Thomas MacGugan IV

Thomas MacGugan IV, 86, of Las Cruces, passed away on Monday, July 22, 2024. 

Tom was born on October 28, 1937 to Anna May and Thomas MacGugan in Bell, California before moving with his family to Hatch, New Mexico. Tom graduated from Hatch Valley High School and went on to study Business Administration at New Mexico State University. After graduating, Tom worked at various banks in Las Cruces, Hatch, and Roswell, New Mexico and even moved back to California briefly.

On a trip to Hawaii, Tom reunited with a longtime friend from Hatch, Kirk Wildman, whom he later married. Tom and Kirk lived in Hawaii for a few years before moving to Mesa, Arizona; Corrales, New Mexico; and San Francisco, California. It was in San Francisco that Kirk lost her battle with cancer. After losing his wife, Tom moved back to Las Cruces where he was a substitute teacher before working at both NMSU and NMDA, from which he later retired. In his retirement, Tom volunteered at Mountainview Hospital in Las Cruces. 

Tom was a proud member of the Aztec Masonic Lodge in Las Cruces, the Scottish Right in Las Cruces, Knights of Columbus, and the Tin Lizzies in Albuquerque. He was a car enthusiast and collector, with several antique cars in his garage at any given time, much to the enjoyment of his great nieces and nephew. He was also a member of various car clubs, including a Corvette Club and a Prowler Club.

Tom will be remembered as someone who was always deeply kind to everyone. In fact, he never met anyone he did not like and considered everyone to be a friend. Tom loved to travel the country and the globe, often by car or train, and made new friends everywhere that he went.

Tom was preceded in death by his grandparents, Elbe and Ezra McCullough, his parents, and his wife. Tom is survived by his sister, Judith Ann Stuart, his nieces, D’Anna Keinan (Elly) and Donna Harvey (Skip), and his special great nieces and nephew, Julia Ann (Rick), Eliana, and Daniel Keinan, whom he always treated like grandchildren.

Services will be held at the Basilica of San Albino in Old Mesilla at 10:30am on Wednesday, August 7. Following that, his family and friends will drive to Hatch for a masonic burial.