Lee Marmon

Lee Howard Marmon



Lee "Pitsy" Marmon was born September 20th 1925 in Laguna, New Mexico. As a young boy, he found his passion for photography at age 11 taking photos along Route 66 near Laguna. He was drafted into the Army in World War II and served in the Aleutian Islands. After the war, he returned to Laguna and started his career in Photography in 1947. Lee's most famous portrait was taken in 1954, "White Man's Moccasins". Lee would come across Laguna's elder tribal members visiting in the plaza below the Laguna church. His purpose was to preserve the history of the Pueblo culture and its people. One of Lee's most special places was his dark room. After a day of visiting with his neighbors in the pueblo, he would retreat to his dark room. He would play Jazz music, listen to Linda Rondstat, and Spanish ballots while developing the moments he had captured. Over the years, many family members would be blessed to spend a day with him inside his dark room learning about black and white photography.

Lee was a perfectionist so there were many days where 10-12 hours in the dark room would only yield 2 or 3 acceptable prints. If the clouds were just right, he would stop what he was doing, hurry up, load all of his camera equipment into his vehicle and zoom out of the yard to ensure he could capture the moment. Lee would spend January through May each year in Palm Springs capturing images of famous celebrities like Bob Hope, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, and Dean Martin. His favorite event to attend was the Bob Hope Classic Golf Tournaments.What made Lee's photographs so special was the time he spent visiting with each person he captured an image of. Lee was a consummate storyteller and his respect for preserving a piece of history was his greatest honor. Throughout the Southwest, he spent time building friendships with artists such as R C Gorman, Lucy Lewis, and Joy Harjo.

Lee received numerous photography awards throughout the years and his work has been showcased in several photography publications and museums in the United States and Europe. An unknown fact about Lee was his love for saving stray cats. His two favorite cats who he is now resting peacefully with were Percy and Saddam. One of Lee's favorite places to spend time capturing scenic photos was the Laguna and Acoma Indian Reservation, particularly Dripping Springs. Every summer Lee and his son Chris would sell fireworks in his brother's laundromat in Laguna. Swarms of kids in the village would come and gaze at all of the fireworks as Lee would explain what each one did. You could see the excitement and mischievous looks on all of their faces. Every year on July 4th Lee, his family, and friends would celebrate by shooting fireworks, drinking Coors, and sipping Jim Beam on the family property of Dripping Springs under the stars. Nothing was more important to Lee than sharing stories and visiting with people. If you were ever in Lee's presence you were either his friend or soon would be.

The family finds much comfort in knowing that he captured all of these moments in life that will never be lost. From day one Pitsy allowed us to see the world through his eyes and those who have dwelled in the Pueblos.

He is survived by his daughters Leslie Marmon Silko, Gigi Pilcher, son Chris Marmon, his brother Kenneth Marmon, nephews Hank, Bru, Richard and Jimmy Marmon, Nieces Josie Kie, Rhoda Marmon, and Maggie and also Kathy and Leland Marmon. Additionally Lee is survived by hundreds of friends and close family members who remember his kind and gentle soul.