Dr. Robert George Tardiff

Dr. Robert George Tardiff, 81, peacefully passed away on July 26, 2023, in Ashburn, VA. Bob was born on February 1, 1942 to George and Eugenie Tardiff in Lowell, Massachusetts. Bob was a passionate, life-long learner. He graduated from Merrimack College with his Bachelor’s degree in Biology in 1964, and went on to study at the University of Chicago where he earned a PhD in Toxicology and Pharmacology in 1968. Later in life, he would attend Loyola University of Chicago where he received a Master’s degree in Bioethics. Bob has spent his career striving to protect human health. He started his first job by serving our country as a U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps officer. Following his service, he became chief toxicologist for the newly established Environmental Protection Agency, working on setting clean drinking water standards. After moving to the Washington, DC area, he led the National Academy of Science’s first board of toxicology and environmental health. Bob would work with several societies and professional affiliations over his lifetime, including the founding of the Society for Risk Analysis (SRA). He also worked for several environmental consulting companies over his professional career, culminating in his crowning achievement, the formation of his own company in 1997, The Sapphire Group, which he led for more than 15 years. Most recently, Bob volunteered on Georgetown University’s Institutional Review Board where the team operated to safeguard the rights and welfare of all human subjects who participate in research studies conducted by Georgetown. In 1969, Bob met Kathy in Cincinnati, Ohio. Bob and Kathy went on to have 3 children, Rebecca (Becky), Brian, and Rachel. Together the family would spend countless hours watching or playing tennis, taking road trips up and down the East Coast or hopping on airplanes to visit Hawaii several times. Later in life, taking cruises and traveling the world became a passion that both he and Kathy enjoyed immensely. Bob was predeceased by his parents, George and Eugenie Tardiff. Bob is survived by his wife of 53 years, Kathy; his children: Becky (Rick), Brian (Patty), and Rachel (Mai-Trang) and his five grandchildren: Madison, Montana, Kyle, Alexis, and Gabriel. A funeral gathering will be held at Murphy’s Funeral Home on August 9, 2023 from 5:00-7:00pm and a funeral mass will be held at Our Lady of Good Counsel on August 10, 2023 at 11:00am. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Alzheimer’s Association (www.alz.org) in Bob’s memory