iheartmoss is dedicated to my father Don Nierlich who passed away June 17, 2011.

Like my Dad, I love photography and nature. Here’s the obituary my Mom, siblings and I wrote for him.

Donald P. Nierlich passed away peacefully at his home on June 17, 2011 with his wife, Susana, by his side. He was 75 years old and had battled lymphoma for the last 9 months.

A long-time Santa Monica resident, Don attended Samohi where he graduated in 1953. He was a proud member of Boy Scout Troop 123 and an Eagle Scout. Don received his training at Caltech, Harvard, and M.I.T., and completed his Post-Doctoral studies in Paris in 1964. Don was a professor at UCLA in Microbiology and Molecular Genetics from 1965 to 1998. Don and Susana met while both were students in Cambridge. They had a whirlwind romance and married in 1961. Together they enjoyed hiking, world travel, and good food and wine. Don was a strong advocate for the California Coastal Trail. During his retirement, Don continued contributing to journals in Molecular Genetics and spending time in the lab at UCLA.

Don had seemingly infinite energy and enthusiasm. He was an avid nature photographer and hiker, and loved nothing more than hiking or backpacking with family and good friends. An inveterate tinkerer, his life was full of projects and repairs, spanning a ham radio license in his youth to numerous computer and media projects in recent years.

He will be greatly missed by his family and friends.