JON SCOATES

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JON SCOATES

Reginald Francis “Jon” Scoates passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by family and with his favourite music playing, on June 27, 2024, in Nanaimo, BC, at the age of 87. Son of the late Reginald S. (1911-2007) and Ruth P. Scoates (1917-2004). Survived by his wife, Mary, the love of his life, best friend and confidant over 62 years of marriage. Survived by son, James (Dominique Weis) and daughter, Liz (Gordon Laidlaw) and grandchildren Josie and Sam.

Born in Ottawa, December 31, 1936, Jon started school in Winnipeg (Sir John Franklin), completed middle school (Glashan) and early high school (Lisgar) in Ottawa, and finished high school in Kingston (KCVI). He discovered geology while at Queen’s University, graduating in 1961 with a BSc degree in Geological Sciences. Following this, he completed MSc (1963) and PhD (1972) degrees at the University of Manitoba on the Gordon Lake nickel deposit in northwestern Ontario.

Jon embarked on a lifelong association with the Geological Survey of Canada in 1957, first as a summer student in 1957 and then in the early sixties (1960-65) as a graduate student. He became a member of the first group studying ultramafic rocks (“Ultramafia 1”) in Canada working at Mount Albert (Gaspé), and then on the Muskox Drilling Project in Nunavut (then NWT) during summer 1963. Jon’s future interests in layered intrusions and mafic-ultramafic rocks, and their relationship to mineral deposits, were firmly established by this formative period.

In the mid-1960s, Jon began an 18-year career (1965-1983) with the Manitoba Geological Survey that was highlighted by major mapping projects related to ultramafic rocks in the province (Thompson, Fox River, Bird River). Jon rejoined the GSC Ottawa in 1983 and quickly became part of the second incarnation of the ultramafic rocks project (“Ultramafia 2”) during a time of considerable global interest in platinum group element deposits. Jon’s passion for geology in the field was contagious and he was known to spontaneously burst into applause when discovering a particularly exciting outcrop.

From 1988-1993, he served as Head, Mineral Deposits Subdivision, and completed his GSC career as manager of the International Relations Office, where he championed Canadian expertise in the geosciences on the international stage. Following his retirement in 1995, Jon acted as a geological consultant through the late 2000s, after which he continued his research interests. This culminated in a recent review paper on the Muskox intrusion that put a cap on his enduring interest in the nature and origin of layered intrusions.

Jon’s interests outside geology were a considerable source of joy to him, ranging from obtaining a glider pilot’s licence in the early 1970s, rafting down the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon during a period of exceptional high-water conditions in 1983, and driving and maintaining vintage 1940s and 1950s military jeeps. Jon assisted Mary with training flat-coated retrievers for many years and, in earlier days, was also a goaltender in ice hockey (later enthusiastically mentoring his grandson in the role). He was an ardent reader of fiction, biographies, mysteries, and Canadian military history, watcher of classic movies and film noir, and listener of music, especially jazz.

Jon and Mary moved from Ottawa to Nanaimo on Vancouver Island in 2005 to be closer to their children and grandchildren. Together, they explored the island over the years with a particular fondness for the vast beaches and landscapes of Tofino. He was very proud of his family, and liked to say, ‘we are small but mighty’. Jon never stopped eagerly looking forward to the opportunities offered by each and every day, including his final voyage to the great outcrop in the sky.

The family is grateful for the exceptional care and support of doctors, nurses, and staff of Island Health, and their palliative care team, and the Caledonian Clinic in Nanaimo.

Condolences: www.evergreencremationcentre.com

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Aug 10, 2024