John David Pieniazek

John David Pieniazek, 59, passed on Dec. 6, 2019. John was born Dec. 8, 1959 to parents Anthony and Alice Pieniazek in San Antonio, Texas.

John grew in St. Hedwig with his sister Lisa, and also attended high school in the town. He later graduated from Texas A&M University in College Station with a degree in engineering in Dec. 1984.

John worked in Texas briefly before moving to New Mexico.  A lifelong lover of the wilderness, John lived in the Jemez Mountains, and worked as an engineer in Los Alamos. That’s also where he met his wife, Lisa Quintana, and his stepchildren Christopher and Dominic. John and Lisa married in June, 1998.

In 2001, John took on a new job working in Albuquerque, so the family moved to the East Mountains where they currently reside. They went on to have two more children, Anton, 17, and Ian, 15.

An avid outdoorsman, John loved to take his children camping in the New Mexico or Colorado wilderness. When he wasn’t caring for the family’s multiple cats or dogs, he liked to play music or watch science fiction, especially Star Trek. He crafted cat trees and reliably kept the house safe from snakes and other vermin. He is survived by his wife, children, his sister’s family-- husband Dan and nieces Corin and Diana-- mother, and many other loved ones. He is preceded in death by his father, Anthony, stepfather, Alfred, and niece, Samantha.

The family will hold a wake and a viewing from 10 a.m. to noon, Dec. 14 at the Daniels Family Funeral Services, 3113 Carlisle Blvd NE. A reception will follow immediately after.