Robert Christopher Melish was born on July 14, 1959 to Leo and Dolores Melish in the Fox Chase section of Northeast Philadelphia. Held by his family, he passed away peacefully at home on March 17, 2020. He was a loving presence to his family and in the lives of many. He was a loving in-law to the Camacho, Moya, Carpio, Comprado, Konrath, Gonzales, Minella, Daeira and Leviste families and a loving nephew and cousin to the Sharpe family.
Rob’s interest in space and computers led him to studies and careers in those fields. He took pride in his work and used his creativity and knowledge to improve computer aided design and manufacturing processes. During the early stages of artificial intelligence (AI) programming, he taught himself AutoLisp while employed in the steel mill industry. This allowed him and his co-workers to automatically generate drawings customized to the company’s needs, decrease mistakes and improve efficiency. He was well-loved and respected in the workplace. He gladly shared his knowledge with friends and colleagues and a few weeks before his passing, helped a former co-worker automate computer aided design drawings within his company.
Rob studied lean manufacturing while in the aerospace industry. Combining his computer skills with knowledge of lean manufacturing, he helped his employer save valuable financial resources by improving efficiency and productivity without sacrificing human resources. On December 27, 2016, he was awarded a US Patent for an Unmanned Air Vehicle (UAV) Recovery system while working at Zodiac Aerospace.
At the time of his death, he was Head of the Computer Aided Design Group at Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) in Princeton University, the work he was most proud of. PPPL is part of ITER, the world’s largest fusion experiment (a collaboration of 35 nations) designed to prove the feasibility of fusion as a large scale and carbon-free source of energy based on the same principle that powers our sun and stars.
Of all the things he accomplished, Rob was most proud of being Morgan’s father. He was ever present during Morgan’s numerous musical events and even when he was already having difficulty with mobility, he would gather enough strength to make it to Morgan’s performances.
He is deeply loved and missed by many, most especially by Jo-An (wife), Morgan (daughter), Dolores (mother), Edie (sister) and Gehen (mother-in-law).
"I am lucky," he said three days before he passed away. Even luckier are the people whose lives he touched.
A memorial service will be announced later.
In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Jefferson Home Care and Hospice.
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