William Forster Archerd

William (a.k.a. Bill) Forster Archerd (age 85), a resident of Arvada, Colorado, passed away just before midnight on September 23, 2025 at Lutheran Hospital Hospice in Wheat Ridge, Colorado.

Bill was born on May 23, 1940 in Chicago, Illinois to Havard W. Archerd (1913-2000) and Mildred C. Forster (1913-1992). His family later moved to Duluth, Minnesota where Bill graduated from Duluth East High School in 1958. After high school, Bill attended Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in History in 1962. He was a member of the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity. Following his undergraduate work, he attended the William Mitchell College of Law (currently named Mitchell Hamline School of Law) where he received his Juris Doctor (JD) degree.

Bill spent his career as a corporate attorney for Oppenheimer, Wolff, and Donnelly Law Firm in St. Paul, Minnesota. He also shared his knowledge of law as an adjunct professor at his alma mater. After he retired from the law firm, he volunteered for the Peace Corps and worked as an independent contractor overseas. His work overseas involved helping Eastern European nation-states transition to market-based economies. He loved the time he spent traveling and discovering hidden gems in places like Croatia and Poland.

Bill lived in Roseville, Minnesota and raised his family of three children (Cynthia, William (a.k.a. Bill), and Laura) with his former spouse, Joanne A. Archerd. He spent time in other parts of the state before eventually moving to Colorado in the early 2000s to start a new chapter of his life, closer to family.

He was an avid nature lover and outdoor adventurer! Throughout his life, Bill enjoyed spending time outside doing activities such as gardening, skiing, camping, hiking, biking, snowshoeing, and marathoning. He loved to tinker in his backyard and harvest vegetables in his garden. He also enjoyed sharing his life with a number of felines — Grisabella, Kismet, Kamante, and Firefly.

One of Bill’s favorite places was Lake Vermilion in northern Minnesota, where his family and parents owned cabins on the serene Daisy Island. Days on the island were spent hiking around the island, collecting blueberries, plunging into the frigid water and yelping, cross-country skiing across the lake, sitting under the stars by campfire, and exploring the area by canoe or boat. Bill also loved exploring the adjacent Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA). As an Eagle Scout, he was able to plan and execute the perfect camping adventures in the BWCA, including discovering epic portages and secluded camping spots.

Bill also loved sharing his hobbies and favorite activities with his family. He loved to ski and hike with his grandchildren and often attended their sporting events to cheer them on! He was eager to help out when needed with handy house projects (project outcomes were often questionable) and pet-sitting the grand-pets without hesitation. He had one grand-cat, Cloud, and multiple other grand-pets (Custer the dog and Cookie, Oreo, Comet, and Rocket the guinea pigs) that relied on him for years!

He hiked all over the Colorado Rockies and summited many fourteeners (mountain peaks over 14,000 feet), including Mt. Bierstadt, Mt. Elbert, and Mt. Sherman with some of his family members. He summited many of these hard-to-reach peaks alone!

Bill was passionate about genealogy research. During retirement, he spent countless hours researching and meticulously documenting the Archerd family tree back to the 1700s.

Bill is survived by his daughter Cynthia J. Archerd, Westminster, CO; son, William H. Archerd, married to Jeane Huang, Lakewood, CO; and Laura A. Haas, married to Christopher D. Haas, Evergreen, CO. He also has three grandchildren, including Courtney J. Archerd (daughter of William H. Archerd and Jeane Huang), as well as Peyson C. Haas (son of Laura A. Haas and Christopher D. Haas) and Emerson A. Haas (daughter of Laura A.Haas and Christopher D. Haas).

In place of a traditional ceremony, Bill’s cremated remains will be privately put to rest by his family with their own personal and meaningful rituals.

In place of flowers, please consider a memorial gift to Friends of the Boundary Water Wilderness Area https://www.friends-bwca.org/memorial/and if possible, send a note, picture, or memory of Bill so that his family can continue to cherish his life and legacy. Email: lahaas09@gmail.com.

His family hopes that he is peacefully paddling off into the sunset with the loons and singing his favorite paddling song:

“Our paddles keen and bright,

Flashing like silver;

Swift as the wild goose flight,

Dip, dip, and swing.”