Obituaries

CAROL BELSHEIM NIELSON Feb. 20, 1930 – Oct. 19, 2023

A celebration of Carol’s life will be held at 1:30 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 20, 2024, at Bethlehem Evangelical Lutheran Church, 2390 North Road, Los Alamos, NM 87544.

Carol Ruth Belsheim Nielson — a musician and librarian known and loved for her graciousness, generosity, and irrepressible sense of humor — died Oct. 19, 2023, in Santa Fe, NM, after a long decline due to cardiac issues and Parkinson’s disease.

Born Feb. 20, 1930, in Minneapolis, MN, Carol was the oldest child of Dorothy Stephan Belsheim, a homemaker and grocery store worker, and George Read More

GENE FRANCIS MORTENSEN Dec. 24, 1935 – Dec 24, 2023

Gene Mortensen passed away peacefully on his 88th birthday, surrounded by his children, on December 24, 2023.

He was born in Albuquerque and attended St. Mary’s High School where he was a vital member of the football, basketball and track teams, while also lending his expert speaking skills, with wit and banter, to the high school speech team.

He graduated from the University of New Mexico with a degree in Chemistry, and during his time there, met the love of his life, Gail Gere. They were married in 1955 and lovingly raised six children together Read More

PATRICIA MARIE CARNEY March 7, 1955 – Dec. 13, 2023

Patricia Marie Carney, of White Rock, died on Wednesday, December 13, 2023, after a sudden illness. She was 68.

She was born to Hugh and Marion Carney on March 7, 1955, and lived—along with six siblings and numerous animals—on the family’s farm near Renton, WA.

She attended parochial schools, spent a year studying in Grenoble, France, and graduated from the University of Seattle. She then lived, through the years, in Seattle, Kent, and Selah, WA, as she worked for various agencies as a social worker; primarily Consejo, Group Health, and Evergreen Read More

CONRAD HENRY LONGMIRE Oct. 27, 1948 – Dec. 25, 2023

Henry Longmire of Newburyport, MA, passed away peacefully at the age of 75, surrounded by his loving family, on December 25, 2023 at the Kaplan Family Hospice House.

Born in New York City on October 27, 1948 to Conrad and Theresa Longmire (née Izzo), Henry and his family relocated to Los Alamos, NM in 1949. Henry forever considered Los Alamos his home, having been raised in a community of scientists, whose curiosity sparked Henry’s own endless desire to learn. The second of seven siblings, Henry retained a constant, strong sense of family Read More

JOSEPH F. WATHEN Dec. 22, 2023

Joseph F. Wathen passed away on December 22, 2023, at 97 years old. 

Joe was born in Louisville, Kentucky in 1926. At age seven, in the midst of the Great Depression, Joe’s family moved to a family farm in Hardin County, near Elizabethtown, KY. The farmhouse had no running water, electricity, or furnace, much like the nearby one-room schoolhouse that he attended.

Joe and his brothers learned the value of hard work and determination, by necessity. They worked the tobacco crop and tended the animals, all while excelling in their schoolwork and athletics.

In 1944 Joe Read More

DONALD EDWARD LANDRY April 18, 1936 – Nov. 21, 2023

Donald Edward Landry, 87, was born on April 18, 1936, in Garner, Massachusetts, and passed away on November 21, 2023, in Rio Rancho after a brief illness. He was the son of the late J. Omer and Irene Landry of Athol, Massachusetts.

After graduating from Athol High School in 1954, Don attended Norwich University for 3 years before he received his appointment to The United States Military Academy at West Point, graduating in 1961 with a degree in civil engineering.

Don’s 20-year military career included a tour of Panama during the Panama Riots (1964) Read More

WILLIAM LEE MUDD April 12, 1931 – Dec. 17, 2023

An incredible man earned his wings with his loving family by his side on December 17, 2023.

William Lee Mudd was born on April 12, 1931, in Peoria, IL to Lela and William C. Mudd. He enlisted in the US Air Force in 1950 and served 3 years during the Korean conflict. He married his sweetheart, Joan E. Hoepfner, also from Peoria, upon his return to the US.

Bill earned his BS in physics, and the couple headed West. They arrived in Los Alamos in 1959 where he worked his entire career. He retired at 57, and he and Joan explored NM living in Albuquerque, Corrales and Conchas Read More

BLAIR MICHAEL ART Nov. 22, 2023 – Oct. 28, 1968

On Wednesday, November 22, 2023, Blair Michael Art, father of three, passed away unexpectedly at the age of 55. Blair was born on October 28, 1968, in Denver, CO to Jon and Susan Art. He received his undergraduate degree from Colorado State University, where he met his wife of 27 years, Kellie. The couple moved to Los Alamos, NM where they were married and went on to raise three children, Chandler, Cameron and Jon.

During his time in Los Alamos, he pursued and received his Master of Science in Nuclear Engineering from the University of New Mexico, alongside Read More

WILLIAM MARSH 1930 – Dec. 2, 2023

Bill was born in Quanah, TX in 1930 to Dewey and Augusta Marsh. The family lived in a number of Texas communities, and he graduated high school in Houston. Bill served honorably in the USAF during the Korean War. He moved to New Mexico where he met and married his wife of 60 years, Dorene.

Bill worked for the New Mexico State Police and later for Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) where he held a high-level security clearance and worked in several departments. He enjoyed building and repairing things and was incredibly skilled at both.

In retirement, he enjoyed playing Read More

PRESILIANO SANDOVAL Jan. 21, 1925 – Dec. 8, 2023

On Friday, December 8, 2023, Presiliano Sandoval passed away peacefully at his home in Truchas, NM.

Presiliano lived his entire life in Truchas, and his passing represents the end of an era, a loss of traditional life and language, a paradigm shift for his family and community.

He was born in Truchas on January 21, 1925, at the home of his parents, Pablita and Apolinar, a mere 400 yards away from the home he and his first wife Dora built and where he lived much of his nearly 99 years.

Presiliano saw Truchas grow from a village of farmers and weavers into a Read More