In memoriam, 2016
Editor’s note: Many nationally and internationally famous people died in 2016. The world lost some greats, from Muhammad Ali to John Glenn and Leonard Cohen. Northern New Mexico lost some greats, too. Here, we look at some who shaped the culture and history of the Taos area. To be sure, there were plenty of others we lost who didn’t make the news and others we may have missed. We salute them all. To read the full excerpts, click on their respective names.
He has been described as a “gentle warrior,” and during the century he lived among us, Tony Reyna fought for our nation’s freedom and became the symbol of dignity for his people that will forever inspire all who knew and loved him.
When he died in his sleep in the early morning hours of Dec. 4, it was a gentle passing. He was with his family at his home at Taos Pueblo, a short walk from the creek that carries water from the tribe’s beloved Blue Lake high in the mountains above the village. Reyna, age 100, was buried in the Taos Pueblo cemetery on Dec. 5, according to tribal custom. Because he was an important member of his Native religion, his funeral was afforded special distinction by tribal leaders even before full United States military honors were displayed at his graveside. Reyna is a survivor of the Bataan Death March in the Philippines, after which he endured 3 1/2 years of brutal captivity during World War II. This was at a time when Native Americans did not yet have the right to vote. His captivity ended in 1945 when he and other prisoners of war were liberated by Allied forces. He was the last of 11 men alive from Taos Pueblo who were captured at Bataan.
— Rick Romancito
An artist and cultural icon, Ouray Meyers died Jan. 7 of cardiac arrest in Albuquerque. Meyers was born in 1941 to Ralph Waldo Emerson Meyers and Rowena Matteson Meyers and was raised in Taos. Like his father, a well-known Indian trader, artist and writer, Ouray enjoyed close ties to the Native community. He was named after the legendary chief of the Ute Indian Nation and his family’s Taos Pueblo friends named him Toshanie, or “Dawn Boy.”
— Rick Romancito
Rene Mettler, owner and chef at the Trading Post Café in Ranchos de Taos, died Jan. 12 at age 73. Mettler was born in Switzerland and was known as a flamboyant old-school European chef who kept his kitchen much like he kept his life, at the center of attention and with an immaculate attention for the finer details.
— Cody Hooks
Dr. Larry Schreiber has been called the Albert Schweitzer of the Sangre de Cristos, but to his 14 children, he was simply called “pop.” The doctor delivered countless babies, gave dignity to many in their last moments and opened his own home to children in need of one. He died at his residence in San Cristobal Jan. 18. He was 68.
— Andrew Oxford
Historian, father, friend — there are few people for whom the threads of history and culture are so tightly wound that, when they pass, a sad ripple radiates through every fiber. One such person was Vicente Montaner Martínez, who died Feb. 24 after a 20-year battle with emphysema. Martínez was a direct descendant of Padre Antonio José Martínez on his mother’s side. The padre was a noted Taoseño for having established the first co-ed school in the mid-19th century and the first printing press (his El Crepúsculo de la Libertad was a precursor to The Taos News).
— Rick Romancito
Legendary Taos folk singer Jenny Vincent died on Mother’s Day, May 8, at the age of 103. Vincent was very well known in Taos County as a teacher and political activist. She is credited for helping to preserve many Hispanic folk songs at a time when administrators pushed for assimilation.
— Rick Romancito
Conservationist, seasoned outdoorsman and community planner Ron Gardiner died Sept. 25 at his home in Questa. He was 62. Gardiner was a self-taught and respected expert on natural resources who gained much of his knowledge exploring the mountains and rivers of Northern New Mexico. His work as a grassroots organizer and planner emphasized the importance of local communities and sound science when considering environmental policy.
— J.R. Logan
Mentor Williams, a longtime Taos resident and nationally known singer-songwriter, died Nov. 16. Williams was best known for writing “Drift Away,” a middle-of-the-road playlist classic performed by Dobie Gray in 1973. He is the brother of songwriter-actor Paul Williams. He has received an award from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers for his 30 years of songwriting and has earned 17 writing awards.
— Rick Romancito
