Obituary of Robert (Bob) Louis McPHERSON

February 27, 1930 – Calgary, Alberta
April 12, 2021 – Calgary, Alberta

Robert (Bob) Louis McPherson passed away peacefully on Monday, April 12, 2021 in Calgary, AB, surrounded by his much-loved family and friends, both personally and virtually present.

Bob was a true “Renaissance” man who was determined to appreciate everything that life offered. Along the way he made many friends at the Unitarian Church in Regina and Calgary and at the Colonel Belcher residence where he retired with his beloved wife Marion McPherson (now deceased).

As a geologist he explored Canada’s north and employed Cree, Metis, and Inuit prospectors and field assistants to help him in his work. When he wasn’t in the Arctic, he often enlisted his daughters and wife to help him carry rock samples as he hiked and took them on camping adventures in wilderness areas. 

Bob enjoyed gardening, making delicious soups, skiing, hiking, or biking in the mountains with family and friends.  He loved the beauty of Canada and as a proud Calgarian took great pleasure in showing visitors the city’s historical sites and those in outlying areas. 

Bob had a great appreciation for all types of music – both mainstream and more eccentric - as his friends can attest. There were few who did not hear the memorable tunes of one of his favorite composers – Germany’s iconoclastic Karlheinz Stockhausen – at his many music appreciation sessions! A fan and supporter of folk music, Bob and his family could be found at the Edmonton, Canmore, and Calgary festivals during the summer.  

Volunteering for worthy causes was part of Bob and his wife Marion’s DNA. Visitors to his household would often be woken up at 5:00 a.m. in the morning to coffee and toast being made before the two headed off to help out at the Inn From the Cold program to keep homeless people warm during the winter.

He prided himself as being one of the oldest persons to participate in the Husky Tower stair-climbing fundraiser in his 80’s which benefitted the Alberta Wilderness Association. He could also be found every year at the Light the Night Walk to support the Tom Baker Cancer Centre’s efforts.

Among Bob’s greatest accomplishments was the publication of his book: New Owners in Their Own Land: Minerals and Inuit Land Claims in 2003 by the University of Calgary Press. New Owners in Their Own Land – which took him 10 years to write - examined the historical dispute over the land selection process and subsurface rights in Nunavut, drawing on his experiences as a mineral consultant to Inuit negotiators who became “owners of the mineral claims on their own land” in a precedent-setting agreement in 1993.

Bob served as a research associate with the Arctic Institute of North America and volunteered with the Calgary Science Network, where he was a liaison officer with Treaty 7 schools.

He is survived by his four daughters: Cathy, Laurie, Barbara, and Holly McPherson; six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren; his sister Jocelyn McPherson; sister-in-law Carol McPherson; and many extended family and friends.

A Celebration of Bob's Life will be taking place in the future, information to follow. Condolences, memories and photos may be shared and viewed on Robert’s obituary at www.McInnisandHolloway.com.

If friends so desire, memorial tributes in Bob’s name may be made directly to the Alberta Science Network (formerly known as the Calgary Science Network), the Unitarian Church of Calgary, or the Salvation Army Calgary Agapè Hospice. Or to any of the other volunteer/charitable organizations which Bob was associated with.

In living memory of Bob McPherson and Marion McPherson, two trees will be planted in the Ann & Sandy Cross Conservation Area by McINNIS & HOLLOWAY FUNERAL HOMES, Crowfoot, 82 CROWFOOT CIRCLE NW, CALGARY, AB T3G 2T3, Telephone: 403-241-0044.