Obituary

Robert (Bob) James Liefeld (90) of Las Cruces passed away peacefully on January 16, 2022, in hospice care after heroically battling a long illness.

Bob was born in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, to Paul W. and Rosella Liefeld on October 27, 1931. He spent his childhood in Regina learning the hard lessons that only a toboggan and frozen tundra can teach. He often said that the movie "A Christmas Story" was autobiographical for him. During the latter years of World War II, he trained as an Air Cadet in the Royal Canadian Air Force, studying aircraft recognition, fostering a passion for airplanes and flight that he would carry throughout his entire life.

The war ended conveniently, allowing him to pursue higher education. He attended high school at Luther College in Regina, where his father Paul taught Chemistry for many years. He attended Capital University, Kent State University, and The Ohio State University, where he received a Doctorate in Physics. He did post-doctoral work in physics at Cornell in Ithaca, New York. Bob came to New Mexico State University in August of 1961 to continue the development of a long-wavelength X-ray physics laboratory in the Department of Physics. As the lab flourished, he mentored a long list of graduate students, culminating in sixteen doctoral dissertations and several master's degrees based on experiments performed in the lab. His graduate students were dedicated to him and often became life-long friends.

A consummate and dedicated teacher, Bob regarded education as something of a religious calling. Naturally inquisitive, his impact was felt across the NMSU campus. He resurrected the university's defunct electron microscope and was heavily involved with the Electron Microscope Laboratory as it grew (originally in the Biology Department, now in the College of Agriculture). An avid amateur astronomer, he re-discovered an antique telescope purchased by the college in 1908, restoring it to full functionality (currently on display in Branson Hall). He helped the Music Department raise funds and put on concerts, and he tortured generations of music majors with a required Physics of Musical Acoustics class delivered reliably at 7:00 am. He hand-graded papers and quizzes, giving carefully derived partial credit for even the slightest glimmer of comprehension for his devious word problems.

A meticulous model airplane builder, Bob built a small fleet of rubber-band-powered airplanes for children to fly at half-time at Aggie basketball games in the Pan American Center. Some are surely still up in the rafters. He stocked the "Physics Fun Room" at NMSU with demonstrations, including the mysterious and enigmatic Chile-Powered Lightbulb. He kept a "meteor detector" running in his house at all times. He ran an all-sky camera to record fireballs falling from the sky. He took his show on the road and delivered "Physics on Wheels" demonstrations to youngsters in communities as far-flung as Thoreau and Lovington, New Mexico.

Bob never stopped being curious and learning, and he could turn anything into a science lesson. His house was filled with experiments, demonstrations, and toys. He taught his granddaughters to fold extremely precise origami frogs and numerous paper airplane models. He tried his hand (largely unsuccessfully) at radio-controlled flight. He was a writer of bad poetry (a Liefeld family tradition). He was a square dancer and a baker of chocolate chip cookies and raisin bread. Near the end, he wondered aloud if the nurses at hospice would be interested in learning about the true nature of the proton.

Bob is survived by his son Eric Liefeld, daughter-in-law Trina Witter, brother John Liefeld, his treasured grandchildren Rigel and Averey, and former spouses Martha (Carlstrom) Liefeld and Sue Lashley. He was preceded in death by his parents, Paul and Rosella Liefeld, and his beloved friend Jean Eoff.

The family thanks Bob's many caregivers for keeping him safe and making him comfortable. A memorial service will be held later due to the pandemic. The family appreciates your written memories of Bob, sent to P.O. Box 1780, Mesilla, NM, 88046. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Astronomical Society of Las Cruces (http://www.aslc-nm.org).

Arrangements are with La Paz – Graham's Funeral Home / 555 West Amador / Las Cruces, NM 88005. To sign the online guest book, visit www.LaPaz-Grahams.com