Rudy A. Ortiz passed away on April 12, 2026, at the age of 93. He was our beloved father, grandfather, great-grandfather, family member, and friend, but his story, and his life, were uniquely his own. The breadth of his story makes writing his obituary extremely difficult, which is, in its own way, the mark of a life well-lived.

He was born Rudolfo Antonio Ortiz on November 16, 1932 in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and the true north of his compass was always his family. He was the son of Luisita Perea Sandoval and Antonio Juan Ortiz, and the brother of Teresita, Consuelo, Alicia, Eddie, Jerry, Betty Lou, and Cougie. Until the day that he died, he kept an up-to-date calendar with all of their birthdays, which grew to include his brothers- and sisters-in-law Elidoro, Don, Eleanor, Phil, Chris, and Kevin, as well as mothers- and fathers-in-law Carmen and Pete Oyaca and Jan and LaVann Bothwell. He cherished being Uncle Rudy to his nieces and nephews Rick, Greg, David, William, Steven, Donna, Miquela, Jerry, Paula, Miche, Matthew, and Tina, along with their families, and infallibly arrived at least twenty minutes early to family events like graduations, baptisms, Thanksgivings, Christmas Eves, and Tamale Sundays.

Rudy liked to tell the story of being stationed in San Diego as a young man and hearing a fortune teller predict that his destiny was to be surrounded by women, only to realize later in life that she was probably referring to his two ex-wives, four daughters, and a string of mostly female pets. His marriages to Angie Oyaca and Vanna Bothwell Ortiz left an indelible mark on his life, and his relationships with them are testament to the many ways that deep care can continue on even after marriages end. He is survived by Vanna; by his children, Marc, Martin, Marquita, Marlisa (Ray), Alexis (Ronit), and Elena; and by his adored grandchildren and great-grandchildren Peter, Monica, Lorenzo, Gavriel, Ezekiel, and Izaiah.

He graduated from St. Michael’s High School and was the first in his family to go to college, attending the College of Santa Fe. He was a lifelong entrepreneur, and reportedly started his first business while he was still in high school: installing tv antennas, in service of which he made his younger brothers climb up on all the roofs. At various points in his career, he enlisted in the Navy, went to seminary, and worked in banking, insurance, and real estate, but he may be best known for his role in transforming New Mexico politics. In 1972, he defeated New Mexico Senator Clinton Anderson to become the National Committeeman for the Democratic Party of Bernalillo County, a victory that made it into the pages of The New York Times. Before that, he was the New Mexico delegate to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in 1968, and his family and friends at home got to watch, riveted, as he cast New Mexico’s vote. He would forever express his disappointment that the assassination of Bobby Kennedy meant that he had to vote for George McGovern instead.

But Rudy was not complacent with tv antennae entrepreneurship, insurance, real estate, or his groundbreaking accomplishments for Latinos in New Mexico politics. In his 50s, he set out to achieve his lifelong dream of becoming a lawyer, and attended D.C. School of Law, sometimes carrying his youngest daughter with him in a backpack on his back. He studied for, and took, the Virginia and New Mexico bar exams as many times as it took him to pass, listening to study lectures on cassette tapes in the car as he drove back and forth to work, soccer and basketball games, and school events. He loved being a lawyer, and embraced the ability it gave him to both provide for his family and give back to the community around him—and his community was always big enough to embrace the people who most needed his help.

Later in life, Rudy relished the simple pleasures of reading the paper, checking the mail, going to church, calling his children to talk about the weather reports and lament the state of national politics, and spending time with his great-grandson Izaiah, who was incredibly special to him. To the end, he maintained his love for piñon nuts, reading legal thrillers, and whistling to himself while he did household chores. We also suspect, but cannot confirm, that the concept of “dad jokes” originated with him, as he never met a pun or a silly song he didn’t like.

Our lives were richer, warmer, and immeasurably fuller because of him. We will miss him, and love him, forever.

Services for Rudy will be held at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Albuquerque, New Mexico at 10am on April 24, 2026, and he will be buried at Santa Fe National Cemetery at 11am on April 27, 2026.

In lieu of flowers, we would welcome donations in his name to support MALDEF or Dismas House. Rudy taught his children that every mind is a world, and that helping even one person changes the entire world for them. In honor of Rudy, please find something you can do, however simple, to make the world a better and kinder place for others. And at the same time, if you can find one thing to do with your life that will make your own obituary writer’s job more difficult, somewhere out there, we think that would make Rudy smile, too.