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VISEL -- Robert F. Visel, 82, passed away on Friday, May 7, 2010 after a courageous battle with Parkinson's Disease. A long time resident of Los Alamos, Robert (Bob) was a great father, a great-grandfather, and one of the best teachers the Los Alamos High School ever had. Many of his students to this day remember him and how some of them were able to test out of the first semester of drafting and design in college. Bob was born on June 1, 1927, in New Haven Connecticut to Clifton and Mozelle Visel. He was the second of three children they would have. During the depression it was hard for Bob's father to find work. His father Clifton was a mining engineer and the family moved to Fredericksburg, Virginia and then to El Paso, Texas. There they lived until housing was finished near the mining area in Matehuala, Mexico where they then moved to in 1937. A large part of Bob's youth was spent here where he learned to speak fluent Spanish. He was greatly loved by the servants they had while living there and Bob learned a lot about wood work and gardening from a couple of these servants. One of the exciting moments while growing up in Matehuala was when Poncho Villa had the miners, including his father, detained in the mine for a few days hoping for a ransom or some sort of bargaining power with the Mexican government but it never panned out and they were let go. The mining company, American Smelting and Refining, created a school, grades 1 7, for the children of the employees. In 1938 the Smelter closed down and the two room school was moved to the mine itself. After the 7th grade Bob then went to the San Marcos Baptist Academy, in San Marcos Texas, to finish grade school. During this time at the Baptist Academy Bob became a Student Commander of the Military Corp of Male Students. In 1944 he graduated from the Academy with honors. Bob was a Texas Aggie and starting in1944 spent two years at Texas A&M. At this time A&M was an all male student body, so female companionship was non existent, but Bob managed to find a girl friend who lived in Houston and spent more time with her than at school. So he flunked out in his junior year. Since the war was still going on, rather than being drafted, Bob decided to join the army. He joined in San Antonio and was then shipped to Virginia for basic training. During basic he was interviewed for a security guard position at the Los Alamos Manhattan Project. He, along with a small group of fellow soldiers were sent here to Los Alamos where he served guard duty for about a year. While serving guard duty Bob frequented a USO in Santa Fe. This USO brought in a couple that taught Ballroom Dancing and this was the start of his dancing prowess. This is also where he met his first wife Darlene and they married shortly after he was discharged in 1948. She had a little apartment there in Santa Fe and that's where they lived while he tried to get a job at the lab as a technician. With no luck getting a job at the lab his older brother Cliff suggested he go to a school for teachers in San Marcos, Texas. They packed up and moved to San Marcos. While at the Southwest Texas State Teachers College Bob Studied Industrial Arts with a few regular art classes mixed in. He graduated in 1950. Jobs were scarce but Bob found a teaching job in Pharr (a small town in South Texas.) There he taught woodwork, arts and crafts, and consumer math. During his first year of teaching Darlene contracted cancer. She underwent surgery and they thought the cancer was gone. Bob then found a job in Dallas, Texas, where not only could he teach but start obtaining his Masters degree as well. Unfortunately Darlene's cancer returned. Bob graduated with his Masters and Darlene died that same year. Bob and Darlene loved Santa Fe and Los Alamos so much that they tried to go there every summer. One visit he found out that the Schools were looking for teachers and he applied. He got the job and began his teaching career with the Los Alamos High School shortly after Darlene passed away. In 1958, a fellow teacher, Bess (Gallavan) Hegler, introduced Bob to a secretary from the lab. This would be his second wife Millie who had been eyeing Bob for some time. She first noticed him at a performance of teachers where there was a wardrobe malfunction and Bob ended up with a pair of pants that were way too small. Millie was out in the audience with some girlfriends and they were all eyeing the guys on stage when Millie claimed she would, Take the one in the tight pants! She also joined the choir at the First United Methodist Church so she could get a closer look at Bob. They married on August 2, 1958. A year later they had their one and only son Robert A. Visel. Unfortunately having two Bob's in the family was going to be a real problem in the future. If they had known this they would have named him Jack. Bob continued his career at the Los Alamos High School and had obtained a second Masters Degree to advance himself from Art teacher, Shop teacher, Drafting teacher, to the Audio Video Specialist of the High School. During the summers Bob would also work out at the Lab at S-site where they took advantage of his drafting talents and teaching abilities as well. Bob retired from the High School but continued to work at the lab until he was able to retire from there as well. Bob also began a major addition to his house which required a great deal of his free time. Bob was also very dedicated to his church, The First United Methodist Church, where he and Millie both sang in the choir. He also constructed many of the furniture pieces in the pulpit as well as the large cross hanging above it. Bob and Millie enjoyed traveling around the country and especially liked to take cruises which they did on many occasions both in the Atlantic and Pacific. On March 30, 2004, his wife Millie passed away. But most of all they loved to dance. Bob and Millie were champion Ballroom dancers and entered many dance competitions frequently coming home with various trophies and metals. They also enjoyed sharing their talents with others by conducting Ballroom dance classes. They especially enjoyed the classes they held for the kids. Bob was an avid gardener and was recognized for his rose bushes, fruit trees, corn, and especially his pumpkins which he shared with everyone especially the kids and fellow members of the Methodist Church. His picture could be seen almost every year in the local paper holding two of the larger pumpkins while standing amongst his corn. Bob was also a stamp collector and helped to start a stamp club which met for many years until most of the members either died or moved away. He was also one of the early members of the Los Alamos Schools Credit Union of which he served as President for a couple terms. The two things Bob enjoyed the most were his two grandchildren; Athena, born June 24, 1981, and R.J. Born September 13, 1985. With these two around nothing else seemed to matter. He always made sure they had everything they needed not only at present but for the future as well. He was extremely proud of who they have become and what they have accomplished. Robert was preceded in death by his parents Clifton and Mozelle; his older brother Cliff; younger brother Jack; nephew John; in-laws Edward and Anna Svejkovsky; in-laws George James and Anna May Chuey; brother-in-law Jim Chuey; and his two wives Darlene Svejkovsky Visel and Mildred Chuey Visel. He is survived by his son Robert A. and girlfriend Margaret along with her two children Sidney and Brittney; his two grandchildren Athena of Rochester, New York and R.J. Of Albuquerque, New Mexico; his sister-in-law Eleanor of El Paso, Texas; his sister-in-law Mildred of Premont, Texas; his nieces Mary, Jackie, and Dianna of El Paso Texas, and Patty of Premont, Texas; his nephews Paul of Kingsville, Texas, and Greg of Uvalde, Texas; and his nephew Jim of Miami, Florida, and many many others. Bob was a saint and loved by everyone that knew him. He will be greatly missed. Cremation has taken place and a memorial service has been scheduled at 10AM on Saturday, June 26th, at the First United Methodist Church in Los Alamos. DeVargas Funeral Home and Crematory of the Espanola Valley (505-662-2400) is in charge of arrangements.
        Published on: Fri May 14, 2010