Philip Duryea Thacher

Age 77, a resident of Albuquerque since 1965, passed away peacefully at home after a 15 year battle with Parkinson's disease. He is survived by his soul mate and loving wife of 51 years, Aija; daughter Nara of Albuquerque; son Jeff and wife Kelly of Fort Worth, TX, and their children Larisa, Kyra, Connor, and Jenna; brother John H. Thacher and wife Caroline of Ojai, CA, and their sons Peter, Sherman, and Tom and their families; brother-in-law Maris Purgailis; and numerous cousins and their families. He was preceded in death by his parents, George and Helena. Phil was born in Palo Alto, CA, on January 13, 1937, and grew up in the Sierra Nevadas, where his father was a civil engineer building dams and tunnels. He graduated from Thacher School (a boarding high school started by his grandfather in Ojai, CA), received his B.S. in physics from CalTech, spent a year in France on a Fulbright Scholarship, and received his Ph.D. in physics from Cornell University, where he met his wife while folkdancing. In 1965, they moved to Albuquerque, where he worked at Sandia National Laboratories for almost 40 years, the last few years as an independent contractor. In addition to English, he also spoke Latvian, French, and Russian, as well as reading German. His interests and activities included folkdancing, camping, hiking, soccer, swimming, horseback riding, CalTech glee club, reading, clarinet, mineralogy, and life-long learning. He was active in Planned Parenthood and Sierra Club, as well as supporting numerous family planning, environmental, educational, health, social, and cultural organizations. Phil will be sorely missed by all who knew him. A Celebration of Life service will be held Saturday, July 26, at 2:00 p.m. at FRENCH - Westside Chapel, 9300 Golf Course Rd., NW., with reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Planned Parenthood of New Mexico (719 San Mateo Blvd, NE, 87108) or New Mexico Parkinson's Disease Coalition (1740 Miracerros Pl, NE, 87106).