Obituaries

ALLEN HENRY MEDENDORP April 16, 1943 – Nov. 21, 2021

Allen Henry Medendorp, age 78, lost his fight with pancreatic cancer in the early morning of November, 21, 2021 in Los Alamos, NM. 

He was born April 16, 1943 to Henry and Annette Medendorp in Grand Haven, MI.

He was preceded in death by his parents and by his wife of 54 years, Mary Medendorp. They were married on June 16, 1967.

He is survived by his three children, Gregory A. Medendorp (Anna) of Albuquerque, NM; Lisa A. Navarrete (James) of San Antonio, TX; and Brian J. Medendorp (Haley) of Nashua, NH. Al has two grandchildren, Elena Navarrete of San Read More

ROBERT MAYERHOFER April 27, 1920 – Oct. 9, 2021

Robert Mayerhofer, 101, long-time resident of Los Alamos passed away at Aspen Ridge Lodge Assisted Living Center on Saturday, Oct. 9, 2021.

Robert was born and grew up in the Steiermark province of Austria on a farm near Irdning. After Austria was annexed by Germany in 1938, he was drafted into the German military. He served in several European theaters as a truck driver for the German Luftwaffe. In 1945, while retreating from the Russian front, he was taken prisoner by the British in Denmark and returned to the Steiermark.

While working in the little Read More

LT. COL. NORMAN G. WILSON Nov. 24, 2021

Los Alamos resident Lt. Col. Norman G. Wilson, age 89, passed away at his home Nov 24, 2021 with his wife Barbara Jean Wilson and family at his side.

Norm was born and was raised in Lawrence, KS where he graduated from the University of Kansas with a degree in Engineering Physics. He also worked with his parents Delbert and Fern Wilson on the family farm and at their Mobil bulk oil distribution service.

Shortly after graduation, Norm joined the US Air Force as an officer and was assigned to Kirtland AFB, where he served for 28 years (active and reserve) in activities Read More

ROBERT APODACA June 5, 1927 – Nov. 13, 2021

Robert (Bob) Apodaca, a unique and amazing friend to so many…passed from this life on November 13th, 2021, leaving an unforgettable memory with each of us who knew and loved him. His friendship and influence on all will be treasured forever and will be joyfully passed onto future generations.

Words cannot express the sadness and sense of loss felt by all of us whose lives he touched. He was known for his amazing smile, the love he had for all who crossed his path, the love shown for his wife of 56 years, and especially the exceptional care shown to her as she struggled Read More

ANNE LANIGAN BRINKLEY May 5, 1932 – Nov. 8, 2021

Anne Lanigan Brinkley, age 89, passed peacefully at home on November 8, 2021.

Anne is survived by her two sons, Patrick “Rick” (Freda) Brinkley of San Mateo, California, Timothy Brinkley of San Diego, California and two granddaughters, Erika (Jon) Lewis of Danville, California and Miranda Brinkley of San Mateo, California. Anne is also survived by her sister Jean Butkovich of Cle Elum, Washington. Also mourning his loss are caregivers Mike and Celenia.

Anne was born in Cle Elum, Washington May 5, 1932 to John Lanigan and Charlotte Tuttle. Anne Read More

THOMAS P. WANGLER Aug. 2, 1937 – Nov. 20, 2021

Thomas (Tom) Patrick Wangler was born August 2, 1937 in Bay City, Michigan to Frank and Florence Wangler.

He earned his B.S. degree in physics in 1958 from Michigan State University, followed by a Ph.D. in physics in 1964 from the University of Wisconsin.

Tom started his professional research career in high energy physics at the Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois where he worked from 1966 to 1979. After joining Los Alamos National Laboratory in 1979, he devoted his entire career in the field of Accelerator Physics.

Tom is internationally known Read More

REBECCA PARKER 1952 – 2021

Becky Parker—beloved wife, mother, grandmother and friend—died peacefully in her sleep in the early morning hours of Sunday, November 14, with her husband Bob at her side.

Becky was born Rebecca Pierce in Elyria, Ohio. She earned a physics degree from Heidelberg College in Tiffin, Ohio, where she met Bob. A member of Sigma Pi Sigma, the physics honor society, she received secondary education credentials to teach all sciences and math. She taught in middle and high schools in six states, and discovered that she most enjoyed teaching middle schoolers, just the opposite Read More

KAYE DON LATHROP Oct. 8, 1932 – Oct. 23, 2021

Kaye was born in Bryan, Ohio and grew up in Macomb, Illinois. He attended West Point Military Academy, graduating in 1955. He and Judith Green met while he was at West Point and she at Vassar College and the two were married in June of 1955.

Shortly thereafter they were stationed in Germany as Kaye served as first lieutenant in the U.S. Army from 1955-1958. They then returned to the states for Kaye to pursue a Master’s and then PhD from California Institute of Technology.

He worked at the Los Alamos Scientific Lab from 1962-1984, with 2 years at General Atomic Read More

ALICE LELIA BAKER Nov. 17, 1933 – Sept. 23, 2021

Alice Lelia Baker, 87, passed away Sept. 23, 2021, at Providence Alaska Medical Center, Anchorage due to respiratory failure. Services will be held at a later date.

Alice was born Nov. 17, 1933, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She graduated from Grove City College, Grove City, PA in 1951; she later earned her Bachelor of Engineering in 1978 from the University of New Mexico, Los Alamos. 

In 1951, Alice married James Joseph LaRotonda. To this union, four children were born, and the family lived in Toledo, OH, Denver, CO and Los Alamos, NM. Alice married Read More

HELEN LUCILLE BARKER May 21, 1921 – Nov. 9, 2021

Helen Lucille Barker was born in Fairview, Pennsylvania on May 21, 1921. She was the oldest of four children in her family, and grew up on a farm with a view overlooking Lake Erie. Helen learned to be adept with tools from her father, who worked for the Marx Toy company and was also an auto mechanic and a man of many other skills.

After graduating from high school, Helen went to work at a TNT plant in Pennsylvania. Hearing about available jobs in Tennessee, Helen joined five other young women and drove (in one car!) to Oak Ridge. “They told us we were making green Read More