Caldwell to get pregnant in January so she would have the baby in the off season, when there were no fires. His wife, Claire, had a 5-year-old son, Zion, with whom Mr. Last November, he married after a whirlwind romance. An avid outdoorsman, he loved the rugged terrain and being in it as often as he could. Caldwell was born in Pennsylvania but moved to Prescott with his family as a toddler. “If Robert was going to die, at least it was with his brothers, 18 of his brothers,” Ms. Caldwell had grown up with many of the men on his team, and this season, his younger cousin, Grant McKee, had joined. It was grueling work, 16-hour days in torturous conditions, but when he spoke of it, “it was like a love affair,” said Thomas Holst, his best friend growing up. Meticulous and smart, he was promoted to squad boss this season. He had been doing it for about three years. He would don his wranglers and cowboy hat and soak up every bit of the rodeo, especially the dances, said his older sister, Taylor Caldwell. It combined the things he loved most - fighting wildfires and Prescott’s annual rodeo. Ashcraft said.įor Robert Caldwell, this was the best time of the year. “He wanted to finish out this season strong, and then think about when he might change to a profession that’s a little more family-friendly,” Ms.
The next morning at 5:20, he kissed his wife goodbye and headed back to the station. On Saturday evening, he returned home from two weeks fighting another fire, arriving just in time to tuck the children into bed. “His go-to dance was spelling his name with his butt in the air,” she said. When she would lock him out, he had to do a dance for her before she would let him back inside. Ashcraft said she and her husband played an ongoing game of trying to lock each other out of their home. And when he was home, he devoted himself completely to his children, attending his son Ryder’s T-ball games and joking around the house.
Ashcraft was away fighting fires, he would text his wife, asking her about the family’s trip to the swimming pool that day, and always telling them he loved them. “There is this constant tug and pull of loving his family and loving what he does,” said his wife, Juliann. It was his third season on the team, and after being named the Granite Mountain Hotshots rookie of the year in 2011, he was in a leadership position. Andrew Ashcraft loved working as a Hotshot, but he struggled with having to spend so much time away from his wife and four children, ages 1, 2, 4 and 6.
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