Matthew Gregory Rollins Obituary (2024)

It is with heavy hearts that we share the death of our dearly loved son, brother, friend, and colleague, Matt Rollins. After a prolonged illness, Matt died on August 18, 2024, at his home in Wenatchee, Washington. Matt was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, on May 24, 1969, to Helen F. Rollins and Douglas E. Rollins. He was raised in Salt Lake City, Utah, Kansas City, Kansas, Washington D.C. and Stockholm, Sweden. Matt was a proud Eagle Scout of Salt Lake City Boy Scout Troop 410. He loved their outdoor adventures and their annual Buffalo BBQ. This introduction to the outdoors influenced career choices and led to his enduring pursuits of fly fishing, downhill skiing, and mountain biking. He graduated from Olympus High School in Salt Lake City, University of Montana BS, MS, and the University of Arizona PhD. Matt was a Program Manager at the Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station, in Wenatchee, Washington. He served as an Officer for the Wenatchee Forestry Sciences Laboratory and the La Grande Forestry and Range Sciences Laboratory, where his work was pivotal for their Wildfire Crisis Strategy. During his career, he was a national program leader for the Forest Service's Washington Office of Research and Development, supervised large research programs at the Missoula Fire Sciences Lab, and oversaw all fire science and response-related activities at the U.S. Geological Survey National Headquarters. These achievements were a testament to his dedication to understanding and protecting our natural environment. He loved the outdoors and leaves a legacy of many unforgettable memories of his adventures. Matt's quick wit, sense of humor, expansive intellect, excellent cooking skills, and love of dogs enabled him to make lifelong friends wherever he lived and worked. He found love with Kathy, Amy, and Vanessa. Matt was preceded in death by his mother, Helen, and is survived by his sister, Emily and her family, his father, Doug and Doug's wife, Cathy. The family wants to thank Matt's longtime friend, Joe Phillips, who took care of Matt the past year. Many thanks to the staff of the Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station, the staff of Confluence Health Hospice, Wenatchee, WA, the staff of Confluence Health Hospital, Wenatchee, WA, the staff of Virginia Mason Hospital, Seattle, WA, and the staff of Harborview Hospital, Seattle, WA. Brookside Funeral Home is caring for the family. Memories and condolences may be shared at www.brooksidefuneral.com.