Robert Brian McArdle

Robert Brian McArdle was 28 years old when he passed away on March 25, 2013 at University of Colorado Hospital in Aurora, Colorado. Rob was born on March 12, 1985 in Denver, Colorado. Robbie grew up in Highlands Ranch, Colorado and graduated from Highlands Ranch High School in 2003. After High School, Rob studied at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado where he received a degree in Natural Resource Conservation in 2007. Snow boarding was a main pastime during his college years. Rob was a very active outdoorsman and conservationist who was strong, quiet and quick to smile. Due to the economy and the nature of Roberts work, he had many 6 month temporary jobs and was trying to find that full time job, hopefully in Colorado so he could spend more time with his parents and brothers. In 2008, Rob worked as a commercial fisherman out of Kodiak, Alaska, on a salmon purse seine ship. He was the skiff captain towing the net and stabilizing the ship while the net was being hauled in. He had frequent encounters with seals, otters, and whales. In 2009, Rob worked for the Colorado Division of Wildlife, out of Glenwood Springs, Colorado collecting data on Colorado native, non-native and endangered fish, boreal toads and leopard frogs. He enjoyed floating the western rivers and hiking the high mountains while doing his work for the Division. In 2010, Rob was back in Alaska working for the Northern Southeast Regional Aquaculture Association out of Sitka, Alaska. His work, at Deer Lake, a remote camp, involved working with over 2.2 million young Coho salmon on a Coho salmon rearing project. He enjoyed Blacktail deer hunting, fishing and frequent float plane trips to and from Sitka to Deer lake. His work became very exciting when the coastal brown bears moved into the area to feast on salmon. During the spring of 2011, Rob began working for Turner Enterprises at their Vermejo Ranch in Northern New Mexico. He primarily worked on a large Rio Grande cutthroat trout restoration project. He particularly enjoyed his experience with radio telemetry and capturing and tagging of elk calves and black bears. He found lots of shed elk antlers as a bonus! His last job was in 2012 with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. He participated on a remote Chinook salmon escapement, distribution and run timing project on the Togiak River in Alaska. Also, a whitefish tagging and ageing project in McGrath, Alaska. He camped for 6 months with many grizzly bears roaming the area and massive clouds of mosquitoes! He returned to Colorado October 12, 2012. If he were able to look back, he would have that Robbie smile thinking about his many adventures and his many friends made along the way. Rob had many interests which included hunting, fishing, trapping, backpacking, snowboarding, searching for antlers, photography, baking bread, beekeeping, crafting knives, wood working, word jumble puzzles and reading Tundra cartoons. He loved working outdoors and would never have traded it for an indoor job in an office environment. Rob is survived by his parents Mary and Jim and his two brothers, Patrick and Andrew; Grandmother, Sophie McArdle of Clifton, New Jersey, Grandmother, Carol Singers of Austell, Georgia, Uncle, Tom Singers of Atlanta, Georgia, Aunt, Kathleen McArdle of Clifton, New Jersey, Aunt, Barbara McArdle-Walker of Park Ridge, New Jersey, and cousins Jennifer Walker and Christopher Walker of Park Ridge, New Jersey A memorial service will be held on Sunday, April 14, 2013 at 2:00 PM at Horan & McConaty Family Chapel, 5303 E. County Line Rd. (One block west of Holly Street) in Centennial. The family will be greeting friends and relatives during the reception that will follow the service at Horan & McConaty. A private interment will be held on Monday, April 15, 2013 at Cedar Hill Cemetery in Castle Rock, CO. The family requests memorial donations be made to The Nature Conservancy, 4245 North Fairfax Drive, Suite 100, Arlington VA 22203-1606, or www.nature.org. Please share your memories of Rob and condolences with his family by signing the guestbook.