Christian C "Neil" Hartwigsen
Christian C. “Neil” Hartwigsen passed away on April 14, 2021, in Albuquerque, New Mexico at age 78 after a short-lived battle with pancreatic cancer.
Neil was born on July 12, 1942 in Teaneck, New Jersey to Christian W. and Rose (Gunther) Hartwigsen. He received his bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Valparaiso University in Indiana in 1964 and his master’s degree in the same discipline from the the University of New Mexico in 1966. After a short stint as an Associate Professor, he was hired at Sandia National Labs in 1967 where he spent his entire professional career of 33 years.
Neil had many passions and hobbies in life. Professionally, he was a dedicated member of the Sandia Labs staff and was proud of his accomplishments in the areas of national security and facilities management. He was well-known for his commitment to his team members and his dedication to their development and growth. He served the Los Lunas school district for six years as an education board member, including his role as president. Neil and his wife were committed to the education system of Valencia County whether in this role or others. He was particularly known for helping Cheryll (an elementary school librarian) with the reading club themes in her library, building lifesize trees, pirate ships, and racecars to bring her vision to life.
In his free time, Neil nurtured many interests. A son and a grandson of carpenters, he spent much of his time in his workshop working on all sorts of projects. He and Cheryll shared a love of gardening and for decades the two of them grew flowers, vegetables, and fruit at their homes in Los Lunas and later Peralta. Living in the Rio Grande valley also provided Neil a need to own and maintain his tractors – first an Allis-Chalmers followed by a MasseyFerguson - which not only serviced the household but were also used to pull a few floats in local parades. And all the while, there was never a moment where Neil was not accompanied by one of his canine friends. From an early age, he loved hound dogs, nurturing over a dozen basset hounds and one lucky redbone coonhound during his lifetime.
Neil spent his final days with his family and close friends. He was preceded in death by his wife, Cheryll Bolinger Hartwigsen, who passed away from multiple sclerosis in 2017, his father, Christian W., his mother, Rose, and his sister, Gail. He is survived by his brother, Gary, his two children, Kristen and Christian J. “C .J.”, his daughter-in-law Lynn, many in-laws, nieces, and nephews, and his basset hound, Scout. A cele- bration of life will be held on November 5, 2021.