ERIC WITT

1962 - 2023

ERIC WITT
SEPTEMBER 30, 1962 - JULY 17, 2023
Santa Fe - To know Eric was to embrace confusion, virtue, thoughtfulness, frustration, loyalty, but above all, love. True to form until the very end, we're still not sure exactly when or why Eric said his last "Later, Dawg," but Eric was never big on advance planning or details when it came to his personal life. That was part of the joy of knowing Eric-you never knew exactly when he'd show up or for how long he'd stay, but it was always guaranteed to be a good time and a story that you could tell (in the right company) forever.
Eric was born September 30, 1962 in Los Angeles, CA, to Robert Edward Witt and Lee (Hussey) Witt. Winding up in New Mexico in 1973, Eric shone in his role as older brother/cautionary tale to younger brothers Paul and Michael, a role that he would reprise later in life with sister Rachael and brothers Noah and Jeremy. After graduating from Santa Fe High School in 1980, Eric went on to earn degrees from the University of Vermont (BA), the University of Illinois (MA), and UCLA (MBA).
His formal education finally (!) completed, Eric set forth on a career in the entertainment industry, most notably with Dino de Laurentiis and his De Laurentiis Enertainment Group. Eric learned two essential skills at DEG that would serve him well later in life: how to finance motion pictures and how to steal cigars from his boss. It was during this time that Eric would welcome his beloved son, Kevin Shintani, into the world.
But the bright lights of Hollywood proved no match for the majestic vistas of Northern New Mexico and Eric returned to Santa Fe. Depending on who you ask, Eric obtained employment with the State Legislature either based on his stellar resume or because his mom got him a job. Regardless, Eric literally and figuratively rose through the Capitol until he reached the 4th floor with Gov. Bill Richardson's administration. There he was able to combine his previous life in the entertainment industry with his new life in New Mexico politics with spectacular results: the New Mexico film industry's economic miracle.
More important, the inner peace that returning to Santa Fe sparked in Eric allowed him to experience a much more personal miracle: his incredible wife, Mary Ann Hughes of Marina del Rey, California, a film executive with Disney. As with the finest of all romance stories, they met when Eric saw Mary Ann in a parking lot; he tapped an acquaintance on the shoulder and said, "Who's that?" The two spent the next 10 years shuttling back and forth between New Mexico and California, sharing their external worlds as they created their own internal world together. They wed on September 18th, 2021, in Paso Robles, California, surrounded by friends, family, and much good wine. It was well worth the wait for all.
Eric particularly enjoyed being with his extended family, including sisters-in-law Mary (Paul) and Camilla (Michael), his father's wife Patricia, and his crew of nephews Benjamin, David, Sebastian, Sam, Oscar, and Brandon-who all called Eric "Uncle Dude." He was overjoyed upon his marriage to add to the mix daughters-in-law Katie Ford and Erica (Tyler) Puckett, and granddaughter Ella Puckett.
Eric was interested in everything - cooking, writing, art, music, film, science-and had the courage to try his hand at all of it with varying degrees of success. Eric's laid-back approach to life belied his intensity for living. And although he hated politics, he was the consummate politician in the highest sense of the word, something he would vehemently deny. His gift was cutting through the BS, bringing people and ideas to the table, and not leaving until solutions were found. As this chapter of Eric's story draws to a close, he would ask that we all do the same.
Adios, Dude. Catch you next time.
A mass will be held at 10 a.m. on Monday, July 31, 2023 at St. Anne Parish Catholic Church, 511 Alicia Street, Santa Fe. A reception will follow from noon to 1:30 in the rotunda at the New Mexico State Capitol. In lieu of flowers, the family is asking for donations to be made to Silver Bullet Productions in Santa Fe (silverbulletproductions.com/get-involved/support/).