Robert Maurer

Robert Alan Maurer, age 77, died July 28th of metastatic prostate cancer at his home in Coyote, New Mexico. Alan practiced medicine as an emergency physician for 32 years. He was an exceptional medical provider who saved countless lives, a respected medical colleague, and a mentor to many young healthcare workers on the ER team during his career. He was also a devoted husband, a loving father, an avid hiker, and a dedicated environmentalist who will be remembered fondly by his family, friends, colleagues and community.

Alan was born in Glendale, California on July 20, 1944, the second of three brothers born to Harry and Louise Maurer. Though he was born 2 months premature, weighing only 3 lbs, 9 oz at birth, he grew up to be a great man and lived a life that exceeded all expectations for that tiny infant. A few years after his birth, his family returned to Salt Lake City, UT where Alan and his brothers spent their boyhood years working alongside their loving father in the family construction business, developed a lust for outdoor adventure, and collected countless touching and hilarious stories of life in Utah during the 1950’s and 60’s. In his teenage years, Alan’s love for the outdoors blossomed: he attained Eagle Scout rank at age 14, worked as a counselor at Camp Steiner in the Uinta mountains, and was a mountaineering guide in the Teton range in Wyoming. Alan was also fascinated by aviation, an interest shared with his father, a former aviation mechanic who was captivated by Charles Lindbergh’s flight across the Atlantic.

Following an LDS mission to Scotland, Alan completed a bachelor's degree and medical school at the University of Utah where he would later say education opened his eyes to the world and life’s potential. He was accepted for a coveted medical residency at Johns Hopkins University Hospital in Baltimore, MD, where he met his first wife, nurse Helen Ernst. After the residency, Alan served active duty as a Naval flight surgeon with the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing headquartered at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point in North Carolina, eventually achieving the rank of Lieutenant Commander. During his service, Alan earned his pilot’s license and, years later, enjoyed flying family and friends in his prized Beechcraft Bonanza N171Y.

After his honorable discharge in March 1975, Alan and Helen moved to Salt Lake City, Utah where Alan founded the Western Emergency Physicians group at Valley West hospital, and the couple raised their two children. As a physician, Alan was skillful, thorough, and compassionate. As a father, he loved to share his passion for the outdoors by leading the family on camping and backpacking adventures throughout the western U.S. Proficient in compass and map navigation, and a master of triangulation, Alan amassed an unrivaled collection of maps that enabled him to hike fearlessly across the deserts of the southwest. He especially loved hiking in the Utah canyon country and climbing the peaks of the Rocky Mountains. Alan backpacked every major trail in the Grand Canyon, including an epic Rim to Rim to Rim in 2011.  

In 2000, Alan married Gloria Saldivar, the love of his life. He was a kind, affectionate, thoughtful, and patient husband who generously shared his love of the outdoors with his bride. After retiring from practicing medicine, the couple purchased property in northern New Mexico. For over 20 years, they cared for the land, which they named “El Santuario del Coyote,” and traveled the world together, backpacking across deserts, summiting some of the world’s most magnificent peaks, and exploring the natural wonders of distant lands. They truly lived those years to their fullest, in accordance with Alan’s personal motto “To rest is not to conquer!”

Preceded in death by his parents Harry and Louise, and his older brother Stephen, Alan was a uniquely gentle and loving man. He will be greatly missed by his beloved bride, Gloria, his brother Paul, children Anne (Sol) and Greg (Laurel), step-sons Jonathan and Michael (Nick), grandchildren Hazel, Margaret, Jada, and Christian, great grandchildren Athena and Noah, and the many people he befriended or cared for during his life. They may not show it, but we’re sure that Sienna the cat and Hugo the dog are devastated by the loss of their companion. The family owes a debt of gratitude to Roadrunner Hospice and to the supportive community of neighbors who welcomed Alan and Gloria in retirement, and whose generous assistance made Alan’s wish to return to his beloved home possible. A memorial service, with an online option, will be held on August 14th, 2021. Please contact Greg Maurer (greg@pronghorns.net) for further information. In lieu of flowers, please memorialize R. Alan Maurer with a donation to the Nature Conservancy (https://preserve.nature.org/page/81523/donate/1), or the US Forest Service Plant a Tree program (https://www.fs.fed.us/forestmanagement/documents/reforestationpartnership/History_of_PAT.pdf).