ROBERT E. TANGORA

1956 - 2019

ROBERT E. TANGORA Robert E. Tangora - explorer, defender, and teacher -- died March 30, 2019 in Santa Fe, New Mexico after an extended illness. The youngest child of the late Betty and Robert Tangora, he was born February 15, 1956 in Seattle, Washington. Robert completed high school in Mexico City and graduated from St. John's College, Santa Fe. After college, he lived in New York City where he restored antique furniture for Sotheby's and studied and taught Tai Chi Chuan. In the late 1980s, he travelled extensively in China, Nepal and Malaysia where he studied Tai Chi, Chi Kung and Buddhist mediation. Upon returning to Santa Fe, Robert continued studying and teaching Tai Chi. He then left Santa Fe to attend Cornell Law School. Upon graduating from Cornell, Robert was admitted to the New Mexico Bar in 1993. He specialized in criminal defense and appeals, arguing many cases in the Court of Appeals and Supreme Court of New Mexico. He also taught Yang and Wu Style Tai Chi, Chi Kung and Taoist Meditation in Santa Fe, California and Boston for many years and authored The Internal Structure of Cloud Hands, published in 2012. Robert was a true renaissance man who loved to explore the mountains, deserts and rivers of the Southwest for climbing, hiking and white-water rafting. He was a woodworker, chef, and photographer, with great interest in music, physics and philosophy. Robert delighted in bringing friends together for feasting and fellowship. He could tell a good story and liked to regale his friends with tales from his far-flung travels. Robert is survived by his sister, Patricia Tangora of Seattle, Washington. "Celebrating 50 years" Berardinelli Family Funeral Service 1399 Luisa Street Santa Fe, NM 87505 (505) 984-8600 Please sign our guestbook for the family at: www.berardinellifuneralhome.com