Charles Stuart Camden Convers III, known to friends as simply "Stu," passed away in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on 11 February 2023, at the age of 82. Eldest child of Lucile (Lipscomb) Convers and Charles Convers, Jr., Stu was born in Dallas, Texas, on 22 February 1940. He had one sister, Cynthia (Convers) Hamlet, who passed away in 2007. He is survived by his nieces and nephews: David Hamlet, Daniel Hamlet, John Hamlet, Maria Parks, Joe Hamlet, and Rose Hamlet.
His whole life, Stu followed whatever engaged his sharp mind and unceasing curiosity. He talked cryptically about working as an engineer at nuclear test sites ("We made some really big holes."), and he parlayed skills with testing and survey equipment into what became an aerial mineral exploration survey company. Business success gave him the freedom to join a crew sailing sailboats to new owners, scuba dive in the Caribbean, and go camping (and rock collecting) around the Southwest, among numerous other activities. Each new venture or adventure was chosen after significant research. He didn't take these steps on a whim - he made sure that each was something he wanted to do and that it would make sense for him.
In the late 1990s, after living for several years in Colorado and Florida, Stu decided to move to New Mexico. He settled in Silver City, the place that would be his home until the end of his life. Stu integrated himself into his adopted community in quiet ways where he felt he could make an impact, including volunteering on park construction projects. Stu also became a "Secret Santa," recruiting a pair of local nurses to act as "elves" and give out anonymous $100 gifts to people the nurses determined needed help for the holidays. Stu was a generous person in others ways, giving as he could to charities that advanced issues for which he cared including education, hunger, and healthcare.
Though he traveled a lot, Stu's roots were in Texas. Stu was an experimental cook with a taste for food from around the world. He prided himself on being able to replicate any dish that he tasted. All that said he did not lightly tolerate beans in his Texas chili. He liked to put lots of garlic in his home-made cajun sausages.
Stu loved to play cards. As a poker player he had the annoying ability to count cards and mentally calculate probabilities. Stu will be remembered as a loyal friend, as the uncle who gave the best gifts, and as someone so full of mischief that it was a good thing he was also charming.
Those wishing to memorialize Stu Convers can donate to the Nature Conservancy, with gifts earmarked for Gila River restoration. https://www.nature.org/en-us/get-involved/how-to-help/places-we-protect/gila-river-preserve/
A memorial will be held for Stu at 1 Six Shooter Drive, Silver City, NM on 1 April 2023 at 1630 h.