Tyree Minton

Tyree Goodwin Minton, 85, of Taos, passed away peacefully at his home on June 29, 2024. Ty was born on November 7, 1938, in Roswell, New Mexico, to E.G. Minton and Helen Louise Goodwin.

He is survived by his best friend and loving wife of 58 years, Gael Rockwell Minton; his children Bronwyn Minton and her husband Mike Casey, and Nathaniel Teal Minton and his wife Shana Youngdahl; his grandchildren, Adelaide, Odin, and Elodie; and his sister Debbi Clark (Portales, NM)

A curious, life-long learner committed to the arts and environment, Minton began his educational accolades as the 1958 Salutatorian of Lovington High School in Lovington, New Mexico; he earned a BA in Botany with minors in zoology, art, and chemistry from the University of Colorado, Boulder in 1962, then attended the School of Medicine at the University of Colorado for one year before he took a job as a biology and Human behavior Instructor at The Putney School in Putney, VT and began a 38-year career in education. While at Putney, Ty contributed to the development of the Farm Association, a program that involved students in raising their own animals and created advanced biology courses in Human Behavior. It was also at Putney where Ty met the love of his life, Gael Rockwell, a graduate of the school and the headmaster’s daughter. Ty’s passion for education and the environment led him to continue his studies, earning two NSF grants in 1966 and 1968 and an MST in Environmental Studies in 1972 from Antioch New England Graduate School, a program he founded and remained teaching in until he earned Emeritus status in 2001. While employed at Antioch, he earned an Ed.D in Environmental Studies (1980) from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and in 1990, Minton was honored with the Outstanding Environmental Educator Award from the New England Environmental Alliance. He was an inspiring teacher who brought passion to the classroom and loved bringing his students into the field to study diverse ecosystems up close. His influence on his students will be felt in schools and environmental centers for a generation.

Ty’s environmental work was mirrored in his artistic work. A lifelong artist, Minton trained first with his mother, artist Helen L. Minton, a noted New Mexico artist and teacher who studied with founding members of the Taos Society of Artists and the Santa Fe Art Colony. By age 11, he took private pottery lessons and learned to throw pots. While in the premed program at the University of Colorado, he continued his pottery studies with Nan and James MeKinnel. By 1961 he worked as an Assistant Pottery Instructor in Boulder, Colorado’s Adult Education program. Ty’s passion for pottery was a lifelong pursuit, as he sought ongoing study opportunities and ran an active pottery business until his death, working as a full-time potter when he retired from teaching and returned to New Mexico in 2001. He was particularly known for his wind bells that depicted animals from the landscapes he loved in New Mexico and Maine. His service as an artist included teaching at the Putney School and Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in Maine and service to the Massachusetts Council on Arts and Humanities. From 1987 to 1988, he was President of the Grand Monadnock Arts Council in Keene, NH. 

A loving spouse and father, Minton will be remembered for the time he spent teaching his two children, Bronwyn and Teal, about the environment, arts, as he modeled a life built on compassion and curiosity. In particular, he was known for spending time making his house and garden spaces of sustainable beauty and quietly inspiring us all to do what we can to improve our little corner of the universe. When he returned to New Mexico in 2001, he and Gael ran a CSA, and his contributions to the stewardship of Squash Blossom Farm inspired many. He loved his three grandchildren deeply and enjoyed showing them around the garden and pottery studio. He is preceded in death by his parents and two sisters, Betsy Savoie and Ruth Paris.

He will be remembered for his ongoing love of the world and commitment to the environment and the arts. 

Arrangements by Rivera Family Funeral Home. To share a memory, please visit our website at www.riverafuneralhome.com.