Slain Las Vegas city employee remembered as ‘warm, loving and beautiful’ in downtown ceremony

By Chris Kudialis

Thursday, Oct. 26, 2017 | 8:30 p.m.

Cameron Robinson was quiet and a bit uneasy around people as he met them for the first time.

But once he got to know someone, the man described as fun-loving, resourceful and innovative by friends and family Thursday at a Las Vegas City Hall ceremony used his passionate personality to inspire others and open their minds.

“Cameron always thrived on trying new things,” said Las Vegas City Attorney Brad Jerbic, who hired Robinson to work as a records keeper on his staff eight years ago and became one of his best friends. “I knew right away I was dealing with a remarkable human being.”

Robinson, 28, was one of 58 people killed in the mass shooting on Oct. 1, six of whom were from the Las Vegas Valley. As he was honored Thursday in a 90-minute ceremony at Las Vegas City Council Chambers, about 300 friends, family, former co-workers and members of the Southern Nevada community gathered to celebrate his life while urging each other to preserve his legacy.

“This special young man had a warmth and a heart and a love for life,” said Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman. “He became a friend to all of us and showed nothing but diligent commitment, personal dedication and love for what he did every day.”

“He was warm, loving and beautiful, and loved everything that was good in life,” Goodman added. “Everybody has to carry forward with a commitment to what Cameron would have wanted.”

Jerbic, who said he liked to binge-watch the TV series "Big Brother" with Robinson, described him as someone who also enjoyed spontaneous hiking trips. Robinson poured his heart into his personal relationships as much as his job, Jerbic said.

Robinson, who worked at a floral shop and also held a job with MGM Resorts International before getting hired by the city, was also an avowed coupon-clipper and sought to be as frugal as possible in everything from eating out to his choice of groceries. His strong convictions, and a growing self-confidence as an adult, had put him in conversation for an upcoming promotion with the city.

“No challenge was too big for Cameron,” Jerbic said. “The trajectory on his life was headed nowhere but up.”

Others who spoke Thursday and who knew Jerbic before his days in Las Vegas echoed that claim. Robinson’s passion for new experiences and his perfectionist personality extended beyond his job to his friends, automobiles, flowers and cooking, among other hobbies.

Robinson’s partner of four years, St. George, Utah resident Bobby Eardley, said the two had been working on building their own dog house for several months before Robinson’s death, after he persuaded Eardley to build the dog house instead of buying one. While Eardley described himself as the “slack-off parent,” Robinson was “always there” to make sure the three kids he stepfathered completed their homework and were in bed by 9 p.m. to prepare for school the next day.

Eardley, 36, said his three children received a father figure as he and Robinson grew in their relationship. This year, on Father’s Day, Robinson received his first father’s day card, a moment Eardley recounted as he fought back tears.

“He had so many quirks and so many passions, so many talents and so much drive for life,” Eardley said. “He was a really good dad to my kids and I appreciated that very much.”

Besides his dedicated personality, Robinson lived confidently in his own skin, said longtime friend Ethan Avanzino. That mentality inspired those around him to find the strength to embrace their true selves, instead of living in ways that other people would approve.

Avanzino, 28, who met Robinson in 2006 when they were juniors at Nevada State High School in Henderson, also roomed with him during their freshman year at Nevada State College. While Robinson had been “out of the closet” since high school, Avanzino watched his close friend experience harassment and bullying — exemplified one evening when Robinson’s orange Mitsubishi sports car was keyed with homophobic messages.

But that didn’t deter Robinson from living his life to the fullest, Avanzino said. Three years ago, when Avanzino came out as gay, he flew from his residence in Dallas to Las Vegas to first tell Robinson of the announcement. He credited Robinson for instilling him with the courage to take that step and to live authentically.

“I call upon that strength that Cameron had to be himself to hold my boyfriend’s hand in public,” he said. “He was unapologetic for who he was and unapologetic for who he loved.”