Obituary of Robert Chester Szaro, 76
Robert Chester Szaro.
Obituary of Robert Chester Szaro
Jan. 17, 1949 – Feb. 6, 2025
In the care of Chapel of the Roses & Chapel of the Roses Cemetery
– Dr. Robert Chester Szaro (“Bob”) passed away on Feb. 6, 2025. Born in New York in 1949, he was a graduate of Texas A&M University (BS), the University of Florida (MS), and Northern Arizona University (PhD, 1975).
Bob began his federal career at the Department of Interior’s Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in Maryland, examining the effects of oil pollution on waterfowl. He joined the U.S. Forest Service in Arizona as a field scientist, later transferring to headquarters in Washington, D.C. Bob served as the forestry attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Vienna, Austria, from 1996 to 2000, also representing the United States in the International Union of Forest Research Organizations. He was appointed assistant director of the Pacific Northwest Research Center in Portland, Oregon.
In 2004, Bob joined the U.S. Geological Survey in Reston, Virginia, as the chief scientist for biology. Retirement in 2008 brought new adventures as a naturalist guide for Smithsonian Journeys, and in 2016 he and his wife moved to the Central Coast of California.
Bob was a globetrotter and photographer who captured countless images of his journeys around the world. He was a connoisseur of wines and loved living near the vineyards.
He is survived by his wife, Jayne, their son, Matthew, and his brother, Timothy.
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