CARMEN QUINTANA

CARMEN QUINTANA
September 17, 1936 - December 22, 2025
Carmen Mary Quintana, a lifelong resident of Santa Fe, passed away peacefully on December 22 at the age of 89. Raised on Agua Fria Street, Carmen attended Guadalupe Elementary, Loretto Catholic School, and Santa Fe High School.
During the 1950s, she worked as a paralegal for Judge Harry Long Bigbee, as a hostess for the U.S. Forest Service, and also helped promote the Santa Fe Ski Basin. In 1969, Carmen founded a secretarial service on Burro Alley, an enterprise that featured the city's first Xerox machine outside of the Capitol.
She met Carl Sverre, a ski instructor from Norway, at the Ski Basin, and they were married in the summer of 1957. One month after their marriage, Carl was drafted into the U.S. Army, and the pair left for Baudhoffen, Germany, where he was stationed. They lived in Lampertheim when they welcomed their first child, Carl Sverre Jr. The family returned to New Mexico in 1959 and welcomed two more children: Liv in 1960 and Erik in 1963.
Carmen's love for New Mexican heritage was evident throughout her life. She encouraged her sister's preservation of the Guadalupe Church and later became involved in land grant preservation. Her commitment to honoring local history left an indelible mark on her community. She will also be remembered for her warmth, compassion, wit, and humor.
Carmen is survived by her daughter, Liv Pierce, and son-in-law, Crawford Pierce; grandchildren Mia and Nikken Cullman, Lars Sverre, Sawyer Harrell Sverre, and Max Pierce; siblings Maria Barton, Henrietta Quintana, and Pete Quintana; and many cherished nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her sons, Carl Sverre Jr. and Erik Sverre; her ex-husband, Carl Sverre Sr.; and her sisters Estella Parraz, Dolores Myers, and Conchita Romero.