Frank DeLoss Thayer, 86, a resident of Las Cruces, NM

Frank DeLoss Thayer

Frank DeLoss Thayer, 86, passed away peacefully at Mesilla Valley Hospice in Las Cruces, New Mexico, on June 28, 2026.Frank was born on July 15, 1939, in Santa Rita, New Mexico, to Frank D. Thayer Sr. and Roberta Thayer. He grew up in Hurley, New Mexico, with his sisters, Martha and Anne, and graduated from Cobre High School in 1958.  He briefly served in the Army National Guard before continuing his education.  Throughout his life, he earned degrees from Texas A&M University, Centennial College in Scarborough Ontario, and New Mexico State University.  Frank began his career in journalism, working as a teacher, reporter, photographer, editor, and public relations writer in both New Mexico and Canada.While attending New Mexico State University, he founded Puerto del Sol, the university's literary magazine, which continues today as a respected publication dedicated to emerging writers. He taught journalism at Scarborough Community College in Ontario Canada forabout 15 years, and in the mid 1980's, joined the faculty at New Mexico State University, His teaching career covered many years teaching journalism and mentoring aspiring reporters, editors, and writers. He was an imaginative teacher who knew how to get students engaged. He occasionally staged his own fake assassination while lecturing, in order to teach students about their own observational skills and also about how many points of view might exist over a single incident.

He retired as Professor Emeritus of Journalism and Mass Communications after a career devoted to education, communication, and the written word. Writing was the thread that ran throughout Frank's life. He authored three journalism textbooks, numerous scholarly articles, and professional publications that reflected his lifelong commitment to ethical journalism, careful research, and clear communication. He believed that good writing was more than putting words on paper—it was a way of thinking clearly, seeking truth, asking honest questions, and helping people better understand the world and one another. Those principles guided both his classroom and his own work. After retiring from teaching, Frank continued to write with the same discipline and curiosity that had defined his academic career. Through Sun Cross Publications, he published several novels and other works, embracing the opportunity to explore history, human nature, and the landscapes of the American Southwest through fiction. He was always interested in occult fiction, having been inspired early on by the works of Aliester Crowley & H.P.Lovecraft. Frank was later mentored by Lovecraft's protege August Derleth. He also co-authored books about UFO's and extra-terrestrial visits. Even in retirement, he remained a student of language and ideas, always reading, observing, and writing. Outside of his professional life, Frank had a lifelong fascination with the natural world, especially snakes. A summer evening with Frank very-often involved driving down deserted highways in the middle of the night, in the hopes of seeing (& often rescuing, by persuading them onward) various reptiles stretched out on the soaking up the warmth. He kept many as pets over the years— including several rattlesnakes—and never lost his curiosity or respect for them. His one and only rattlesnake bite occurred in 1979 in the comfort and convenience of his own office. Another life-long interest was WWII history. Growing up as a youngster in post- war American, he began collecting war 'souvenirs' brought back by American GI's, and continued his fascination with that era his entire life. Frank was also a first-rate photographer and adept at black & white darkroom finishing, as evidenced by his many photographs of reptiles, animals, and scenic view of the southwest landscape he loved. In his younger years, Frank was inspired by the rockabilly music of Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly and others. He wrote and performed his own rockabilly songs, eventually recording 45rpm singles and eventually an entire album of his own music and others, which sold quite well in Europe during a rockabilly revival there in the 1990's. In addition, he was a lover of cats, and kept a colony of neutered feral felines well- fed in his neighborhood in Mesilla Park. Frank believed in lifelong learning and quiet service. He found fulfillment in teaching, writing, and encouraging others to find their own voices. He preferred a life of substance over recognition and measured success not by honors received, but by the students he taught, the readers he reached, and the people he encouraged along the way. Friends and family knew they could easily find a lively conversation with him discussing literature, music, history, wildlife, or one of his latest writing projects.

Frank is survived by his son, Trevor Thayer, his sister Ann Thayer Winston, and other family members and many friends who will remember him with love and gratitude. His family extends its heartfelt gratitude to the physicians, nurses, and staff of Three Crosses Regional Hospital in Las Cruces, and to the compassionate caregivers at Mesilla Valley Hospice, for the kindness, dignity, and care they provided during his final illness and in his last days. Frank will be remembered for his quiet but broad intellect, his generosity as a teacher, his dedication to the written word, his curiosity about the natural world, and his enduring belief that words, when used honestly, have the power toeducate, connect, and leave the world a little better than they found it.

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