Eloisa Bergere Thornburg Brown – April 4, 1927 – November 11, 2020
Eloisa Bergere Thornburg Brown passed away on 11/11/2020. She was born 4/4/1927 in Santa Fe, NM into the historic Luna-Otero family. Eloisa was named after her Grandmother, Eloisa Luna Otero Bergere as requested by her Grandfather, Alfred Maurice Bergere. Eloisa was very proud of her New Mexico heritage and she lived life fully with style and exuberance.
Eloisa was a proud matriarch and was survived by her children: Bob Thornburg and Dannie Roark, Rosina and Charles Lowance, Bonnie and John Garcia, and Mary Eloisa and Richard Wallen. She leaves a legacy of five children, 11 grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild.
She attended school in Santa Fe through grade 12, studied at Radcliffe for a year, and married her high-school sweetheart, David. The elegance of Eloisa’s ancestry and upbringing prepared her to be a diplomat’s wife and raise five children as they lived in Bolivia, Ghana, and Nigeria and traveled to five continents along with David’s job in USAID, the Agency for International Development.
Her thirst for learning never ended throughout her life. At 60 she received her bachelor’s degree at UNM. She also studied in Mexico, Portugal, and Spain. Her business card read “Semi-Professional Student.” Her love of the written word led her to teach adults to read and helped others to learn ESL. While in Bolivia she and other wives started an American school for their children which thrives. It came to be known as ‘The Calvert School’ and thrives to this day.
Eloisa got to complete two big events on her bucket list. She was excited and grateful to have the privilege of casting her presidential vote this month. This was important because her aunt, Nina Otero Warren was New Mexico’s premiere suffrage leader instrumental in getting the Women’s’ Right to Vote in NM in 1920.
Eloisa never stopped writing about her family, her travels, and how her rich family ancestry and New Mexico history are entwined. She was so excited that her memoirs were compiled and edited by Patricia Guccino, a local historian. Her intriguing story, “The Tale of Two Eloisas” will soon be published.
As a woman with many interests and talents, she was not afraid to try something new. One of her many accomplishments was becoming an exhibition pistol shooter in La Paz, Bolivia in the mid-’50s. She was once invited to shoot with the Bolivian Army team but was never invited back because she beat them all!!
Eloisa left her mark in indelible ink on her family and every person she met. She lived to be 93, was bright, present, and vibrant up until her last moments and will be missed dearly. In lieu of flowers the family suggests donations in Eloisa’s name to her uncle Aldo’s foundation: aldoleopoldfoundation.org.