Robert Urdangaray

Robert Urdangaray was born on July 4, 1963, in Long Island, New York, and died on August 23, 2026, in Arlington, Virginia, at age 63. Robert spent his childhood years in Hurley, NY, St. Louis, MO, and Canton, MI. He graduated from Canton High School in 1981 and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in microbiology at the University of Michigan in 1985. He subsequently graduated from Indiana University in 1986 with a master’s degree in environmental science. Robert later moved to the Washington area and worked as a project manager at Project Performance Corporation, where he provided technical advice and support for several projects at the Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Energy. He subsequently worked as an independent contractor with Robbins Gioia and Goldbelt Hawk LLC, where he provided project management support for the Department of Commerce Office of Cyber Security and Risk Management.

Robert was predeceased by his father, Roberto Omar Urdangaray. He is survived by his beloved mother, Maria Isabel Urdangaray, his loving brother and sister-in-law, Alex Urdangaray and Karen Price Urdangaray, his devoted niece and nephew-in-law, Sylvia Urdangaray Detweiler and Sutherland Detweiler, and his cousins Gustavo Lima, Pablo Lima, Anibal Lima, and Alicia Benvenuto. Robert's family will deeply miss him and will fondly remember him through the movies and music they shared. 

Robert is also survived by his dear friends, Miguel Machin, Patricia Donovan, and James Harris, and numerous high school and college friends who shared his love of sports, politics, rock music, 1950s sci-fi movies, and Jeopardy! He was a passionate audiophile who enjoyed advising family and friends about the best sound systems to experience music. Robert was a critical thinker with an encyclopedic mind, even correctly recalling college bowl game scores from the 1970s. He could hold forth conversation at length on various subjects, especially those closest to his heart. Chief among them was Michigan football, which began with his childhood affection for the Wolverines’ winged helmets and deepened during his years in Ann Arbor. Robert was noted for wearing Michigan gear nearly every day, and he celebrated the university’s recent football and basketball national championships with pride. He was also a devoted animal lover and will be much missed by his cats Firefly, Pancho, and Cisco.

A celebration of life will be held at a later date.