Thomas Nicholson Elder

Thomas Nicholson Elder died at 88 years old on December 13, 2024, in Taos, NM. Tom was born in Louisville, Kentucky to Guy and Gay (Toombs) Elder, on July 13, 1936. He was the first of four boys.

The family moved to Los Alamos in 1945 when Guy Elder was hired by the Zia Company to run the steam plant for Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). Tom grew up exploring the canyons and mountains with his many friends in the community. At Los Alamos High School he participated in track, swimming and football.

He graduated in 1955 and joined the U.S. Army. There he served honorably in the 568 Engineer Company in Hanau, Germany. Afterwards he returned to Los Alamos, married and began a long career at LANL. There he had two daughters, Kirsten and Monica.

In 1969 he moved to Espanola with his second wife, Judy. Tom dedicated himself to building “Camelot”, their several acre organic farm (also known as “Grok”). It also became summer camp for many visiting nieces and nephews who learned the arts of weeding, firewood-splitting, flour milling and baking, agriculture and irrigation, and mountaineering.

Tom loved cars and bikes. In 1969 he won second place in the NM Road Cycling Championship. Biking remained important to him for the next 40 years.

At LANL he operated a two-stage gas gun for M-9. He retired in 1991 after 37 years, to settle in Taos, NM with his current wife, Mary Ann Elder. His LANL ingenuity and his love for the Los Alamos canyons and mountains never left him.

He never stopped thinking about how to fix things so he could keep them forever. His motto was “Use it up, wear it out…or do without”. He kept his old friends forever too. He enjoyed mentoring new talent at LANL and took pride in their successful careers. Tom often made-up words and was a prolific writer. He was best friend of all dogs and his own were his constant companions.