Richard Daly

Richard John Daly died on November 6 in Santa Fe at age 101 after a long and fulfilled life. He was born in Santa Fe on October 23, 1922, at the home of his parents, Mary Elizabeth and Richard Marcus Daly. His father, an Irish immigrant, earned a law degree from Georgetown University before moving to Santa Fe in 1918 after military service in France in World War I left lingering health issues.

Richard, known as Dick, grew up fascinated by the cultures and history of Northern New Mexico. Living in Santa Fe when most people spoke Spanish, he became fluent in that language. He graduated from Santa Fe High School in 1940. As a member of the New Mexico National Guard 200th Coast Artillery, he was mobilized and sent to the Philippines in 1941. After the U.S. declared war on Japan, he was captured after a fierce fight on the Bataan peninsula in early 1942, along with many fellow New Mexicans. For three and half years he was a prisoner of the Japanese. In September 1945, he was liberated from a POW work camp on Honshu in Japan.

On his return from the war, Dick married his sweetheart, Barbara Allgaier, who also grew up in Santa Fe. They moved to Boulder, Colorado, where he earned a degree in chemical engineering at the University of Colorado on the GI Bill. In 1956, he returned with his growing family to his beloved home state to work at Los Alamos National Laboratory. He revered science and the work of his colleagues at the Lab. He was involved in local and state Democratic party politics and was a member of the Los Alamos County Council. After retirement, he moved back to Santa Fe and became active in volunteer work. He was a gifted woodworker and created furniture that preserved New Mexico style traditions. His family and various institutions around Santa Fe were fortunate to receive his pieces. He had a deep appreciation for the arts, especially music.

Dick loved and was proud of his family. And his family loved and was proud of him and will miss him dearly. Survivors include his sister Patricia Twinting, of Salt Lake City, and his children:

• Kit and husband John Ruminer of White Rock, NM
• Richard M Daly of Washington, DC
• Joe Daly of Taos, NM
• Marty Daly of Santa Fe, NM
• Peggy Daly of Washington, DC
• Paul and wife Linda Daly of White Rock, NM
• Steve and wife Kathy Daly of White Rock, NM
• Patty and husband Tim Ashby of Scottsdale, AZ, and
• Ed Daly of Springfield, MO

He is also survived by eighteen grandchildren:

• Rich Ruminer (Chanda) and Sheila Kowalczyk (Joey)
• Margot Daly and Katherine Daly (Torrey Lyons)
• Jack and Will Daly
• Seth Daly (Ashley Arrossa), Dylan Daly (Sheena), Sarah Abbott-Weeks (Brian Abbott) and Emi Weeks
• Kristen Lineau (Nathan) and Jamin Daly (Megan)
• Woody and Konrad Ashby
• Maddy, Maya, Conor, and Logan Daly

He is also survived by eleven great-grandchildren, with two more on the way, as well as nephews Bill Twinting and Michel Chevalier. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife Barbara, his daughter Dorothy, and his sisters Katherine Daly and Winifred Chevalier.

Burial will be at the Santa Fe National Cemetery in the spring. The family would like to thank the staff at El Castillo and Presbyterian Hospice in Santa Fe for many years of devoted care.

A donation to Northern New Mexico’s Food Bank at thefooddepot.org or Think New Mexico at thinknewmexico.org would be appreciated.