ROBERTS, Matthew Steven (Matt)

Norvel Owens Mortuary, Flagstaff, Arizona Matthew Steven Roberts (March 8, 1982 - August 25, 2012) Matthew Steven Roberts passed away August 25, 2012. He was born in Flagstaff on March 8, 1982. He attended FUSD schools and graduated from Sinagua High School in 2000. He loved the outdoors and had a passion for hiking and exploring the forests and wilderness regions. Matt loved animals and was well known for respecting the earth and people of all colors and creeds who share our fragile planet. After traveling in Europe and North Africa, Matt returned to Flagstaff where he attended CCC and graduated summa cum laude from NAU in Environmental Engineering in 2009. He wanted to make a real difference in our world and found a professional route as an Environmental Engineer (EIT) with Natural Channel Design in Flagstaff. While at NCD he worked on several Arizona preservation and restoration projects, but working to restore Picture Canyon was his most meaningful accomplishment. He will be remembered for his love of nature and his desire to leave the planet better than he found it. Matt is survived by his mother, Judith Vandewater, father and step-mother Steven and Deborah Roberts, sister Amber Elizabeth Orley (Andrew), sister Alycia Winchester (Wagner Kelley), grandmother, Carol Roberts, and all those who loved him including his dear friends and companions Maia Ferris and John Moss, as well as numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins. A gathering to honor Matthew’s life will be at 3:00 p.m. Friday, August 31 at the Museum of Northern Arizona. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Matthew’s memory to his favorite organizations: Sierra Club (www.sierraclub.org), or The Nature Conservancy (www.nature.org).