My deepest condolences. I just received this news today and am truly saddened by his passing. I have been a butterfly enthusiast basically all my life and one of my first books was Butterflies of Canada, for which Don was one of the co-authors. Several years ago, I had the pleasure of meeting Don while he was still working at the CNC. He and Peter Hall took me for a quick tour and we had lunch, and some weeks later, they mailed me a signed copy of their book. I will miss him.
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2015, Don and Herma's garden
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Our condolences to Herma and family for this great loss. We have fond memories when we visited Don and Herma during Erik's sabbatical in Ottawa in 2015, and when we jointly visited the light show at parliament Hill. Don was not only famous for his large knowledge of noctuoid moths, in his early career he was the first to work on detailed taxonomy and morphology of the tiny shield bearer moths, Heliozelidae in North America. We plan to dedicate a species to him to honour this fact.
Erik & Silvia
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Gary Anweiler had such respect for Don's dedication, mentorship and work (they both were fascinated with moths) Mostly he recognized his fine and generous humanity.
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We lost such a great person. I enjoyed every visit at the Kneatby Building since my late teenage years or early twenties. Don always had some great stories to share igniting my passion for Lepidoptera. He will be missed. Thank you for everything you have done. May you Rest In Peace!
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Don our brother in Christ and dear friend, you have touched so many lives by your kindness, love and exceptional manner of serving. The Turning Point Christian family and the volunteer team of a Moment with God (St Vincent hospital) will never forget the anchor you were to all aspects of its ministries. You will be dearly missed. Until we meet again in heaven, you have a place in all of our hearts.
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My condolences to Herma and Don's children. I truly appreciated Don's advice to stay the course with my research on a relatively small group of moths, the limacodids. He was very direct in saying that it was important and that all my accumulated knowledge would be a gift for others. I know Don remembered our time visiting the NHM in London together in 1987. We had such a great time together. One of the most memorable events was when I kept Don from walking out into the street: he was not yet acclimated to thinking about cars traveling in the other direction (I believe that NOT being with him on a later trip had some consequences as there was some misfortune). We also happened on seeing Lady Diana at a London movie premiere of "The Mission" & also went to a West End Play or two. I will always have fond memories of Don for not only being a superb moth specialist but being so kind and accessible.
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My condolences to Herma and the rest of Don's family. He was a kind, treasured mentor and colleague who was always generous with his time and expertise.
I got to know Don as a member of the COSEWIC Arthropods Specialist Subcommittee about 20 years ago. His vast biological knowledge, critical thinking and attention to detail were formidable, and I learned so much from him. One of our tasks was to review consultant's reports, and I would read one through thinking, "hmm, yeah; looks good", and then Don would point out unsupported assertions, leaps of logic, and other gaps that I'd totally missed. His comments were always delivered objectively and helpfully, with an eye on making the end results more solid. COSEWIC's conservation work was aided greatly by his steady hand there, and I learned so much about how to critically and objectively review a manuscript, watching him. Later, he was a co-author on a couple of my projects. I was in awe of his productivity, and remember quizzing him on how he got so much done. He shared a few of his organizational tricks, but when he told me that he did most of his writing in the early morning before 8:00AM, I knew this incorrigible night-owl could never hope to fill even one toe of his shoes! Don stands tall among Canadian and global Lepidopterists and Entomologists; he will be missed, and fondly remembered.
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Don's guidance, knowledge and generosity of time and spirit forged who I became as a taxonomist. When we first met, I couldn't fathom ever learning everything he knew. Under Don's tutelage for 10 years, slowly learn I did, all the while witnessing the same generosity in teaching and helping other lepidopterists.
I am fortunate and grateful that our paths crossed. My deepest condolences to Herma, Julie and Heather.
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2011, Don's office at CNC
I took this photo while visiting CNC in November 2011.
— with
Don
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Don was an exceptionally generous and kind person who supported me throughout my PhD, my career, and my life as an immigrant—not only in Lepidopterology, but in so many other ways. Without question, he was one of the most influential taxonomists and systematists in Canadian history. None of our revised classifications would have been possible without his contributions.
Don, you will be deeply missed. You will remain in our hearts forever—my deepest condolences to Herma and his family.
Reza
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Back in the ‘70s, I met and became friends with Monty and Grace Wood. Monty then introduced me to Don Lafontaine. We quickly developed a friendship that has lasted for 50 years. Don was the most intelligent person that I have ever known and one of my best friends. Back in 1989 I applied for a job with AAFC and gave Don’s name as a reference. When I was hired, I was told that I have some VERY good friends in Ottawa. I will always be grateful that we were able to join Don and Herma for a two week holiday earlier this year. A good time was had by all but we did not know it would be our last. I give my sincere sympathy to Herma, Julie, and Heather.
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Don was an extraordinarily kind, generous, and remarkable person, as well as an exceptional scientist whom I respected immensely. His warmth, integrity, and dedication touched everyone who had the privilege of knowing him. My deepest and most sincere condolences go to Herma and the entire family during this difficult time. His presence will be profoundly missed, and his legacy will continue to inspire us all. Joe Martinez
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Yesterday I received the news that Don Lafontaine, one of the best experts on the world's fauna of noctuoids, and the most recognized figure in North America, had passed away on Thursday. The few times I was fortunate enough to interact with him, he was a wonderful person. In Innsbruck, in 1989, we had a long and thrilling conversation about noctuoid phylogeny that I will never forget. Don was a true teacher and a wise man. You'll stay in our hearts forever, Don.
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Don was a wonderful man. I respected him immensely as a mentor for his dedication, knowledge, kindness, and openness. He truly was one of the best lepidopterists of his time and a great role-model. My deepest sympathies to Herma and your daughters. Bernard
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So sorry to hear. Our condolences to Herma and the family.
Dave and Jan Stoddard and Mark Powell
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Don, you were a good friend, colleague and willing co-author of a number of publications, including the Butterflies of Canada. Even when busy, you would make time in your Neatby office for others with lepidoptera talk, always with a few laughs. You will be sorely missed.
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1998, Ottawa, ON, Canada
Launch of Butterflies of Canada
— with
Don and Peter Hall and Ross Layberry
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1984, British Mountains, Yukon, Canada
Don in one of his favourite habitats, the unglaciated tundra of Beringia, with Monty and Grace Wood
— with
Don,
Monty Wood
and
Grace Wood
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The Wedge Entomological Research Foundation has a lovely write up about Don on their site here: http://www.wedgefoundation.org/lafontaine.asp
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1986, Carleton University, Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON, Canada
37th Annual Meeting of the Lepidopterists' Society, 23-26 May 1986
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1966, K.W. Neatby Building, AAFC, Carling Avenue, Ottawa, ON, Canada
The 1966 meeting of the Lepidopterists Society, a young Don first row Second from the right.
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