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Robert F. (Bob) Morison, 98, a devoted family man, Navy veteran, copper mining executive and longtime Arizona resident, died peacefully of natural causes on June 19 in Tempe. A loving husband and father, Bob is pre-deceased by his wife, Muriel Beatrice (nee French), with whom he shared 56 wonderful years of marriage.
Bob was born on Sept. 9, 1926, in Freeport, NY, the second of five children of David Lindsay and Mary Rose Morison (nee Fox). He grew up in Freeport and Forest Hills, Queens, and enjoyed summer vacations at Point Lookout, Long Island. He attended Regis High School in Manhattan. Upon graduation in 1944, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy V-12 Officer Training Program, studying first at Union College before graduating Phi Beta Kappa from Dartmouth College in 1947.
After completing Navy Supply Corps School, Bob was stationed at Quonset Point, Rhode Island, and assigned to the destroyer Robert H. McCard (DD-822). He completed tours in the Atlantic, the Mediterranean and the Caribbean. After a decade of service, he retired from the Navy Reserve as a lieutenant.
Bob and Muriel were married in 1949 and soon returned to New York City. Bob began what would be a three-decade-long career with the Inspiration Consolidated Copper Company (now Freeport-McMoRan),working first in its New York headquarters. Even with a growing family and a full-time job, Bob attended graduate school at night, earning his MBA from New York University.
In 1957, a promotion had Bob and family moving to Inspiration, AZ, where the copper mine was located. Lifelong New Yorkers, Bob and Muriel quickly adapted to the Southwest culture and forged numerous lasting friendships at Inspiration, Miami and Globe. Bob was active in the Miami Elks and Rotary clubs, and he enjoyed playing golf at Cobre Valle Country Club.
In 1972, a promotion to company Treasurer had Bob returning to the East Coast office. Seven years later, he and Muriel moved back to Arizona for good, settling in the Moon Valley neighborhood of Phoenix. Bob retired from Inspiration in 1987 as VP Administration and Corporate Secretary. He remained active in the Arizona Mining Association. Following Muriel’s death, Bob in 2007 moved to Friendship Village Tempe, where he was active on numerous committees and charity organizations.
Bob enjoyed golf, bowling, bridge, running, crossword and jigsaw puzzles, and many, many friendships. Most of all, he was a caring and loving family man who was devoted to Muriel and the three generations that followed them.
Survivors include his children Robert (Lynne Barrett), Barbara Gomez (Raymond) and Kevin (Ellen Leander); grandchildren James Barrett-Morison, Brian Gomez (Natasha), Steven Gomez (Ashley), and Nicholas (Megan Jirschele), Francis and Carl Morison; seven great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Services will be held on July 2, 2025, at St. Juan Diego Catholic Church, Chandler, AZ: Rosary at 9:30 a.m., followed by a funeral Mass at 10. Burial will follow at Queen of Heaven Catholic Cemetery and Funeral Home in Mesa.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Andre House of Arizona (www.andrehouse.org) or the Brophy Community Foundation (www.brophyfoundation.org).
