David Fritz

FRITZ, DAVID BRUCE Age 64, of Tajique, NM, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, May 20, 2014. On July 25, 1949, David was born to Velten F. and Marian Hollerich Fritz in Albuquerque, NM. Blessed with a creative and curious mind and a hunger to live life to the fullest, David succeeded in all the endeavors of his life. David has lived his dream as an artist and outdoorsman. He hiked many mountain tops including the high peaks of Sierra Nevada. He engaged in the mysteries of life choosing opportunities that allowed him to travel the world, but he always returned to his beloved state of New Mexico, where he built his own home in the East Mountains. David loved and laughed for 37 years married to Stefa K. Zawerucha, a woman who laughed easily and joined him on his life journey. Together they danced and choreographed new avant-garde performance pieces. They got their undergraduate degrees in Dance at the University of New Mexico and their Master degrees in Dance at Mills College in Oakland, CA. David's skill as a carpenter excelled from building homes to creating beautiful wood carvings of three dimensional design that inspired abstract thought and intrinsic spirit. David was a Technical Director of the Tish School of the Arts at New York University in New York City, a job he loved where he met inquisitive students and creative colleagues who pushed each other to excel. David was deeply respected in his career as a choreographer and as an administrator who got things done. He received a Bessie, a New York Dance and Performance Award, for his thought provoking lighting design. He also received grants and awards from the New York State Foundation for the Arts and the New York Council on the Arts. David served his country honorably during the Viet Nam Conflict. His earthly cremains will be alongside his parents and grandparents below the Sangre de Cristo Mountains at the Santa Fe National Cemetery in Santa Fe, NM. David is survived by his wife, Stefa K. Zawerucha; his brothers, Stephen (Maria) of Albuquerque and Philip (Judy) of Portland, OR; three sisters, Jean Latham (David) of Rio Rancho, Mary Ellen Farrelly (David) of Albuquerque and Teri McMillan (Michael) of Rio Rancho; 11 nieces and nephews; and 7 great-nieces and nephews; all whom he loved deeply. A memorial service will be celebrated on Thursday, May 29, 2014 at 3:00p.m., at FRENCH-University. Interment will take place on Friday, May 30, 2014, 10:30 a.m., at Santa Fe National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the American Cancer Society, P.O. Box 22718, Oklahoma City, OK 73123-1718. Please visit our online guestbook for David at FRENCH - University 1111 University Blvd, NE 505-843-6333