Former Times publisher Mack Quintana found dead in his home

The El Paso Fire Department has confirmed that it received a call of a reported suicide this morning at the Westside home of former El Paso Times publisher and president, Mack L. Quintana.

“We did respond there at 5:30 this morning. It came in as a suicide call,” Fire Department Lt. Mario Hernandez, the department’s spokesman, said. “The police department is conducting the investigation. That’s all I can tell you.”

The Police Department later confirmed that Quintana was found dead in his home on Regency Drive as a result of an apparent suicide, but would provide no further details.

"I was saddened to hear of Mac's death today," said Ray Stafford, publisher of the El Paso Times, in a statement on the paper's Web site. "Our heartfelt condolences go to his family from the El Paso Times family and our sister newspaper, Las Cruces Sun-News. He will be remembered for his Cuban flair and a love for fishing. El Paso has lost another fine man."

Former El Paso Times Executive Editor Bob Moore said, "I'm just absolutely devastated by this.

"I didn't work directly with Mack much, so I can't talk much about professionally. I will say that he was one of the most thoroughly decent people I ever worked with. He always had a friendly smile and he was very supportive of the newsroom's community initiatives."

Quintana, 59, was publisher and president of the Times from 1998 until 2004 when he took over as publisher of the Las Cruces Sun-News where he served about a year.

In 2004, he was succeeded at the Times by Sherman Bodner, who left in 2006.

Dean Singleton's MediaNews Inc., which about that time assumed control of the partnership with Gannett Inc. to run the El Paso Times and newspapers in New Mexico, then named Ray Stafford as president and publisher.

Quintana survived by his wife, Judy, and two children.