Remembering "Obie"

By Cullen Hallmark

Obie in May 2014 moving rocks that would form the foundation for the volunteer-supported cactus garden at the Eldorado Community Center ⏐ Photo by J.E. Newman

I met Obie in 2014 when I was an intern, and I have a very clear memory of our first meeting. I was born and raised in the Southwest, and the deserts of West Texas and New Mexico were my childhood playground. When Obie opened his mouth, New York came bursting out. I remember wondering how anyone with an accent like that could possibly know anything about cactus. But I kept listening, and I’m glad that I did.

Obie's enthusiasm for cactus was infectious. He would describe taking a prickly pear pad, sailing it out into his yard like a frisbee, and checking it months later to see whether it had grown roots. He would be delighted if it had. Not exactly a conventional horticultural technique. Obie freely admitted that he didn’t like to grow cactus from seed (it took too long). Instead, he wanted those cactus patches to grow big and menacing as quickly as possible. This was possible partly because Obie had figured out that he could create a win-win situation by rescuing plants from a developer’s bulldozer, by pruning them, and by giving them away.

It is well known that Obie had a soft spot in his heart for the Santa Fe Cholla, a local endangered species. He wasn’t alone. What made Obie, Joe and Nancy stand out was the hard work that they did in order to save the last of these plants. When Cactus Rescue Project made a presentation, Obie was the showman (with that unforgettable accent). Joe was in the background, taking lots of photos. Nancy could be even more inconspicuous, but her contribution was also unmistakable. Together, they made quite the team. They taught people how to recognize the cactus, they provided cuttings and advice, and they took steps to see that the cholla would be re-established in widely separated places. This made it less likely that a disease, bad weather or bad luck would eliminate them from the earth.

An astounding number of local cactus gardens are here because of Obie, Joe, Nancy and the Cactus Rescue Project. One of those is the garden that I manage near the Santa Fe Cooperative Extension Service office on Rodeo Road. Frequently, people will come up to me and ask if I knew Obie. I’ve always been delighted to say that I do. We will miss him.

From left to right: Obie Oberhausen, Catherine Williamson, Nancy Lehrhaupt and Rande and Jeff Cross Photo by J.E. Newman

This article was previously published in the February 2023 edition of the SFEMG newsletter.