Ernest Robert Vyse Beloved father, friend, teacher and family member Ernie Vyse passed peacefully in his sleep in Bozeman on June 2, 2022, after losing the love of his life of 59 years, Ruth, on April 18th of this year. Ernie was born in Fruitvale, British Columbia, Canada, where his lifelong love of the outdoors began.
He loved fishing and hunting with his father, Bob (who passed in 1990) and his younger brother Stan (who passed in 2014). He and his brother spent time in Fruitvale on the DeBruyn family farm, which Ernie loved to share with his family on their return trips to British Columbia to visit his parents. Ernie finished high school in Trail, B.C.
before leaving for his first degree in the United States in geology at the University of Idaho. In the hills of the Palouse, Ernie continued to escape to the outdoors as his respite from school. Upon graduation in 1960, his geology degree led him to the Vale mine in Thompson, Manitoba, where as one of the resident geologists, he helped the miners know both where and how to safely dig for nickel ore. Ruth had been hired, as one of the few women in Thompson, in the office at the mine when Ernie spotted her on a mining tour.
For their first date, Ernie took Ruth to the only restaurant in town where they started their lifelong journey over a glass of wine and a grilled cheese sandwich. Within six months they were engaged, and they were subsequently married on August 18, 1962. As part of the proposal, Ernie shared with Ruth that they were going to be poor "because he knew he could not spend the rest of his life underground". So shortly after the wedding, the couple moved to Eugene, OR so that Ernie could obtain his master's degree in biology.
Their son Ron was born in May of 1963. Upon completion of his master's degree, Ernie, Ruth and Ron moved to Edmonton, Alberta so that Ernie could pursue his Ph.D. in genetics. It was here that he met one of his best friends, Dave Cameron, who was also pursuing his Ph.D. The two of them were often hunting when they should have been working on their dissertations, much to the dismay of their advisor. Ernie loved to tell the story of the dance parties they hosted in the basement of their apartment. Friends and family may fondly remember the love that both Ernie and Ruth shared for dancing, with each other as their favorite dance partner. It was in Edmonton, that Kori was born in December of 1965. Upon completion of his Ph.D.
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