moving at the speed of government, I just recieved the info that jstncse posted. I also recieved a letter that talks of his life and carreer. you all may find it as interesting as I did.
Dear Colleagues,
It is with the deepest sadness that I report the death of a man who was a friend and mentor to thousands of New Mexico EMS caregivers. Cy Stockhoff passed away yesterday afternoon after falling ill earlier in the week.
Much like many of you, Cy profoundly affected my desire to be in the EMS Profession. I had the opportunity to have him as an instructor for the first time in August of 1983; I was nineteen, and saw an instructor who was compassionate, caring, and a magnificent communicator. A few months later, I took his EMT Basic course, and his passion for the profession burned into all of us in his class, and the standard of excellence that he expected from us resonated in all of us the rest of our lives…whether we remained in EMS or not. Cy taught hundreds more courses, and that passion and excellence came through with thousands of students at all levels.
Social media has come alive with wonderful tributes from dozens and dozens of his students and colleagues. It is breathtaking to see how much this man was loved.
Cy began his EMS career in the 1970’s in Eagle Nest, New Mexico. He was a supervisor at Albuquerque Ambulance from 1982 – 1984, and worked for Region I and the EMS Bureau from 1984 – 1987. In 1988, he became one of the first commanders of the New Mexico Disaster Medical Assistance Team, serving with the team until 1991, when he became the BLS/ILS Program Director at the UNM EMS Academy. During his tenure at the EMS Academy, he not only educated and developed students beginning their EMS careers, he also created a system of instructor coordinator development that has shaped virtually every EMS instructor in our state, either directly or indirectly. He served in this capacity until 2001, when he accepted the challenge to develop a more robust EMS Program at Albuquerque Technical Vocational Institute, now known as Central New Mexico Community College (CNM). He of course succeeded in this challenge, and in 2010, stepped out of the leadership spotlight a bit. From that point on, he had the joy of watching the wonderful staff at the CNM EMS program flourish, and continue to grow the CNM EMS Program into a leading center of EMS education. He remained an integral part of the educational program, and is a beloved and treasured EMS instructor for all levels in that program and beyond.
While we speak of how wonderful an instructor he was…he was even a better human being. He somehow conveyed that he cared deeply for everyone he knew, and made each of us feel that we were a special and close personal friend. He had the most entertaining stories and personal histories of anyone I have ever known, and enjoyed adventures driving lumber trucks, exploring caves, and being an expert diver. He truly defined the popular phrase “the most interesting man in the world”.
Cy was, above all else, joyful about his family; his wife Jan, daughter Maren, and son Paul were a constant source of conversation and pride for him. They are an amazing family, and have been inspirational in how they have handled this difficult and unbelievable week.
I am stunned and saddened by the loss of our friend, yet like so many of you, so grateful that I had the opportunity to know and learn from him. If any public memorial service is planned, I will convey it to you all the best that I can. For now, keep Jan, Maren, and Paul in your thoughts and prayers.
Kyle L. Thornton
May 16, 2014
