It is with great sadness that I, Derrick R. Lavoie must write this obituary tribute to my special and only son Nathan Robert Lavoie, who after a long battle with the Covid virus on January 3, 2022. We trust will go on to a heavenly place. Each of us must deal with the sadness of his passing in our own way. We are all left with sad hearts and dreams that will not be realized. We are left with an emptiness that we cannot fill. I feel I have had too little time to share my love and happiness with an incredible guy. ever grateful for the time we did have together. There is not a day that goes by that I don’t think of him. For me, I wish to focus my thoughts on the wonderful memories and feelings we shared over together over the last 28 years. Over the past several years Nathan would often travel to visit my wife, Lisa, and I in California. We had some amazing experiences together. One memorable experience took place a few years ago when Nathan was able to join my Marine Ecology course which I teach on Catalina Island at the USC Marine Science Center. We hiked mountains, we kayaked the sea, we snorkeled in a beautiful kelp forest, and we explored an old mine in search of ghostly spirits. We could sense something back in the darkness and quickly decided “let’s get out of here now.” Nathan had a deep love of music, which I think anyone who knew him, knew this was true. His songs were filled with joy and love. It wasn’t long before Nathan found a guitar, tuned it, and began to sing songs. He was like a giant magnet. Almost immediately, my students became gravitated to his presence. He shared his feelings and witty humor, which everyone received with open arms. I believe in my heart that Nathan was a good man and would have been a wonderful father. On his last visit to California, Nathan came with his fiancé Tessa. Tessa proved to be up for most any adventure and I could see how much she adored Nathan. We enjoyed viewing elephant seals near Hearst Castle, looking for geocashe, and taking our dogs (Sacka and Bucky) for a fun day at the dog beach near Avila Beach. Sacka would run up and down the beach with Nathan and Tessa in hot pursuit. Bucky, Lisa, and I sat reclined in the sand as we watched some hysterical antics unfold between Sacka and the encounters he had with many dogs. At the end of the day, I am grateful that Nathan was an important part of my life and my family. I hope everyone can feel the joy and love I feel and will always feel toward my beloved son. Final note: I believe that Nathan’s death could have been avoided if he had been vaccinated. I had urged and pleaded with him for over a year to do so. I sent him multiple scientific studies showing the advantages and scientific validity of vaccination. I shared my knowledge of people who I personally knew who had suffered severely for weeks in the ICU. Some made it, some did not. I explained the statistics and probabilities (again scientifically validated) of the survival chances with and without vaccine protection. Vaccine protection far outweighs any contrary anecdotal beliefs. So why take a chance with your life. I urge any of you who are unvaccinated to vaccinate for your family, if not for yourself. Derrick R. Lavoie