Wilder, Vt. — Robert Joshua Brison, 95, died peacefully on Monday, Nov. 14, 2016 at the Valley Terrace assisted-living home in White River Junction.

Bob was born near Halifax, Nova Scotia, and in his youth moved with his family to northern Ontario. It was there, in the town of Falconbridge, that he got his start in the mining industry, dropping out of high school to earn money smelting nickel and copper at a local mine.

Instead of giving up on his schooling, Bob studied his brother Jack's notes in his spare time, performing well enough on the subsequent exams to graduate from high school. He then matriculated at Queen's University, in Kingston, Ontario, from which he earned a degree in metallurgical engineering in 1945.

During his college years Bob began corresponding with his future wife, Martha Peltola. While home for the holidays one year the pair enjoyed one of their first dates: a New Year's Eve dance. They even won the $50 door prize, which covered three months' worth of Bob's tuition.

Upon getting married Bob and Martha moved to Manhattan, where Bob worked in the Empire State Building and the pair lived in a rented apartment on W. 65th St., near where Lincoln Center was built about two decades later. The couple soon relocated to Flushing, however, after their landlord was discovered to have been renting out their apartment illegally.

Bob stated in the late '40s that he intended to return to Canada in 5-10 years, though he never did. Instead, he landed a job in Columbus, Ohio, as a research engineer at the Battelle Institute. There, he developed a process for removing impurities from rock salt, an achievement that earned him write-ups in several trade magazines. In total, Bob developed nine patented processes during his career.

In addition to his professional projects, Bob developed an interest in the concept of spacetime, and sought, over several decades, to resolve the theoretical contradictions standing in the way of a unified theory of physics.

While living in Columbus, Bob became a father, first to Mary, then Don, then Susan. He looked forward to the month he received off of work every summer, when he took his kids traveling: to Yellowstone, Acadia, and other national parks; to the Seattle world's fair; to Nova Scotia. Martha, who continues to reside at Valley Terrace, remembers Bob as a wonderful father, who would make up songs to entertain Mary, and enthusiastically attend the musicals in which Susan performed.

Later in life, Bob also took pleasure in windsurfing and in skiing. Living in the heart of the Rocky Mountains afforded him the opportunity to make regular wintertime trips to the Loveland Ski Area, and he did so into his early 90s. Spending time with his grandchildren, Shaun, Kimberly, and Gabriel, and watching them grow, likewise gave Bob joy.

Bob and Martha moved to Vermont two years ago, leaving behind their many friends and longtime home in Arvada, Colorado, a suburb of Denver, to be closer to Susan and her husband, Tom.

Bob was predeceased by his son, Don Brison; his sister Minnie Brison; and his brothers, Jack Brison and Grant Brison. He is survived by his wife of seventy years, Martha Brison; his daughter Mary Pearson, her husband Larry, and their children Shaun and Kimberly; his daughter Susan Brison, her husband, Tom Trezise, and their son, Gabriel Brison-Trezise; his sister Jean MacDonnell; and many nieces, nephews, great-nieces, and great-nephews.

Bob's family is grateful to the staff at Valley Terrace for providing him with loving care over the past two years, and to Bayada Hospice for making his final months more comfortable.