Roy Emrick Obituary

EMRICK, Roy

Arizona says good-bye to Roy Emrick, October 13, 2019, a pioneer environmentalist, well known physicist and beloved father and husband. A native of Ohio, Roy earned his BS at Cornell University and PhD at University of Illinois, both in physics. He moved to Tucson in 1959 to join the University of Arizona Department of Physics as part of its expanding faculty, serving for 37 years. Roy was also well known as one of Arizona's pioneers in the environmental protection movement, establishing with friends Arizonans for Water Without Waste (AWWW), later Arizonans for a Quality Environment. Roy was also a longtime member of the Grand Canyon Chapter of the Sierra Club, serving for many years as treasurer. In addition, Roy was past president of the Friends of Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge. An avid hiker, backpacker and nature lover, Roy spent 40 years exploring the sky island mountain ranges of southeast Arizona as well as the canyonlands of northern Arizona and southern Utah. A longtime member of the Southern Arizona Hiking Club, Roy spent many a Sunday night driving home from distant hikes before teaching Monday morning classes. But the Grand Canyon held a special attraction and Roy logged many hundreds of miles on its trails and spent many nights below its rim, even completing two rim-to-rim-to-rim hikes in his fifties.

Roy is survived by Frances, his wife of 27 years. He is also survived by his three children, Steven Emrick and his wife, Liz; Gail Emrick and her children, Jean Marie, Montgomery and Sebastian; Ellen Emrick Taylor, her husband, Mark and their three children, Olivia, Julia and Sophia; and Jean Emrick, the mother of his children.

Roy will be remembered for his kindness and generosity having served on many boards and for many causes. Among these were the Lutheran Campus Ministry at the UA and causes of social justice including the Sanctuary movement. Roy donated time and financial resources that served vulnerable people, without wanting or claiming recognition. His loss will be greatly felt to all those who loved, knew and worked with him. Arrangements by ADAIR FUNERAL HOMES, Dodge Chapel.

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by Arizona Daily Star from Oct. 22 to Oct. 27, 2019.

Memories and Condolences
for Roy Emrick

5 Entries

Donald Kangas

January 4, 2020

Dr. Emrick was one of my favorite physics professors at the University of Arizona. I was the Demonstrations Technician for the Dept. He always enjoyed doing demonstrations and they were always enjoyed by the students as well.

In one demonstration I would lay a board of sharp nails atop his bare chest on the table. Then with a sledge hammer I'd break a cinder block on top him.

Although I'd retired 23 years ago, he came to our home west of Tucson to help celebrate my 80th birthday.

DIanne Kalbach Dickson

December 9, 2019

I will always remember our camping trips ...

Neal Jordan

November 27, 2019

My sincere condolences to Fran and the rest of Roy's family on their loss of such a husband, father, grandfather.
Roy was, for me, a source of support and friendship over 3 years of high school and four years at Cornell were we roomed together as we studied Physics. That friendship persisted despite geographic distance for the 65 years since.
I will miss his annual Christmas letter with its photo montage of family members, with all carefully identified and accompanied by details on their recent activities and accomplishments of which he was justifiably proud. But mostly I will miss just knowing he was "there".

Barbara Cain

October 28, 2019

Roy was always so kind to new members who attended a Sierra Club meeting. He had a great memory for faces and names. Many time I would run into him with his wife at events and he always said hello and would reintroduce me to his wife. Bless him. I have missed him at meetings and I know he leaves a hole in the web of the environmental movement as deep as his beloved Grand Canyon!

Christina Moodie

October 28, 2019

I first met Roy through the Sierra Club but I also saw him at the University Rec Ctr, exercising. I was one of the oldsters there and often felt out of place - but then, there was Roy and I figured that if he could do it, so could I! He was an inspiration in countless ways, big and small.

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