Thomas Anthony Lopez, 75, of White Rock, New Mexico sadly passed away early on the morning of May 18, 2023. after a lengthy fight with cancer. He passed peacefully in his sleep at home with his wife, Marie Lopez, son Martin Lopez, and daughter Carla Cantu.
Tom served his country through his work as an Electronics Technician at Los National Laboratory for over 40 years and through his collaborations with other laboratories throughout the country. Tom spent a year in France with his family while he worked on an International project at CERN in Geneva, Switzerland. We will never know the full details or true impact of his work. The whole Lopez family was enriched by the very fortunate experience of living overseas and the opportunity to travel and meet people from many other countries and cultures. He had numerous dear International friends from his from various travels and work assignments and delighted in learning about their cultures and especially their food and wine. He also loved to introduce visitors to New Mexican Cuisine, mostly through his wife Marie’s wonderful cooking. He later became a foodie and avid cook himself and he and Marie enjoyed attending wine tastings and loved to treat his friends to joyous evenings of carefully prepared French food and sampling various wines and cognacs at their home. Tom and Marie have a beautiful rose garden that they have lovingly tended for many years and Tom used to love to share their garden bounty with the many people he cared about.
He played a large but quiet role in the Los Alamos community though teaching at UNMLA, as a youth soccer coach, through his work helping build the Overlook Park soccer fields and in his many years as a Tae Kwon Do karate instructor. He was a sixth degree black belt and taught generations of students of all ages.
Tom is survived by his loving wife of over 55 years, Marie Antoinette Ortiz Lopez, daughter Carla Cantu (Thomas), son Martin Lopez, grandson Joshua Cantu (Marisa), goddaughter Courtney Ortiz Padilla (Jackie), honorary goddaughters Ashlee Gibson (Andrew) and Amber Ortiz, Uncle James and Aunt Jean Delgado, sisters Sylvia, Theresa, Dorothy, and Rita, brothers Rick and Jerome and numerous nieces and nephews.
Tom loved the outdoors and was an avid hiker, fisherman and hunter and will be missed by his many adventure buddies, including Aaron Matins, Paul Elkins, Art Mayne (Dec.), Mark Peters and Carl Dickson. The Lopez family thanks them all for accompanying him and looking after him, especially in his later years when the trips became harder for him. He also enjoyed decades of friendship with Jim Potter, Ed Knapp (Dec.), Danny Doss (Dec.) and Bill McCabe. He loved you all and you are all our family too.
Tom’s Mother, Anna Maria Valentina Lopez, his father Antonio Lopez, Grandmother Mary Delgado, Grandfather Tony Delgado, Uncle & Aunt Paul and Catherine Herrera all preceded him in death.
There will be a Celebration of Life on Friday, May 26, 2023, at 4:00 pm at the DeVargas Funeral Home in Española, NM, followed by a private gathering for close friends and family at the family’s home in White Rock, NM.
The family of Thomas Lopez has entrusted the care of their loved one to DeVargas Funeral Home & Crematory of the beautiful Espanola Valley. 505-747-7477. devargasfuneral.com.
(Please note: Mr. Lopez’s obituary was received by the Los Alamos Reporter May 30)