Robert Quigley

Robert Neil Quigley, who went by “Neil,” died in the early morning of March 31, 2022, two months shy of his 89th birthday, following a long battle with COVID-19 and cancer.

Neil was born in Grafton, North Dakota on May 24, 1933.  He attributed his independent character to growing up on a farm near Bathgate, N.D., where as a youngster, Neil played in the dirt outside the door while his mother, Edith, helped his father on the farm.  After the family “went broke” on the farm, Neil’s father, Bernerd, worked for the Border Patrol and the family lived in several towns along the northern US border before settling for a number of years in Grand Forks.  Neil made many life-long friends at Grand Fork’s Central High School who stay in touch to this day.  He played high school football, basketball, and track and college football and hockey. Neil enjoyed bird hunting and playing soccer well into his retirement.

At 15, Neil lied about his age and served in the North Dakota National Guard until his true age was discovered.  He attended the University of North Dakota (UND) for a year before joining the Marines in lieu of being drafted.  After the Marines, Neil returned to UND and graduated in 1957 with a BA in math and a minor in natural science.

He worked as a computer programmer and document examiner for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) while at night pursuing a law degree at the Washington College of Law of American University in Washington, D.C.  When he achieved his law degree in 1960, Neil became a Special Agent for the FBI.  As a Special Agent, Neil worked the “Mississippi Burning” case of the three missing civil rights workers found buried in an earth dam and served two special assignments to Dallas on the President John F. Kennedy assassination.  The first assignment was to monitor Lee Harvey Oswald’s home in the days immediately following JFK’s assassination. Neil was also one of eight agents covering leads for the Warren Commission

In 1967, Neil left the FBI to practice law, first in North Dakota and then in Colorado where he came to focus primarily on civil litigation.  He specialized in Insurance Defense work for several insurance carriers and participated in more than 100 jury trials and more than 100 trials to court.  He spent many years doing Thursday Night Bar intake interviews, served on several Bar committees including The Docket and created cartoons for The Colorado Lawyer.

Neil thoroughly enjoyed being a father to his two children, Brett and Shannon, with his first wife, Sharon.  He often went to work at 5:00 a.m. to be available for the children’s school and sports activities.

In 1998, Neil retired from full-time law practice and he and his second wife, Jan, enjoyed traveling, dancing, and their home in the foothills west of Denver.  Neil is survived by his wife of 32 years, Jan, daughter Shannon Fendler (Baron), son Brett Quigley (Kirsten), stepdaughter Tamera Apodaca (Mark), grandchildren Grant and Reid Fendler, Conor, Jack, Claire, and Kate Quigley, and Hailey Apodaca, and many nieces and nephews. He is also survived by his sister, Phyllis Stoa, of Fargo, ND, and brother, Patrick Quigley, of Blaine, WA.  His sister, Patsy Baldwin (William), and brother, Michael Quigley (Sherrill), predeceased him.

A Celebration of Neil’s Life will be held at Horan & McConaty, 3101 South Wadsworth Boulevard, Lakewood, Colorado on April 18, 2022, at 11:00 a.m.  Interment will follow at Fort Logan National Cemetery. Live streaming of the service will be available by clicking the link below:

https://bxcited.com/robert-neil-quigley/

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to Porter Hospice, 5020 East Arapahoe Road, Centennial, CO 80122 (Donate | Porter Hospice Foundation https://www.rmahf.org/hospice.html or to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society ( givenow.lls.org )

Please share your memories of Neil and condolences with his family by signing the tribute wall.