He went on to earn an Associates degree in Graphic Design from Texas State Technical College in Waco, Texas.

Most importantly, John protected the citizens of Albuquerque by serving in the Albuquerque Police Department for over 20 years. John received the department’s highest honor, the Medal of Valor in 1987.

John was a lifelong Philadelphia Eagles and Phillies Read More

R. DEAN TAYLOR – Dec. 25, 2015

Dr. Raymond Dean Taylor died suddenly on December 25, 2015 due to coronary artery disease at the age of 87.

Dean was a loving husband, father and grandfather, dedicated scientist, avid skier and active member of the First United Methodist Church.

Dean was born in 1928 in Okemah, Oklahoma. He received a BS in 1950 from Pittsburg State University and a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry in 1954 from Rice University. He then joined the Low Temperature Physics group at Los Alamos National Laboratory in 1954.

He maintained an active and productive career at LANL for the past 60 years. Read More

JUDY RUNYAN Dec. 21, 2015

Judy Runyan, age 88, former Los Alamos resident, passed away Monday, Dec. 21, 2015 in Albuquerque. 

She is survived by her children, David Bergstein of Albuquerque, Roxanne Cavin (Keith) of New York and Jody Jones (Dan Cather) of White Rock. She is also survived by three grandchildren, three great grandchildren and three great great grandchildren, and leaves many dear friends, especially Tom, Jacque, Airon and Logan Dimas of Albuquerque. 

Judy loved quilting, sewing, needlepoint, reading and all animals. She loved sitting on her patio in the summer with Read More

LILA VALERIE LEVI-COOPER May 7, 1935 – Dec. 21, 2015

Lila Valerie Levi-Cooper shuffled off this mortal coil at 11:45 pm December 21, 2015. She was a resident of Los Alamos, New Mexico since 1979. She was born May 7, 1935 in San Francisco, California. Her body will be cremated at Rivera Family Funeral Home and Crematory in Espanola, New Mexico.

Val, as she was known to family and friends, was an enthusiastic skier, hiker, backpacker, and gardener. She was also an accomplished cook, as evidenced by her extensive collection of cookbooks. She leaves behind a number of scrapbooks with photographs, menus, Read More

RUSSELL IVAN SHINN Dec. 8, 2015

If a person is measured by the lives they touch, Russell Ivan Shinn was a legend. Russ passed away at home, surrounded by family on December 8, 2015.

He was loved, and will be dearly missed, by his wife, Suzie Frazier; brother, Art Shinn and sister-in-law, Renee; nieces, Miranda, Mary and Kayleigh; daughter, Jennifer Shinn and son-in-law Greg Sievers; stepchildren, Amy and Christian Piatt, Mateo and Melania Frazier and grandchildren, Michaela, Makaio, Mattias and Zoe. Suzie’s parents, Bonnie and Gene Frazier, her siblings, countless nieces, Read More

NAOMI MIRIAM BECKER Dec. 16, 2015

Naomi Miriam Becker, 63, of Santa Fe passed away on Wednesday, December 16, 2015.

She is preceded in death by her parents Sidney and Carol Becker. She is survived  by her children Madeleine Cogbill and Andre Cogbill. Naomi Becker was an accomplished hydrologist who spent over three decades at Los Alamos National Laboratory before retiring in 2O14. She earned a B.S. in Geology at the University of lllinois-Chicago, and the M.S. and Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Wisconsin – Madison.

Her research at Los Alamos Read More

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JOHN T. SUTTON Sr. – Dec. 6, 2015

John T. Sutton Sr., 82, a resident of Los Alamos, passed away of natural causes on Sunday, December 6, 2015. 

John was born in Winthrop, Massachusetts where he met and married his sweetheart, Alyce M. Comeau, in September 1956. In the early 1960’s John joined EG&G and later, in 1970, relocated his family to Los Alamos. John worked his entire career as an engineer with EG&G and Bechtel until retiring in the early 2000’s. 

John had many interests, which included flying light airplanes, building model airplanes, and golfing. John even shot a 72 on Read More

DENNIS D. SIMMONDS Dec. 9, 2015

Dennis D. Simmonds, 80, a resident of Los Alamos, passed away on Wednesday, December 9, 2015. He was preceded in death by his parents, Ivan and Effa Simmonds and infant daughter, Suzanne.

Dennis was an expert woodworker and a multi-skilled craftsman. He was a pioneer in the computing era. He enjoyed his church choir, men’s group and breakfast at Violas. He came to Los Alamos in 1957 where he worked a 35 year career. He wrote hydrodynamics codes, designed a Linear Accelerator and implemented network engineering and computer security. He had a lifelong love for learning. Read More

MARY LOUISE SWEENEY KEIGHER March 11, 1924 – Dec. 6, 2015

Mary Louise Sweeney Keigher, 91, a longtime resident of Los Alamos, passed away on Sunday, December 6, 2015.

Mary Lou was born on March 11, 1924, in Mitchell, South Dakota (Home of the Corn Palace). Mary was preceded in death by her beloved husband “Jamie” Don Keigher; her parents, Dr. and Mr. J.T. Sweeney; infant son, Kevin in 1954 and son, Brian J. Keigher in 2003.

Mary was a secretary at Union Oil Co. during WWII followed by employment at Los Alamos National Laboratory as a word processor, she and Don retired in 1986.

Mom once said that Read More