Eric Paul Arnold

Eric Paul Arnold died unexpectedly on June 1, 2011, at his residence in Niwot, CO. He was 47. Eric was born in Denver, CO, on July 13, 1963 and lived in Boulder, CO, graduating in 1981 from Boulder High School and attending the University of Colorado. He was an Eagle Scout with Troop 77 at the Boulder Elks Lodge and continued as an Assistant Scoutmaster for several years.

He worked at the Granville-Phillips Co. (a Boulder, CO, business, now Brooks Automation, Inc.) from 1981 to 1985, including maintenance and development of automated test systems for high vacuum gauges.

The great majority of his professional career was his many years at Sun Microsystems, Inc., in Palo Alto, CA, as Senior Software Environment Architect, taking many trips to Japan and the Pacific Rim for Sun. Included in his time at Sun Microsystems, Eric provided systems integration, designed and led implementation of the largest automated testing/inventory/distribution center control system in the Silicon Valley and the U.K. A significant part of his work life was spent developing systems in the world of Unix.

Eric is survived by his father, Paul Arnold (wife Barbara McGrath-Arnold) of Boulder, CO, his mother, Helen Cornet of Georgia, his sister, Diana Arnold Ohlson (husband Eric Ohlson, children Hayley (12) and Conner (9)) of Marblehead, MA, four step-siblings, Jeffrey McGrath of Cary, NC, Jennifer Worek of Broomfield, CO. Stephen McGrath of Redwood City, CA, and Dan McGrath (wife Irina) of San Francisco, CA.

A Celebration of Life gathering will be held at 2:00 pm on Sunday, August 14, 2011 at the Boulder Elks Lodge, 3975 28th Street, including a time to share personal comments. Friends please feel free to contribute pot-luck appetizers. Arrangements under the direction of Crist Mortuary, Boulder, CO.