Robert Rex Morrison

1930 - 2020

ROBERT REX MORRISON
April 8, 1930 - June 29, 2020

Robert Morrison, "Bob", was born in Los Angeles to Effie Mae (nee Dewitt) and Robert Boyd Morrison, and passed away at the age of 90 at Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach due to complications from Parkinson's disease.

Growing up in Westwood, Bob earned distinction as an Eagle Scout in 1945 and went on to graduate from University High School in 1947. He later obtained his BS in geology from UCLA in 1951 where he was a member of the Theta Delta Chi fraternity.

Shortly after graduation Bob enlisted in the Navy and received his commission from the Officer Candidate School in Newport, Rhode Island. He was assigned to a ship in the Pacific during the Korean War and was later trained at the National Photographic Interpretation Center in Washington, D.C. where he met his bride-to-be, Phyllis Reardon of Alexandria, Virginia. In 1954 Bob and Phyllis were married in Honolulu where he was stationed.

After his service, Bob joined The Texas Company as a geologist and he and his bride moved to Casper, Wyoming where their first daughter Patty was born. Not done with his education, the young family returned to Westwood so that he could get his master's degree in geology from UCLA. Shortly thereafter the family moved to Ojai where his second daughter Suzy was born, and in 1962 the family moved to Bakersfield as Bob began with Richfield Oil Company. On the very day in 1966 that Richfield and Atlantic merged, Bob began his career with Occidental Petroleum (Oxy). In 1980 Bob and Phyllis left Bakersfield so that he could begin a variety of assignments as an overseas manager for Oxy. These included Mendoza, Argentina; Quito, Ecuador; Jakarta, Indonesia; and two separate stints in Buenos Aires, Argentina where he mastered Porteño Spanish. Throughout his career he was also an active member of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists.

Bob was very dedicated to his family, friends, skiing, and sailing. Sailing was his passion and in 1963 he built a wooden El Toro sailboat in his garage. Later he would sail a Lido 14, a Cal 25, and a Columbia 50 (dearly named "La Otra Mujer" - the other woman) to various southern Channel Islands, and numerous Newport Beach to Ensenada races. Bob was also a fitness enthusiast and a proud member of the Newport Mesa Orange County YMCA for the past 25 years.

Upon his retirement, Bob and Phyllis built their dream house on Balboa Island in Newport Beach which allowed him to really focus on sailing and the wonders of life on the Southern California coast.

Bob is survived by his wife Phyllis, daughter Suzanne Vose, son-in-law Mark Vose, and their two children Ashby and Jackson who reside in LA. Bob is predeceased by his daughter Patricia Oliver who passed from cancer in 2018. Bob also leaves behind Patty's husband Jim Oliver and their twins, Robert and Juliette all of Roseville, California.

A celebration of life will be held in Bakersfield in the fall depending on the status of the pandemic.