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National Museum of Nuclear Science & History

Elberta Honstein (née Lowdermilk) was the daughter of Elbert Lowdermilk, the contractor whose construction company, Lowdermilk Brothers, built roads and utility lines around Los Alamos during the Manhattan Project.

Elberta was born in Denver, Colorado on July 29, 1927. She spent summers with her father during the Manhattan Project, living in Española. After the war, she and her husband, Roy Honstein, operated Roy’s Service Station, a gas station in Totavi, NM on the hill to Los Alamos.

The Honsteins moved to the Española Valley in 1954. Among other interests, Elberta operated a successful Morgan horse farm and was a leader in many local organizations. She passed away in Española on May 19, 2016 at the age of 88.

Elberta Lowdermilk Honstein’s Timeline
1927 Jul 29th Born in Denver, Colorado.

1943 First visited northern New Mexico, accompanying her father as he built roads and utility lines for the Manhattan Project.

1948 Began operating Roy’s Service Station in Totavi, NM.

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