Robert Melson was born in New Britain, Connecticut on the same day that Anne Frank was born. He was the first born Melson Connecticut Yankee. His James Edward Melson, Sr. had been transferred from Philadelphia to New Britain to manage a ball bearing plant in Plainville a few years earlier.

Bob grew up in the depression era. He had one brother James Edward Melson Jr., who was about 8 years older. He spent many winters playing in the fields and ice-covered ponds near Shuttle Meadow country club. He spent summers working with a civil engineer, Arthur Bacon, surveying the area and shooting snakes with his .22 caliber rifle.

He went to school at the Mooreland Hill school, then to Kingswood Oxford school for a year and finished his primary school education at the Taft School. After being accepted to Yale and Johns Hopkins, he chose Johns Hopkins where he received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. Bob was drafted into the US Air Force and after boot camp in upper New York state, he was stationed at Lowry AFB in Denver.

After being married and serving 4 years in the USAF and being honorably discharged, Bob and Joan Brandt Melson lived in Massachusetts as he worked in the early times of IBM punch card computers. This is where the technology bug took hold.

Years went by and children appeared and the Melsons moved around New England, focusing on Connecticut. Donna Jean Melson was born, then Scott Lyle Melson (who died a couple of months later), then John and then Peter.

Bob was involved in many community activities. He was on the Economic Development committee in Waterford, Connecticut, as well as the Superintendent of the Board of Education.

He worked in many companies in New England, from Ensign-Bickford in Simsbury, Connecticut, to Thermos in Norwich and then American Felt and Filter in Newburgh, New York among others. At Ensign-Bickford he worked on the shape charges used at stage separation during ascent of the Saturn V for the Apollo project. and received a few commendations. At Thermos, his son Peter got the first production run SWAT lunch kit.

After a divorce in the mid-1980s, Bob married Nancy Bounty and after struggling through a Connecticut recession, moved out to southern California. He found a position in records management and purchasing for an aerospace company in Los Angeles for ducting on the Boeing 717 and other smaller jets.

Eventually the desire to be near family in north San Diego county got Nancy and Bob to move there. He worked for a small helicopter repair shop until he was 91. Bob worked for 75 years!

He and Nancy loved to spend time on Ventura and Oxnard beaches. They would boogie board and enjoy the beach life. They really loved moving to the San Diego area and its beaches!

Nancy passed away in March 2021 due to a short non-COVID-19 illness. Bob passed away on October 31, 2022 due to pancreatic cancer.