Daniel Joseph LaFond, beloved husband, father, brother and uncle to generations of nieces and nephews, died October 12, 2024, in Seattle after a long illness. He was 83.

Born third eldest of ten children to Wilfred and Norma LaFond in Olympia, WA, on August 20, 1941, Daniel was alternately known as Danny Joe, Dan and DJ as he grew up, and remained all about family throughout his life. His generosity in helping others was evident in both the career he chose and the endowments he created at three separate higher education institutions to help students achieve their dreams.

His early work in the Washington State Department of Corrections as both a parole officer and a counselor led him to pursue a career in counseling and social work, and later to set up endowments at St. Martin’s University in Olympia, his undergraduate alma mater; at Bellevue College, where he taught for 35 years; and at the University of Washington School of Social Work, where he received his MS in Social Work. His love and support of higher education led to lifelong friendships with students and colleagues.

Daniel’s curiosity about the world and those living in it was boundless. He would engage with people wherever he went, genuinely wanting to know all about them, their lives, their travels, their families and careers—sometimes to the amusement of his wife, Clare, when they were (once again) the last ones to leave the party.

Growing up in the Pacific Northwest of the 1950s and ’60s, Daniel was an early enthusiast of muscle cars and coupes and could identify the make and model of nearly every vehicle coming down the road. His beloved ’68 Camaro often took him up through Snoqualmie Pass for winter skiing—until the time he hit black ice and totaled it forever. His love of classic cars lasted a lifetime and he enjoyed attending shows throughout the Puget Sound region with his good friend Jim Mesher of Snohomish, WA.

Also, a lifelong music lover, especially of the blues, Daniel enjoyed hearing live music in venues as varied as Ballard’s Tractor Tavern, Seattle’s Woodland Park Zoo, and Austin’s Continental Club and Saxon Pub. Daniel basked in the beauty of the Pacific Northwest and traveled often to the Olympic Peninsula, the mountains, and the seashores of the Washington and Oregon coasts, as well as to Hawaii. Early in his first marriage to Sal Donnita, he spent many happy times at La Push on the Olympic Peninsula’s Washington coast with his wife and daughter, Gillian. His love of the sea began at an early age and he joined the US Navy in 1960, where he served for two years on a troop transport ship traveling between Seattle and Japan.

Daniel is survived by his wife Clare, daughter Gillian, his five siblings: Mary Flury (Joe); Susan Corrigan (Tim); Nancy Sathrum; Phil LaFond (Marion); John LaFond (Rachel); brothers-in-law Pat Naccarato and Steve Heathers, and sisters-in-law Connie LaFond and Carolyn LaFond; as well as numerous nieces and nephews and their children. He was preceded in death by his parents Wilfred and Norma LaFond, brothers Larry and David LaFond, and sisters Dorene Naccarato and Kay Heathers.

A celebration of Daniel’s life will be held outdoors in late spring or early summer 2025 on his beloved Whidbey Island, where he and Clare spent the past 17 years in their home in Freeland. The family wishes to thank Daniel’s devoted caregiver Ketshidile Jessica Marope and Evergreen Hospice, particularly his nurse Casey Scholz. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Daniel J. and Clare LaFond Endowed Scholarship in the School of Social Work at the University of Washington.

It will be the past and we’ll live there together —Patrick Philips, Heaven