UNM doctoral student and physical education professor Robert Hohnke died Tuesday following a weather-related car crash near Farmington, but his colleagues said he died a hero.
Hohnke, 30, and two passengers were on their way to Durango for a day of snowboarding. Marcelino Xahuentitla’s pickup truck veered out of its south-bound lane into the north-bound lane and collided with Hohnke’s Subaru.
Hohnke and passenger Lauren Buerkkle, 24, were both taken to San Juan Regional Medical Center in critical condition. By Monday night, Buerkkle stabilized, but Hohnke remained unresponsive.
Hohnke’s mother, who lives in Germany, traveled to New Mexico to be at her son’s side and made the decision to remove his life support Tuesday.
Alfredo Martinez, physical education professor and Hohnke’s colleague and friend, said in an email to physical education department faculty that if it weren’t for Hohnke’s quick thinking, his passengers could have died in the crash. Martinez said Chris Lopez, a passenger in the car, told him about Hohnke’s actions during the crash.
“At the last moment, Rob (Hohnke) was able to maneuver his car in a manner to avoid a direct, head-on collision and unfortunately took the direct impact on the driver’s side door,” he said.
He said Hohnke also saved an additional five lives through organ donation.
“I fully understand the pain and sorrow that we all feel,” Martinez said, “but please remember through all the tears and heartache that, because of Rob’s heroic efforts, a 3-year-old child will have both parents to come home to, and multiple families will also have a loved one around because Rob will give them a second chance at life. He is truly a hero.”
Hohnke taught swimming, jogging and weight-training classes at UNM for the last three years, and Martinez said his students loved him.
“(His students) have been calling and emailing and flooding the hospital with phone calls,” he said.
Martinez said Hohnke was well liked among the physical education faculty as well.
“He was truly special: positive all the time, upbeat, hardworking and he volunteered to do anything he could help with,” he said. “He will be missed by many, many people because he touched many lives.”
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Martinez said the physical education department is planning a memorial in Hohnke’s honor, but has not yet set a date.
According to a department-wide e-mail from Deborah Giron, physical education department administrator, department faculty made donations to fund Hohnke’s mother’s travel from Germany and her stay in New Mexico.
Donations can be brought to the main Health, Exercise and Sports Science office in Johnson Center in the care of Deborah Giron, department administrator.
