The family of Robert Sharpe, a Boulder resident who died in the Marshall Fire, has created a memorial to honor those who died and recognize everyone who suffered from the fire’s destruction.

The memorial, a large stone with a plaque in the center, is now at the Marshall Mesa Trailhead in Boulder. Sharpe’s family held a dedication of the monument on Friday.

“Today we dedicate this monument to the memory of the two individuals who perished in the Marshall fire, 91-year-old Nadine Turnbull and our beloved brother, 61-year-old Robert Sharpe,” Sharpe’s sister Eileen Fournier said.

“We trust that this monument will remind our citizens for years to come of the awful losses the fire caused for thousands of people in the surrounding communities. After almost three years, the pain and loss still remain vivid in people’s minds.”

It took two years to design and create the memorial. The family chose the Marshall trailhead because Sharpe loved open space and it’s close to where the fire started.

“We knew how much Robert loved the open space and was dedicated to that and we just wanted to in some way memorialize him and also all the losses that happened because of the Marshall Fire,” Fournier said.

Jeff Haley, Boulder’s deputy director of open space and mountain parks, helped the family plan the memorial.“It was a horrible incident still fresh on the minds of many people that live in the area,” Haley said.

The city has plans to renovate the Marshall trailhead within the next year. The memorial will be stored once renovations begin and then returned to the trailhead when the project is complete.

“Fire is destructive and catastrophic, but then sometimes when you think about it in the context of the ecology, it also brings new growth and new birth,” Haley said. “So that’s kind of what we hope to leave or bring the message as well. We’ve lost loved ones, we’ve lost possessions and things but also now we’re in a place of healing and remembering, so that new trailhead will have that focus.”

Sharpe was one of six siblings who grew up in Westminster. Fournier, who now lives in North Carolina, said Sharpe was highly involved in the community. He was kind, gentle, had many friends and loved his family.

The family hopes that somehow some good can come out of the fire and that it promotes a sense of community.

“I’m sure that happened a lot during and after the fire where people just bonded together, helped each other heal and get on with their lives and somehow rebuild,” Fournier said.

“I’m hoping (the memorial) has a positive impact not just to recognize the destruction but to prompt people and encourage people to join together in a community and help each other rebuild, grow, recreate and make things better.”