Fayne Lutz

Lutz, Fayne Bumgarner, age 83, passed away on Friday Morning, October 24, 2008 at the Plaza de Retiro Medical Care Center in Taos. She was born February 3, 1925 in Kansas City, Missouri, as an only child of Harold and Mayme Bumgarner. After attending school in various towns in Missouri, Fayne attended the University of Oklahoma where she received B.A. and M.A. degrees in Sociology and Psychology. Fayne worked at the Kansas City Star, and during World War II, for the North American Aviation Company in Kansas City, Kansas. She also worked for the University of Oklahoma and the Girl Scouts of America at various times in Fort Worth (Texas), Long Island (New York) and Los Angeles (California). Another position included a position as a manager for the General Telephone Company office in Southern California. After completing graduate school, Fayne was assigned in 1953 to the Misawa Air Force Base, in northern Japan. She served under civilian contract as a U.S. Air Force Recreation Club Director, am I. S. Air Force civilian position. There, she met Lt. Raymond Lutz, a jet fighter pilot serving in the Air Force. The couple married in 1955 after returning to the United States at Oklahoma City. The couple lived in Del Rio, Texas, while Raymond completed his military service with the Air Force. After he was discharged from the service, Raymond was hired as a pilot for Trans World Airlines (TWA), and the couple lived in many places including: San Diego, California; Kansas City, Missouri; New York City; Colts Neck, New Jersey and Los Angeles, California. In 1970, the couple moved to New Mexico to a cabin retreat in Eagle Nest and also into a home in Taos. On the Taos scene, Fayne Lutz worked in the writing, cooking and community activist worlds. Faynes writing included articles for the Sangre de Cristo Chronicle and her husbands Profile magazine for which she wrote historical articles. A story she wrote on the history and beauty of Angel Fire inspired an opera entitled Angel Fire. She served as the secretary of the Taos County Historical Society and its Publication Committee as well as writing articles for the societys publication Ayer y Hoy. For a number of decades, Fayne filled the role of food editor and the writer of the Fayne on Food column for The Taos News. Due to health issues, the writer suspended her Taos News column and competitive writing in December 2006. As treasurer of the Taos Press Club and member of the New Mexico Press Women and the National Federation of Press Women, the writer received numerous awards for her writing. In the world of food, she took first place national honors in 1974 for entering the annual National Chicken Cooking Contest for an original recipe in a contest sponsored by Tyson Foods and the National Broiler Council. Lutz served as an honorary member and treasurer of the Chefs of Taos, founded the Great Taos Chile Cook Off cooking contests and served as its director for several years. Her credits in this realm include authoring three cookbooks: Cooking for All Seasons, Northern New Mexico Recipes and Cooking Northern New Mexico Traditional Foods. Many organizations and residents benefited from Fayne Lutzs efforts and activism. She served on several boards, including Kit Carson Foundation and the Taos School District and Municipal election boards. The Holy Cross Hospital Auxiliary benefited from her efforts in her capacity of president, secretary, volunteer and member of the board. As a board member and the 1976-1977 president of the Taos Chamber of Commerce, she greatly aided the business/tourism community. Fayne also served as president of the Taos chapter of the American Cancer Society and treasurer and precinct chairman of the Taos County Democratic Party. Community honors for her efforts include the following: Taos Press Club named her as its Communicator of Achievement; the Womens Division of the Taos Chamber of Commerce selected her as Taos Woman of the Year in 1982; and in 1993, she received the title as a Taos Living Treasure. Survivors include her husband Raymond H. Lutz and cousins Martha Ann Baxter of Oklahoma City and Merville Bumgarner of Geneva, Nebraska. It was Faynes specific request that funeral and memorial services be privately held. Fayne had many friends among the Native American, Spanish, and the Anglo community in the Taos area. Instead of a memorial service, Fayne would be honored to have her friends and the people of this tri-cultural community come together in the spirit of uninterrupted friendship that is similar to the manner of her many tri-cultural friendships that she enjoyed while living in Taos.