Martin MacRoberts

Martin MacRoberts passed away on 12-Jun-24 peacefully at home with his wife Frances and son Patrick at his side. He was born and raised in Shreveport, Louisiana and graduated high school from New Mexico Military Institute in 1958. After punishing himself earning a BA in mathematics at William and Mary in 3.5 years and being honored by selection to Phi Beta Kappa, he decided that education was not for him.  A summer job with United Gas Corporation where an 8 hour day with weekends off was the norm (and they paid) convinced him that working was better than school. 

He arrived in Los Alamos in April 1963 at the age of 22 and signed on as a Staff Member in Group T-5.  His technical career at LASL/LANL was primarily spent doing numerical solutions to differential equations: thermodynamics, electromagnetics, hydrodynamics and neutronics. There were brief periods when he worked on computer control of an accelerator and simulating missile defense. The second half of his career was in management with titles ranging from Assistant Group Leader to Deputy Division Leader. 

In 1964 he met the love of his life, Frances Urizar Dunn. They were married in February 1965. They raised 2 children from her first marriage, Ronald and Gwen, as well as their son, Patrick.  They lost a son, Bruce, shortly after birth and he is buried at Gauje Pines. 

While employed by LANL, Martin worked as a referee of high school level football and as an assistant coach at Los Alamos High School.  The Los Alamos football coaching staff was selected to coach the North All-Stars in the North-South all-star game, a game the north had not won in many years. However we prevailed 14-13 to break the South's run.

Upon retirement in 2000, he went on vacation—just days before the Cerro Grande fire.  He spent the closure of the town visiting with Patrick's family in California. Upon return, he volunteered and was given the responsibility of locating all the residents who had scattered to the four winds and assisting them find housing, 

A voracious reader, Martin volunteered at the county library system repairing books and served on the library board.  As a life-long birder, he volunteered as acting New Mexico Important Bird Area program coordinator for the NM Audubon Society.   He was also an active member of the Los Alamos Little Theater and Light Opera focused on doing set construction. 

Martin is survived by his devoted wife, Frances, his daughter Gwen Lewis (Paul), sons Ronald Dunn (Janet) and Patrick MacRoberts (Kathryn), five grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

A Celebration of Life will be held at Oppenheimer Place, 1001 Oppenheimer Drive, on 6-Jul-24, 2-4PM.

Please visit feel encouraged to leave stories, photos, and condolences for the family to cherish.