ROCHESTER - William R. J. Barton, Jr., 87, of Rochester, died on Wednesday, November 25, 2015, at Hyder Family Hospice House in Dover, N.H. He was born in Boston, Mass., the son of the late William R. Barton, Sr. and Katherine Barton.
He graduated from Boston University with a BS/MS in Geology. He served in the U.S. Army in the late 1940s, followed by a career as a geologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, and the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Mines. He was the author of scientific works such as "Dimension Stone" and "Columbium and Tantalum," and was a consultant to NASA regarding the use of cesium fuel in ion engines. He enjoyed watching the Boston Red Sox and New England Patriots. Later in life, his hobbies included frequenting yard sales and antiquing.
He is survived by a brother, Alan Barton, of Reading, Mass., three children, William R. Barton III, of Bullock, N.C., Marilyn F. Barton, of Rochester, and Barbara J. Barton-Dorsett, of Rochester, and three grandchildren, Matthew Barton, of Portsmouth, Maine, Christopher Grant, of Rochester, and Jennifer Grant, of Oklahoma City, Okla.