On Monday, February 7th 2022 Robin Bruce McAlister of South Mountain, Pennsylvania (formerly of California, Maryland) passed away peacefully from complications of pancreatic cancer with his wife and children by his side.

Robin was born in Columbus, Ohio on June 28th 1951. He was raised in Toms River, New Jersey by Robert and Marion along with his sisters Anne, Bonnie, Wynett, and Tracy. Yet he was more inclined to reminisce about the summers spent at his beloved grandfather's cabin in Pennsylvania where he developed a love for the outdoors that followed him throughout life. He especially enjoyed bird and wildlife identification, as well as hiking, camping, and backpacking. All of this translated perfectly to his "third career" as Scoutmaster of Troop 427 in Solomons, Maryland for over twenty years. In this role he mentored hundreds of young men, of which over fifty achieved the pinnacle rank of Eagle Scout. He was thoroughly invested in the program as a phenomenal (and highly decorated) trainer at the district and council level, sought after for his expertise to staff and develop courses that shaped the overall leadership of the scouting program.

He enlisted in the Navy in 1969 as an aviation electronics technician. His twenty year career toured him around the world to Japan, Italy, and England on top of several domestic duty stations. He never missed an opportunity to adventure at any location, whether it be the desert of China Lake, the waters of Florida, or backpacking Europe and having high tea with the mayor of Glasgow. He met his wife Shari while they were both stationed in Sicily; they liked to tease that they "had to travel a very long way" to find each other. Their 39th wedding anniversary will be on the 26th of February.

Robin retired in 1989 as a Senior Chief Petty Officer out of Patuxent River Naval Air Station in Southern Maryland. After retiring he took a job there that would span the better part of three decades, although he always had a "five year plan" to move north. The first plan to move was when his oldest son Christian graduated high school in 1990. Then the plan shifted to when his daughter Colleen would graduate in 1994. Then when their youngest son Joshua graduated high school in 2001...and again when he graduated college in 2004. The plan finally started to fade from conversation when he decided to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail in 2005 with Joshua. He continued to work as a government contractor supporting naval flight and mission planning as an integral part of the network administration team until he retired in 2016.

His love for his community, his scouting family, and his coworkers anchored him there and motivated him to continually give more of himself. He was an active member of his parish for many years, which led to his involvement with the local soup kitchen and food pantry along with Christmas in April. He was an active member of the local Moose Lodge and American Legion. He was known and loved throughout the community for his witty jokes, willingness to help, and amazing hugs. He and Shari finally decided to depart Southern Maryland in 2019 to retire to their freshly renovated "shack" in the state forest of south-central Pennsylvania to be closer to family and once more enjoy the woods that brought him so much peace.

In lieu of flowers or condolences Robin would want you to take time for yourself to go out into nature and enjoy it, especially with a loved one. Contributions may be made in his name to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, the Grand Teton National Park, Shenandoah National Park, or the outdoor organization that means the most to you.

There will be a celebration of life at the Hollywood fire hall on February 19th from 2-5pm. All are welcome; please honor his request for "casual attire" and wear your best Hawaiian shirt. BYOB: this is to be a happy occasion for reminiscing, sharing stories, and getting all of the big "Robin" hugs you need. For those that want to continue on into the evening and those that cannot make it to the fire hall, Patuxent Moose Lodge 2393 will be open to all that knew and loved Robin from 5pm until...