Tony Sawtell

With heartbreaking sadness, the family of Tony Sawtell announces his passing. Tony was an attorney in Santa Fe for almost 50 years with the firms of Catron, Catron and Sawtell and later with Sawtell, Wirth, and Biedscheid.

He grew up in Omaha, Nebraska where he graduated from Westside High School. He spent many months in Santa Fe beginning at age two. His grandfather was an amateur painter and was intrigued with the Cinco Pintores. In the early 1900’s, the family started many vacations in Santa Fe with his mother and father, Bill and Gloria Sawtell, spending their honeymoon at Ghost Ranch and a guest ranch in the Pecos that is now the Benedictine Monastery.

He and his brother, Peter, spent summers at a ranch next to the Valle Grande outside Los Alamos where he rode horses and worked cattle. He spent many summers in New Mexico as a camper and as a ranger at the Philmont Scout Ranch. As an Eagle Scout, he was renowned for his ability to blow through a tent pole sounding like a bear and scaring the pants off other campers.

Tony graduated from Stanford University, spent a year at Lancaster Theological Seminary, and ultimately graduated from the University of New Mexico School of Law as a member of the Order of the Coif. He made life-long friends with Joe and Catherine Goldberg, former State Senator Michael and Lynn Sanchez, retired Judge the Honorable Ted Baca, and many others.

He loved and served his community: on the United Way of Santa Fe County board of directors and president for 8 years; served as the pro-bono attorney for the Santa Fe Railyard Community Corporation from its inception until he retired in 2019; was a founding member of the United Church of Santa Fe; served as the pro-bono attorney and later as a board member and vice-president of the Historic Santa Fe Foundation; was instrumental in establishing the “new hospital”—Physician’s Medical Center; helped numerous non-profit organizations; and was part of the family of volunteers as his mother was establishing the Santa Fe Community Foundation.

He was active in many political campaigns from the Fred Harris for President to Jeff Bingaman’s campaigns for New Mexico Attorney General and U.S. Senator to other races for his law-school friend, Michael Sanchez, and his law partner, Peter Wirth.

An avid outdoorsman, he loved golf and spent as much time as possible on the course with his friends David, Larry, Steve, Alan, and Dave. He was on the board of directors and served as president at the Santa Fe Country Club. The only two things that would keep him off the course were fly fishing and backpacking with Dave and Fletcher.

A lover of martinis and wine, he could recite the lyrics from every song by Bob Dylan, the Doors, the Grateful Dead, the Rolling Stones, and every obscure 1960’s band. He was a natural prankster who kept his friends on their toes, because they never knew what or when something might happen—from dreaming up bobbing for olives in gin for Halloween to delivering corn dogs as a Christmas present.

The terrible disease of frontotemporal dementia took Tony from his family and friends. He is survived by his wife of fifty-two years, Sarah; his daughter Katherine and her husband Ed; his son Andrew and his wife Kyla; the apple of his eye granddaughter, Ava Jean; his brother Peter and his wife Allyson and their son Geoff; his brother-in-law Jim and wife Janice and their children Meredith and Charlie; his cousins Steve and Julia Sawtell and Katie Del Conte and the many dearest and closest friends that he cherished from childhood on throughout his life. He was preceded in death by his parents, Bill and Gloria Sawtell; his grandparents Bill and Helen Sawtell and Waldron and Grace Cassidy; and his in-laws Dr. Charles and Jean Ashby.

The family wishes to thank Dr. Bruce Shaffer, Dr. Zane Maroney, and Dr. Joel Rosen in Santa Fe, Dr. Meredith Wickland at the Mayo Clinic, his special care-giver Joshua Sam, and the wonderful staff and Dr. Joy Lovett at The Retreat in Rio Rancho. The support that these professionals have provided was the source of strength needed as all of us endured this horrible disease.

Memorial contributions in Tony’s name can be made to United Church of Santa Fe, 1804 Arroyo Chamiso, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87505; Santa Fe Community Foundation/Tony and Sarah Sawtell Fund, PO Box 1827, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87504-1827; or Historic Santa Fe Foundation, 545 Canyon Road, Suite 2, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501.

Please join us for a memorial service to remember Tony at the United Church of Santa Fe on August 29, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. The Reverend Talitha Arnold officiating.