Byron R. Gale

Byron Ray Gale, age 61, of Evergreen, Colorado, passed away due to complications from Glioblastoma Cancer on October 5, 2025. Byron lived by the motto “Work Hard, Play Hard” and truly excelled as a father, spouse, son, brother, friend, petroleum engineer, and person.

Byron was born in Albany, Oregon, the third of six children of Charles (Bud) and Janet Gale. Bud Gale, metallurgical engineer, moved with his job; consequently, Byron grew up in Albany, OR; Tooele, UT; Arvida, Quebec, Canada; White Salmon, WA; and Pleasant View, UT.

Byron always excelled academically. In junior high, he determined he wanted to be a Petroleum Engineer after his father, Bud, gave him a slide rule, and he never wavered from that path. Byron graduated in 1982 as valedictorian from Weber High School in Pleasant View, UT. He attended Montana Tech in Butte, MT, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Petroleum Engineering in 1986.

Byron began his fulfilling professional career with ARCO Oil & Gas in Bakersfield, California, where he also met his wife, Melinda (geophysicist). Byron married Melinda in March 1991, and they moved with ARCO to Midland, Texas then later with Vastar Resources to Houston, Texas. In 1996, Byron and Melinda moved to Evergreen, Colorado, where they found home and continued working in oil and gas. After a short stint as Engineering Manager at Whitmar Exploration, Byron worked at Tom Brown, Inc. as an Operations Engineer and Reservoir Engineer, focusing on Rocky Mountain assets, and later served as Corporate Engineer. Encana Oil and Gas purchased Tom Brown, Inc., and was later renamed Ovintiv. During this time, Byron held various roles, including Team Lead, Vice President of EH&S/Regulatory Affairs/Security, Vice President of Corporate Reserves, Chief of Reservoir Engineering, and Vice President & General Manager of Rockies Operations. After leaving Ovintiv, Byron worked as Vice President, Environmental, Health, Safety & Security for Tallgrass Energy, concluding his 39-year career with positions including Engineering Supervisor, UGS Staff Authority, and Deputy Director of Operations for the State of Colorado, Division of Natural Resources, Energy and Carbon Management Commission. Byron was proud to have helped many companies achieve their safest year in company history, creating work environments that allowed employees to return home safely to their families and lives. And, for factual accuracy, he had one brief stretch where he held three Vice President roles simultaneously.

Byron and Melinda celebrated their 34th anniversary in 2025 with a visit to the Broadmoor and a Hawaiian cruise. Byron loved to travel with his family on memorable bucket list trips to Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Ireland, England, France, Italy, Peru, Costa Rica, Norway, and Iceland.

Byron was very athletic and participated in many sports while growing up, including hockey, basketball, skiing, downhill racing, and tennis. He was a “one-game” ball boy for the Portland Trailblazers, where he met his hero, Bill Walton.

In the BK (before kids) era, Byron and Melinda enjoyed skiing, camping, cycling, mountain biking, hiking, volleyball, and quality time with an amazing group of friends and family. After the arrival of Skylar and Ryan, Byron and Melinda enjoyed sharing their love of skiing, camping, cycling, mountain biking, hiking, volleyball with them, and spending quality time with these two amazing kids, as well as with more fantastic friends and family. He and his son, Ryan, had a traditional father-son camping trip every summer for quality time and hilarious antics in Montana, Utah, and Colorado. He was also very proud to be a member of the Winter Park Ski Patrol, and his commitment to Winter Park contributed to the family’s long-lasting love of the Fraser Valley.

Byron would like to be remembered as a hard-working father who provided for his family and helped create opportunities for his kids. Getting a good education was very important to Byron, and he enjoyed watching his children grow and learn in all phases of life. He is especially proud of them as they continue their journeys through graduate school.

Byron is survived by his wife, Melinda, his daughter Skylar, his son Ryan, his parents Bud and Janet Gale, his brothers and sisters Jody Mecham, Stephen (Jennifer) Gale, Craig Gale, Michelle Gale, his brother-in-law Robert (Kathy) Moore, and sister-in-law Pamela (Mick) Mickle, and many nieces and nephews.

He is preceded in death by his mother-in-law, Bernadean Moore, father-in-law, Bill Moore, and his brother-in-law, Patrick Mecham.

A funeral service will be held at Olinger Grown Hill Mortuary & Cemetery, located at 7777 West 29th Ave, Wheat Ridge, CO 80033, on October 18, 2025, at 1:00 pm.

Following the funeral, a graveside service will take place at the same location on October 18, 2025, from 2:00 pm to 2:30 pm.

In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Byron Gale can be made to the Gale Family Endowed Scholarship through the Montana Tech Foundation. Contributions can be submitted online at https://foundation.mtech.edu/give by selecting the Gale Family Endowed Scholarship, or by mail to the Montana Tech Foundation, 1300 West Park Street, Butte, MT 59701. Please indicate that your gift is made in memory of Byron Gale. Donations can also be directed to the Glioblastoma Foundation at https://glioblastomafoundation.org/get-involved/donate. Thank you for your generosity.