Ernest Badynski didn't want an obituary.

He didn't want a funeral.

When the extremely private, 76-year-old Santa Fe artist and former Santa Fe High School teacher died in July, his family followed his wishes and let his passing go quietly.

"We did exactly what he wanted," said stepson John Hasted, who lives at Badynski's home on the 1000 block of Stagecoach Road in Santa Fe's north-side foothills. "He didn't want a big fuss made, so we didn't make one."

That all changed Wednesday.

With television news helicopters hovering overhead, neighbors lining the dirt roadways off Bishops Lodge Road after being evacuated from their homes for hours, utility crews working to shut off gas and electricity in the area, and dozens of Santa Fe police officers and firefighters on hand, Badynski went out with a bang, after all.

A Santa Fe police bomb squad used a remote-controlled robot named Cybil to remove six sticks of decades-old dynamite from Badynski's art studio. They situated the explosives in a dirt driveway, then blew up the dynamite with a thunderous bang around 4:25 p.m.

"He didn't want any of this," Hasted said, "but I think he would have got a kick out of all the fuss this created."

Hasted and his sister, Mary Hasted Shield, were in good spirits while visiting with reporters, neighbors and police officers throughout the day. But, after the shock wave from the explosion buffeted spectators watching from a hill near Bishops Lodge Road and Camino Mañana, the reality of the situation hit Hasted. He let out a curse or two, then immediately bent over and began to cry.

It was Hasted who had been cleaning out Badynski's art studio late Tuesday when he came across a paper bag and looked inside. Wrapped in wax paper were six sticks of dynamite that Badynski had purchased about
20 to 30 years ago. The artist had occasionally used explosives in shaping and making holes in large sheets of metal for his sculptures.

"It was an uneasy feeling in my stomach that I hope I never get again," Hasted recalled of the discovery.

Hasted didn't touch the bag. He called police at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday.

"The dynamite had obviously degraded to a certain point, but we couldn't tell how much," Santa Fe police Lt. Louis Carlos said. "Our EOD [Explosive Ordnance Disposal] team determined it was too unstable to remove from the area and drive through the city, so we had to counter-charge the ordnance on site."

Essentially, rather than detonate the dynamite, the bomb squad used smaller explosive devices of their own to blow it up.

Even though shock waves from the blast could be felt a half-mile away, the only visible damage was a 4- to 5-inch-deep crater in the front driveway of Badynski's home.

Carlos said Hasted's reaction to finding the dynamite and his decision not to touch the explosives was "textbook."

"He did everything right," Carlos said. "He didn't throw it in the back of his truck and take it to the dump or to the police station, he called us and our EOD team was able to do their thing."

The ordeal did cause a daylong evacuation of residents on Stagecoach Road — from about 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Natural gas was cut off only at Badynski's home, but electricity was turned off for about 20 homes in the area.

Emergency dispatchers used a reverse-911 system to call all the homes in the area to alert residents about what was going on. Of the 20 or so homes that had to be evacuated, Carlos said, only seven had residents at home when police went door-to-door Wednesday morning.

Carlos said no laws were broken, and police didn't issue any citations.

The use of explosives in creating metal artwork is not uncommon. Badynski's family knew he had used dynamite in the past, but didn't know there was any left in his home or art studio.

Badynski's website — ernestbadynski.com — has many images of his work. The site says he was born in Chicago and studied at the Chicago Art Institute before moving to New Mexico. He received a bachelor's degree at Western New Mexico University in Silver City and completed a graduate studies program at New Mexico Highlands University.

"His work, whether welded or cast, is contemporary without being frivolous," the website says. "In addition, Ernest is a masterful technician ... skillful with and knowledgeable about the materials he uses."

His stepdaughter, Sarah Hasted of New York, said her stepfather had a permit when he purchased the dynamite. She believes it was about 20 years ago, but John Hasted thought it may have been even earlier.

Carlos said the removal of the dynamite from Badynski's art studio took a long time because it was positioned high on a shelf, and the remotely controlled robot used to remove the dynamite from the structure had a hard time getting a firm grasp on the packaging, which was old and falling apart.

The explosives specialists who oversaw the operation — Lawrence Vasquez, Scott Waite and Paul Ytuarte — received praise from Carlos and John Hasted.

"Nobody was hurt," John Hasted said. "Nothing was damaged. I'm very thankful for the work they did. Just very thankful right now."

Contact Geoff Grammer at 986-3076 or ggrammer@sfnewmexican.com. Read his blog at SantaFeCrime.com.