It is with great sadness that we report the passing of our cherished husband and father Dr. Robert Clark Hughes. Lovingly known as "Bob", he deeply touched many hearts and lives on his incredible life journey from birth in Cleveland, OH on Nov 27, 1940 to unexpected passing at the age of 85 on August 27, 2026, in ABQ, NM.

Known as "Robbie" in his early years, he grew up in a large family with two older sisters and two younger brothers. Because of the age difference between his siblings he grew up as almost an only child and was allegedly considered "spoiled rotten" by his sisters as the first son. His thick and well documented baby book proves it!

Bob was a man devoted to being outdoors; always enjoying a variety of sports and activities, and always a true nature enthusiast. Tennis was a lifelong passion and he was also a dedicated cyclist and downhill and cross country skier well into his 80s. The morning of August 27th he had been out playing tennis with his group of long established pals at The Albuquerque Tennis Club where he was a frequent and much loved member for over 50 years. Going for walks out in nature was an almost daily practice for Bob. He often went solo, but always welcomed the company of anyone willing to go. He enjoyed the outdoors all over New Mexico, and for many years in Colorado as well. He and Laura bought a cabin in the woods by Vallecito Lake in 2003, which the family affectionately named 'Black Bear'. This home was a wonderful place in the pines and surrounded by national forest that Bob and Laura enjoyed for over twenty years of retired living, and was much appreciated by all his kids and grandkids. Anywhere you had the good fortune to be around Bob, there was always going to be a nature walk involved.

For his notable career we paraphrase from Bob's own entry from a StoryWorth biography he completed in 2024: On the professional side he was started on the road to being a scientist by his father, "Mike" Everett Hughes who had received a PhD in Organic Chemistry from Cornell and joined the petrochemical industry in the early 30's. Bob graduated with a degree in chemistry from Carleton College and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and Sigma Xi in his senior year. He was accepted into the physical chemistry program at Stanford in 1963. By quickly satisfying all the requirements for the PhD degree he was able to graduate in under 3 years. He was the first in his class to go on to employment,a post-doctoral appointment at Sandia Labs in Albuquerque, NM.

He spent all the rest of his career at this National Lab in various research groups as an active scientist publishing more than 100 papers and as a manager of various groups. He was elected a Fellow of the American Physical Society, the largest organization of physicists, in 1982. The following year, he became the founding Manager of the Microsensor Department, In 1997 he was promoted to "Senior Scientist" at Sandia, a position reserved for a small fraction of the staff members. He retired in 2003 and spent about 10 years as a part time consultant at Sandia.

As a family man, he's fondly remembered for many en masse adventures with his siblings and their kids camping, house boating, canoeing and trips to many national parks. He and Laura enjoyed lots of trips together in their golden years, especially enjoying a special cruise to the Galapagos in 2014. He supported his kids' recreational endeavors going to lots of horse shows (not his favorite) ski trips and even included being a soccer coach! He also really enjoyed the many pets that came to spend some time with the Hughes family; dogs, cats, guinea pigs, rabbits, birds, sugargliders, reptiles and even a hedgehog at one point. Dogs were his favorite, and he always made sure they got their walks.

Toward the end of his life, he truly embraced his roles as a devoted partner and caregiver to his wife, Laura, and as a present and loving "Pa-Pa" to his kids and grandchildren. He so loved reading to them, and they loved his way of bringing the stories to life with character voices and dramatics. He is truly and deeply missed.

He is survived by his loving wife, Laura Hughes, his brothers Bruce and Randy Hughes, his daughter Jenny Morino and son-in-law Darin Morino, daughter Tracey Lucks and son-in-law Ned Lucks, his son Tam Hughes, and his cherished grandchildren: Adam Flanigan, Leah Flanigan, Madeline Lucks, Tao Hughes-Baronio, Amaru Hughes-Baronio, Brian Lucks, and Theodore Lucks.

Robert was preceded in death by: his parents Everett and Ruth Hughes, daughter in-law Plantate Hughes Baronio, and sisters Kathy Barker and Mary Allen.

A celebration of life will be announced soon. In lieu of flowers please make a donation in his honor to Roadrunner Food Bank of NM https://www.rrfb.org/.