D.D. LaPointe*

Daphne Denise LaPointe (called D.D. since birth) passed away peacefully in her home on November 9, 2021 after a long battle with cancer. D.D. was a woman of many talents who dedicated her life to helping others through higher education and will be sorely missed by those who knew her.

D.D. was born in the small village of Summit, Rhode Island on August 26, 1951. In the eighth grade, D.D. was fascinated by the geology field trips that her class participated in, and as a result she was hooked on rocks and minerals for life. Inspired to embark upon studying geology, she attended Smith College and Williams College in Massachusetts. There she had the opportunity to participate in a field program in the summer of 1972 that allowed her to venture into the Colorado Front Range and Sunlight Basin in Wyoming – her first excursion west of the Hudson River. Enchanted by the unfamiliar and exciting geology in these new frontiers, she applied to graduate school out west. She began her graduate studies at UCLA and completed them at the University of Montana in Missoula.

During what was some of her first experience in the minerals business, D.D. worked for Exxon Minerals Exploration as a field geologist exploring precious metals in Idaho and western Montana. On her last day of work at that job, she was transporting soil samples when her truck was run off the road and overturned by another driver. Fortunately, she was not badly injured, and another Exxon geologist and his summer student working nearby came to the rescue with a replacement truck to help retrieve her samples. That geologist’s name was Tom Irwin, and in 1975 Tom and D.D. were married in Coventry, Rhode Island.

Tom and D.D. continued to work in Missoula until Tom’s job at Exxon transferred him to Tucson, Arizona, where they moved in 1976. In Tucson, D.D. took a break from field work and practiced real estate until their first daughter, Tamison, was born in 1978. Soon afterwards, Tom’s work transferred him again to Reno, Nevada, where they settled in 1979.

In Reno, D.D. felt the urge to return to studying geoscience and found work at the Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology. Both she and Tom became active members of the Geological Society of Nevada (GSN). In 1982 they welcomed their son, Tommy, into their family. When Tommy was diagnosed with cancer, the community rallied to support the family and the GSN members played a huge part in helping with his treatment. Beyond the tremendous amount of emotional support and help they provided, many friends, family, and GSN members traveled to where he was being treated in San Francisco to donate blood and even platelets to him. D.D. recalled how grateful she was for the outpouring of support during the tough journey through his treatment and passing on September 23, 1989, shortly before his 7th birthday. In the summer of 1991, D.D. and Tom had their second daughter, Teila, in Reno. Both of D.D.’s daughters followed in her footsteps of being bright academically, both going to college and graduating with science degrees with Tamison going on to become a nurse and Teila an engineer.

D.D.’s three grandchildren were some of the true joys of the last 13 years of her life. Whether it was diaper changes, doing puzzles, watching ball games and concerts, playing Pokemon Go, or guest teaching in their classrooms, she always loved to be with them helping to shape them into the wonderful little humans they are today.

D.D. also enjoyed traveling with her family. Among the many adventures she undertook were moose hunting in British Columbia, halibut fishing in Alaska, and sightseeing in New York, France, England, and Nova Scotia just to name a few. She loved spending time in the wilderness with Tom and they spent many hunting seasons together hunting deer, elk, antelope, moose, and bighorn sheep in Montana and Nevada and Canada. During her many visits to the mountains of western Montana, she discovered a love for huckleberry picking and would make jams, pies, cakes and other goodies to share with everyone she could.

One of the most evident ways that D.D. will continue to impact lives for years to come is through the beautiful artwork of her quilts. Throughout her life, D.D. has been known as a talented artist of various media, including painting, drawing, tie-dying, and knitting, but her vibrance and creativity were really exemplified by her quilting. Over the years, D.D. made countless quilts of all shapes, sizes, and styles for her friends, family, and for charity. One of her favorite things to do was to make baby quilts to donate to the local hospital. She also made personalized quilts for family and friends for weddings, new babies, graduations, and other life events. Remarkably, after coming home from her final surgery in April 2021, D.D. completed a total of 18 quilts for friends, family, and charity.

Her generosity went far beyond her quilting and extended to the public through educational outreach, earth science workshops for K-12 students and teachers, and volunteer work all across the state of Nevada. She helped organize and co-lead public Earth Science Week field trips with the Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology and also coordinated educational outreach programs at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) for many years. A regular volunteer instructor of classroom sessions in rocks, minerals, and mining, she cared deeply for her students and would do anything to help them succeed, even opening her own home to a student who needed temporary housing. Over the years, she was presented with several state and national awards honoring her many years of outstanding service as a research geologist. The dozens of publications she authored and co-authored will continue to provide valuable teaching resources for geology students for years to come. In addition to her significant contributions to academics, in 2018, D.D. partnered with the GSN Foundation to establish and fund a scholarship fund for aspiring geologists at UNR.

Another trait D.D. will be remembered for is her sharp wit. She would never shy away from a humorous retort, often to the embarrassment of her daughters. When she lost her ability to speak verbally, she never missed an opportunity to display her good natured (mostly) humor through her written messages and even quite adeptly through charades. Everyone who was fortunate enough to spend time with her during the last 8 months were amazed by her unrelenting cheerfulness, positive outlook in the face of adversity, and her ever-present sense of humor.

She will be remembered as a brilliant geoscientist, dedicated teacher, talented quilter, and loving wife, mother, and grandmother.

D.D. is predeceased by her father Raymond LaPointe, mother Dorcas LaPointe (Shute), and son Thomas (Tommy) Irwin. She is survived by her sister Linnea Ferraro, brother Darryl LaPointe, husband Thomas Irwin, daughters Tamison Joyer (Mike) and Teila Irwin (Zach Plenert), and grandchildren Bradley, Hannah, and Emily Joyer.

*Deceased