Michael Lynn Scofield of Santa Fe, New Mexico died May 11, 2018 peacefully at home when he sat down to lunch with a book. Devoted to words, stories, the craft of writing, music, friends, and natural beauty, Michael was an active and generous writer, tutor, and community member.

Born July 26, 1936 to Elinor and George Scofield, Michael grew up in Pasadena. He graduated from Yale University in 1958 with a major in English and a minor in science. He began his career in public relations, enlisted in the US Army Reserves, and then in the early 1960s joined Sunset Magazine and Books, for whom he worked in advertising and sales until the 1980s. His highly organized yet creative approach to selling resulted in record sales year after year. In 1961, he married Snowden Johnston and, after several years in southern California, they settled in Kentfield, California where they had two daughters. After divorcing in 1975, Michael settled in Palo Alto where he met and married Noreen Ward in 1987. Together they ran Scofield Communications, a successful technical writing and editing business, until they retired in the late 1990s. They moved to Santa Fe in 1997. In 2002, Michael earned an MFA from the University of Vermont's creative writing program. He continued to write until the morning of his death, publishing books of fiction, non-fiction and poetry through Sunstone Press. He was a disciplined, prolific writer with a keen eye for character and satire, and he mentored and loyally supported many other writers. His book, Dedicated Lives, profiled people in his community who devoted their lives to community service.

Michael was preceded in death by his parents, his younger sister Janet and his wife Noreen of 28 years. He is survived by daughter Mary Ellen Scofield, and grandchildren Anna and Ned Harlan of Salem, Oregon, daughter Elizabeth Scofield of Greenbrae, California, step-son Brendan Ward of New York, and step-daughter Jennifer Ward of Berkeley.

Santa Fe New Mexican, July 8, 2018