Robert Bruce Morrison

He is lovingly remembered by his wife of 37 years, Joyce Morrison; his son, Rob Morrison (Jackie) and grandchildren, Jordan (Olesia) and Abby; his daughter, Anne Richards (Maury) and grandchildren, Erik (Frances) and Sami;  his sister-in-law, Candy Morrison in Florida; his nephew, Joshua Morrison (Amanda) in Oregon; his brother-in-law, John Maher (Gloria) from Alberta; and three cousins and their spouses living in the US.

Bruce was predeceased by his parents Robert Nobel Morrison (1997) and Gladys Ellen Morrison (Frees) (2008); brother, Jon Morrison (2018) and grandson, Iain Richards (2021).

Bruce was the definitive ‘life-long learner’ – he approached new opportunities with enthusiasm and his life took him down many paths. He also loved to share what he knew with others. He was a wonderful teacher and mentor. 

Bruce was born in rural Ohio and loved horses and the out-of-doors. By 1952, his father had joined the US Military as a pastor, posted first to Germany and then to Japan where Bruce graduated from high school. While in Japan, and later in the US, he earned his black belt and was a martial arts instructor in judo and karate.  He was also a competitive swimmer and lifeguard.

In 1962, Bruce was a member of an archaeological field crew that studied Pre-Dorset settlements near Lake Harbour on Baffin Island.  Because he found evidence of Pre-Dorset cultures there, the site was named after him - the Morrison Site.

Following his bachelor’s degree in 1962, Bruce served in the US Peace Corps from 1963-65, where he lived and worked in the hills of Nepal.  One highlight of his Peace Corps experience was a campaign that he and another volunteer conducted, ultimately vaccinating thousands of children in a district heavily impacted by a smallpox epidemic. 

Over the next two decades, he returned to Nepal several times on various grants, spending altogether five or six years living and working there.

As a postgraduate student in 1966-67, Bruce was a Research and Development Director with the Rural Reconstruction Program of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) during the war in Vietnam.

In 1969, he obtained his M.A. in Anthropology at the University of Kansas and immigrated to Canada as a Graduate Assistant at the University of Alberta, together with his wife Margaret Ann (Peggy) Dodson. They had two wonderful children. Bruce subsequently obtained his PhD in Anthropology from the University of Alberta.

From 1967 to 1997, Bruce directed research studies and/or held consultant positions on a variety of anthropological topics in Jamaica, Alberta, Borneo, Nepal, and Indonesia.

Between his many consulting/research contracts, he worked as a big game guide, blacksmith, truck driver, farrier, and gunsmith (primarily black powder rifles).

By 1982, Bruce had obtained a position as Associate Professor at Athabasca University in Edmonton, Alberta. When the university was moved to Athabasca in 1985, he met Joyce, and they were married in 1986.

Highlights of his professional life include being an Associate Professor of Anthropology at Athabasca University from 1982-1994 where he also co-edited “Native Peoples: The Canadian Experience”, 1st edition (1986), 2nd Edition (1996) and 3rd Edition (2004). This was the first text published about indigenous peoples In Canada and was the textbook used for many anthropological courses at several universities. He also co-edited “Ethnographic Essays in Cultural Anthropology: A Problem-Based Approach” in 2002.

Over the years, Bruce had become good friends with Andy Russell, an outfitter, author, and conservationist, leading him to edit a book entitled “Wild Country: The Best of Andy Russell”, published in 2004.

While working at Athabasca University, Bruce also became a wheelwright after “inheriting” a buckboard that needed four wagon wheels.  Bruce set about learning the trade of wheelwrighting and took a course in Saskatchewan. He enjoyed this work as a hobby and soon came up with the idea of starting a newsletter to help wheelwrights connect with other wheelwrights. In 1991, he became one of the founding members of the Western Canadian Wheelwright’s Association, a non-profit society that still supports wheelwrights today. Together with Joyce, he wrote two books on wheelwrighting that continue to be in demand.

In 1994, Bruce and Joyce moved to Calgary, and then on to retirement in Parksville, BC in 2005 where Bruce enjoyed several interests including gunsmithing, painting, carving, woodworking, and fly fishing.  Bruce was an active member of the Mid-Island Castaways Fly Fishing Club and became well known on the Island for creating a hands-on course for novice fly fishers and for leading a team of other great instructors to develop and maintain the annual ‘Introduction to Fly Fishing’ course. He was the lead in developing the first and second manuals for the course which continues to be supported by enthusiastic instructors who were mentored by Bruce.

In lieu of flowers, Bruce has requested that a donation be made to Oceanside Hospice Society (oceansidehospice.com), or Mid Vancouver Island Habitat Enhancement Society (mvihes.bc.ca).

At Bruce’s request, a private Celebration of Life will be held.

The family is very grateful for all the love and support we have received at this time.