Robert Neville O'Brien

O'BRIEN, Robert (Bob) Neville b. June 14, 1921, Nanaimo, BC. d. March 23, 2015, Victoria, BC Bob grew up in Burnaby, the 4th of six children of Robert Emmett and Mary Anne (Crossan) O'Brien. He served as a pilot with the 435/436 RCAF Burma Squadrons in 1944-45, returning to earn a BASc and MASc at UBC, followed by a Ph.D. from the University of Manchester in 1955. Bob and Helen Bryan married in 1952; he is survived by Helen and five children, Daniel (Pat Lee), Martha (Bruce Edmundson), Doug (Marcia Lo), Tim and Patrick (Stefanie Jeanneret) and eight grandchildren. He also leaves his sister Nell Verwey. He taught in the Chemistry departments at the University of Alberta (1957-1966) and University of Victoria (1966-1986), and was still often to be found working in the Elliott building until a few months before his death. He and Helen enjoyed travel together, frequently with a canoe on the rivers and lakes of Europe and North America. Bob was a tireless inventor, and started several businesses. His most successful was Flexible Solutions, co-founded with his son Dan. Throughout his life Bob indulged his passion for flying; he gave up his private pilot's license in his 80s. He, never stopped researching. He loved sawing wood, building beach fires, playing badminton, reading fiction and history, growing vegetables and making concrete. Bob was a generous man, especially to his students and his children, and is missed by us all.