Obituary: Robert G. Shortridge, Jr.

August 19, 1945 – February 27, 2026

April 2, 2026

Robert G. Shortridge, Jr., 1945-2026

Robert G. Shortridge, Jr., chemist, prolific inventor, and indefatigable adventurer, died on February 27, 2026, after a long and valiant battle with heart disease. Born on August 19, 1945, in Huntington Beach, California, Bob was the only child of Robert G. Shortridge, Sr. and Katherine Cecilia (Saurin) Shortridge. An intellectually curious child who quickly revealed an exceptional aptitude for science, Bob went on to build a career marked by scientific innovation and a life of enduring relationships.

Bob attended local schools and went on to graduate with a chemistry degree from Loyola University, where he participated in the Air Force ROTC program. He went on to earn his Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of California, Irvine, in 1971. While at UC Irvine, he was the National Defense Education Act Predoctoral Fellow from 1967–1970, during which time he published several influential papers as primary author or collaborator. An abstract of his doctoral thesis was later published in 1973 in The Journal of Physical Chemistry.

His distinguished scientific career included early work on chemical lasers for a contractor on behalf of the Air Force Weapons Laboratory and projects for a contractor to the U.S. Secretary of the Navy on groundbreaking work on pyrotechnic flares. The latter work led Bob to testify before Congress at least six times, secure no fewer than 12 patents for inventions related to pyrotechnics, and to collaborate on numerous technical abstracts and papers and present at symposiums. In 2017, the American Chemical Society and its local sections honored Bob for reaching 50 years of active membership.

Bob often visited his mother’s extended family in Connecticut and Vermont. In the 1970s, his Vermont cousins introduced him to cross-country and downhill skiing, and skiing quickly became a lifelong passion. Bob skied widely across the United States and Europe with a ski club and on independent trips. He purchased a condominium in Stowe, Vermont, to be closer to the mountains he loved to hike and ski and to spend more time with his East Coast family. He returned every summer and winter for decades to reconnect with extended family and friends and could always be counted on to appear whenever there was a special event.

Affectionately known as the “Energizer Bunny” for his seemingly endless energy when hiking, biking, skiing and driving, Bob would routinely drive from Albuquerque to Vermont in three days — and he knew all the best all-you-can-eat buffet stops along the way!

Quick-witted, good-natured and humble, Bob loved a good joke, and hot sauce on almost any kind of food, insisting it was not hot enough unless it made him sweat.

As he approached retirement, Bob relocated his home base from Bloomfield, Indiana, to Albuquerque, New Mexico, to be closer to John and Isabel Herbelin and their large family. John and Bob had been friends since ninth grade and studied chemistry together at Loyola. Bob was godfather to the Herbelins’ first child, Mark, and remained closely involved in the lives of their 10 children and families. Bob became an integral part of the extended Herbelin family and was lovingly known as “Boo Boo Bear” by the many grandchildren who delighted in having him play with and read aloud to them.

Bob is survived by several cousins with whom he was especially close, notably William Thomas and his husband Pedro Mendia-Landa of Cheshire, Connecticut,  April Schwendler and her son Elliott Freeland of Waterbury Center, Vermont, and Josh Welch and his husband Roger Monette of Portland, Oregon. 

The family wishes to thank Dion Duenas and Monique Kilgore for the loving care they and their families provided Bob in Albuquerque during COVID and in the final years of Bob’s life. Special thanks go to Monique and her family for welcoming Bob into their home and providing hospice care during his final weeks. Know that we are deeply grateful Bob received such care, attention, and love during that difficult time. 

Bob will be remembered for his brilliant scientific mind, his boundless energy on the ski slopes and trails, and the warmth and humor he brought to the many friends and families who welcomed him as one of their own. His curiosity, generosity, and enthusiasm for life leave a lasting mark on all who knew him. A Catholic Mass was held for him on March 30 in Albuquerque. A private internment service will be held later this year at a date to be determined.