Page created by: Michele Outland

Our wonderful father, Robert (Bob) Outland, passed away on April 7th, 2025 after succumbing to a courageous decade-long battle with Parkinson’s disease. He is survived by his loving wife of 55 years, Chong, myself (his daughter, Michele), and his son, Brian. We all knew him as the kindest, funniest, most compassionate and thoughtful man, father, and husband; Brian and I are the people we are today because of the wonderful example he set for us.

Bob was born May 16, 1944 in Lawton, Oklahoma to Arley and Eva Lorene (Kersey) Outland, the second of three children. He earned a professional bachelor’s degree in architecture from Texas Tech University and was a proud Veteran of the United States Army. We moved to Colorado in 1973 as our father had a deep, unwavering love for living in the Rocky Mountains. Brian was born three years later and our family spent time in Broomfield, Golden, and Denver. Bob treasured the extended Outland family who have long remained in Oklahoma and Texas, and his two sisters, Linda and Lorna, who have been an important and ever-present part of his and all of our lives. 

Our Dad had a great love of music (especially John Denver, Bob Dylan, and opera) and would always insist on having a soundtrack accompanying every family dinner. Bob loved playing golf, could fix just about anything, and had an impressively extensive baseball hat collection. He was passionate about travel and he had a soft spot for Italy, which he always said was his favorite country in the world to visit. And he would never forego dessert, his favorite course of any meal, especially if it involved chocolate.



Bob prioritized spending time with his family above all else. He loved family travel adventures, from hiking and camping trips in the mountains of Colorado, to loading us and our extended family up in a Winnebago and driving West to California, to flying us back and forth to Texas to visit our grandparents, to organizing epic family trips to Mexico, Epcot Center, Europe, Korea and beyond. He readily helped with homework and school craft projects with a loving and artful flair, rarely missed our games and recitals, and was known for whipping up initial-shaped chocolate chip pancakes on Sunday mornings. As Brian and I grew older and moved to Los Angeles and New York City, respectively, Bob always looked forward to visiting us. He remembered and celebrated every wedding anniversary with our mother by planning something special, such as tickets to their favorite opera Tosca at the Santa Fe Opera tucked inside a watercolor card he hand-painted for her. Bob was thoughtful, selfless, and a giving father and husband.

In addition to his profound love of family, Bob’s talents and passions were personified by the notable, award-winning architecture firm he founded alongside Kiyoshi Murata in Denver in 1981. Originally called Murata Outland Associates, MOA ARCHITECTURE remains a thriving practice today. With a strong belief in integrity and innovation, he helped to shape not only the firm, but also the design landscape of the entire region. Over nearly four decades, Bob lent his expertise, wisdom, and belief in community-centered design to the construction of scores of educational, healthcare, commercial, and public buildings until his retirement in 2016. 

A proud member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma through his maternal grandparents, Bob was a strong advocate for culturally responsive design and worked to elevate Native American voices. He proudly served for over 15 years as Vice Chairman of the Western American Indian Chamber, and was a founding board member of the Native Tourism Alliance and the Denver Indian Community Committee, which helped coordinate a major exhibition at Denver International Airport. 

Bob’s commitment extended beyond leadership roles. While serving as President of the American Indian Council of Architects and Engineers he actively guided architects, designers, and building owners in respectfully incorporating Native American values, aesthetics, and cultural imagery into their work. His advocacy also led MOA to contribute design services to several initiatives, including ADA upgrades at the Native American Rights Fund facility in Boulder. Bob once remarked, “I never found anything quite as rewarding as working on native reservations. At Standing Rock Elementary School up in North Dakota, I remember the kids and teachers couldn’t say enough how much they appreciated the new school. Their words meant so much to me.”

Despite our best efforts to plan ahead for the cycle of this degenerative disease, nothing could have prepared our family for the sudden and significant loss we have experienced. We are grappling with immense grief and miss him more than words can express, but take comfort in knowing that he is no longer in pain, or suffering in a body that continued to fail him.

In his memory, in lieu of any flowers or gifts, we kindly ask, if you are able, to consider making a donation of any size in Bob's name to an organization close to his heart: The Michael J. Fox Foundation, in support of finding a cure for Parkinson’s Disease. Though he is no longer with us, we will continue to advocate for all the families who still struggle with the impact of this devastating disease and hope that a cure will be found in our lifetime.