On April 21, 2022, after a tragic accident, our beloved brother, son, father, cousin, and nephew Jon Michael Collis passed away in his sleep. He was just 46.

While in junior high, he fell in love with science and research, and his love of learning never wavered. he graduated from New Mexico Tech in 2001 with a bachelor’s, from Colorado School of Mines in 2003 with a master’s, and from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute with a PhD—all in mathematics. He walked that final stage in the spring of 2006.

Along the way, he married Monique Deforge, and they welcomed their daughter Sage into the world.

After his formal education, Jon joined the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Falmouth, Massachusetts, where he used his mathematics expertise to begin research into underwater acoustics as part of his post-doctorate training. He and Monique then welcomed a baby boy into their family, Rohin. Even after their divorce, Jon remained close to Monique, and the family enjoyed many adventures together.

In 2008, Jon rejoined Colorado School of Mines, this time as a professor. He continued his groundbreaking work, which none of his family could understand but which left us all in awe.

This continued until 2015, when Jon accepted a position as a researcher at Lincoln Laboratories, part of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Jon will be missed greatly, but part of him still stands, in so many ways: in his children; in his research; in his family; in the research articles he had just finished; and in the lives of so many coworkers and friends.  

For those who would like to honor Jon’s memory, the family has established the Dr. Jon Collis Memorial Scholarship at New Mexico Tech and would welcome donations so that it can have as great an impact as possible for future mathematics students.

Jon would have liked that.