John Teutsch

“...And think of him as living in the hearts of those he touched... for nothing loved is ever lost and he was loved so much.”

         Excerpt from Cowboy Prayer

                      “His Journey’s Just Begun”

                         By Ellen Brennerman

John Gillis Teutsch was born January 24, 1949 at St. Vincent Hospital in Santa Fe, first child of Stanley and Betty Teutsch of Tesuque. Gil grew up exploring the great outdoors with his family and childhood friends and developed a love and appreciation for Mother Nature and all her creatures, something that stood him in good stead and earned him the respect of his colleagues over his 22 year career with New Mexico Game and Fish. His job in Special Services afforded him so many opportunities to discover the incredible lands and waters and wildlife that make up our beautiful state.

Like many of his generation, his life experiences were numerous and varied. In the early years, he raised sheep and goats for show, for sale, for food, played football in high school, competed in rodeo, including bull riding and team roping, was an accomplished horseman and wrangler. Gil served his country in the US Army, completing boot camp in Georgia, a state to which he swore he would never return because of the incessant humidity. He respectfully declined the Army’s offer to train him as a helicopter pilot during the Viet Nam War era and, using what he learned in the mountains of New Mexico, was instead stationed with the Ski Patrol at the Army Base near Garmisch, Germany. The base had multiple purposes, one of which was as an Armed Forces Recreation Center and during the Viet Nam War, Gil was asked to take a Lieutenant Colonel on R&R out on Lake Eibsee to go fishing, just the two of them. That officer was Colin Powell and Gil never forgot their shared time on the lake at the base of the Bavarian Alps. Gil was an avid fisherman, especially fly fishing whether in freshwater streams and lakes and rivers in New Mexico and Colorado or saltwater off the coastof Baja in the Sea of Cortez. Senor Gillie was a favorite of the fishing boat captains and crews of Los Barriles, his enthusiasm and generous spirit were irresistible. He had an artistic talent expressed in little sketches and pencil drawings, something he shared with his granddaughter Isla, in the metal sculptures he enjoyed creating in his welding shop, in the many fishing flies he tied. And he was an explorer, reveling in the challenge of panning for gold in the creeks and rivers of New Mexico, Colorado and Vermont or off on a Forrest Fenn Treasure Hunt in northern Colorado and eastern Utah. It was the camaraderie among wife and family, his Connecticut Cousins, Guy and wife Marylou,and cherished friends sharing love and laughter and times that make lifelong memories, sharing the most breathtaking scenery and encounters with God’s creatures that were his most treasured discoveries.

Gil Teutsch was a loving husband, proud father and grandfather, big brother, uncle, first cousin, and a good and loyal friend. He is survived by his wife and best friend, Lucia, by his beloved daughter, Shayna, adored granddaughters, Isla and Harper, and by their father, Jarred Maclachlan, the son he would have chosen (Nicaragua), by his sister, Susan (Tesuque), and nephew, Jake Trujillo (CA).

Gil passed away February 24, 2022 at Christus St Vincent Hospital. His family is so very grateful for the competent and compassionate care given by the many dedicated doctors and nurses and staff at the CSV Cancer Center, CSV Pulmonary Associates, the CSV Palliative Care team and Compassus Hospice Care, and especially at the hospital during his last days as a respected patient and valued fellow human being.

A celebration of his life, his love and his unforgettable laugh is being planned for late June. If you are so moved, donations can be made in his honor to the Cancer Foundation of New Mexico (cffnm.org), the American Lung Association (lung.org) or the New Mexico WildlifeCenter in Espanola (newmexicowildlifecenter.org).                                    *******

“The Lord spoke to the heavy hearts that stood with hats in hand “Your sadness pains me deeply and I know you’ll miss this man. But, it’s true what you’ve been hearing, Heaven is a real place. That’s no small consolation, you should use that fact to face......So, I offer this small comfort to put your grief to rest, I only take the top hands ‘cause my crew’s the very best. And I know it might seem selfish to friends and next of kin But I needed one more Cowboy and Gil, he fit right in.”

  Adapted excerpts from 

              “I Know You’ll Miss This Man”,

            A poem by Cowboy Poet Baxter Black