Obituary of Donald Wilfrid Hattie
Donald Wilfrid Hattie, 85, of Sackville NB, passed away on May 30, 2025 at the Moncton Hospital. Born in New Glasgow, he was the son of the late Wilfrid Hattie and Barbara (MacIntosh) Delaney, and stepson of John Delaney. Predeceased by his wife Ruth (Montrose) 2011, brother Joseph, 2008, sister-in-law Ruth, 2022 and half-sister Edna, 1976.
Donald attended Mt. Allison University at age 16 graduating in 1959 with First Class Honors in Geology, considered by his professors the brightest student to ever enroll. He went on to pursue graduate studies at both Harvard and the University of Western Ontario.
Summer employment during university years included field work with Zinc Corp’s mineral exploration team at the Bathurst Camp, NB and NS.
After graduation he worked for the NB Dept of Mines carrying out 1 mile to ¼ inch scale geological mapping on the Upsalquitch Forks map sheet. In the 1960’s and 70’s he worked on numerous projects across Canada, including mapping iron deposits in Northern Ontario with Hanna Mining Company, working with Cam Cheriton in the Bathurst Camp, exploring greenstone belts in the Archean and Proterozoic rocks of the Canadian Shield. Cam owned a Supercub, a light aircraft that could accommodate floats, hence Donald obtained his pilot’s license allowing these two accomplished prospecting geologists to carry out reconnaissance mineral exploration in remote unexplored regions across Canada.
Following his graduate studies Donald worked with various mining exploration companies including Western Mines in Thelon Basin, Nunavut, and Falconbridge Nickel Mines in Wabowden, Manitoba and Sudbury, Ontario.
Don co-founded Geosleuths Mineral Exploration Services, a consulting and contracting business, with Mark Connell, where he worked from the early 1980’s until his ‘retirement’. Geosleuths conducted its own exploration and staking, but also contracted with mining companies, the Department of Natural Resources, the Geological Survey of Canada, and municipalities. Their work included water source investigations, geochemical and geophysical surveys, geological mapping and drilling supervision.
Donald subscribed to many geoscience journals and had accumulated a vast library of relevant papers and texts. His collection of ore suites from every major mine in Canada and many in the USA was unparalleled. With this extraordinary depth of knowledge in the earth sciences combined with his rock and mineral collection he was well suited to teaching and delivered prospecting courses for the New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources. His rock and mineral sets and booklets explaining the nature, origin and significance of each specimen were unmatched. His engaging lectures often drew applause from course participants. As a consummate field geologist, his prospecting courses stressed hands on mineral and rock identification, soil and silt sampling techniques, panning, running magnetic and electromagnetic surveys, making field maps, staking claims, cutting picket lines and writing assessment reports. Geosleuths took the prospecting course north to Nunavut, Don’s great love.
Donald was a quiet, humble man, an exceptional outdoorsman, and a gifted geologist. Equally respected by scholars and novice prospectors. He was generous, environmentally conscious, a supporter of human rights, and a good humored and eccentric egalitarian. His subtle humor perhaps was revealed best by the buttons he made “Save The Dandelion” a quip for the environmentalists and back when plate tectonics was not generally accepted in the scientific community “Stop Continental Drift”
Outside work Donald loved to vacation with his wife Ruth, visiting Cuba, Mexico, Jamaica and the southwestern United States.
As an uncle he was much loved. His nieces and nephew have fond memories of piggyback and horseback rides as well as the wonderful days when he would take the four of us out to collect rock samples. These adventures led his oldest niece to follow in his footsteps and become a geologist.
Survived by nieces Katherine Hattie (Sudbury ON), Susan Riehl (Chris, Dartmouth NS), Beverley Hattie (Dean Whynott, Truro NS) and nephew Ronald Hattie (Phoenix AZ).
Arrangements have been entrusted to Erin Campbell and staff of Campbell's Funeral Home, 89 Bridge Street, Sackville, NB (506) 364-8188. Cremation has taken place and Donald will be laid to rest with his wife Ruth at a private interment at Riverside Cemetery, Wallace River. A social gathering to celebrate his life will be held September 9th, 2-4pm at the Sackville Legion, 15 Lorne Street.
As a lover of animals, always having cats and dogs, and leaving behind his cat Panther, donations in his memory may be made to Lillian Allbon Animal Shelter in Amherst NS