Daniel J. Tearpock: August 31, 1948 (Nanticoke, PA) – February 9, 2014 (Houston, TX)
On Sunday, February 9, 2014, Daniel J. Tearpock passed away peacefully in his Houston home surrounded by family, following a three year battle with pancreatic cancer. He leaves behind a substantial personal and professional legacy, and will be missed by his family, many friends and professional colleagues, and students of geology around the world.
Daniel John Tearpock was born in Nanticoke, Pennsylvania on August 31, 1948 to parents John and Laura-Nita Tearpock. Raised in Pennsylvania coal-mining country, Dan’s childhood was spent exploring the woods and mines close to his house, collecting fossils, quartz and other minerals and dreaming of exploring other planets. As a boy, his career path was already clear: he wanted to become a geologist.
Dan married Paula Shultz in 1969, and the couple had two daughters: Nicole and Danielle. While the couple divorced they remained close and continued as business associates until 2012.
After graduating from Bloomsburg University in 1970 with a B.A. in Earth Sciences, Dan started a computer consulting company, a business whose sale two years later provided part of the funds needed to return to school for his Master’s Degree in Geology from Temple University (1977).
By 1985, Dan was a Senior Geologic Engineer with Tenneco Oil Company in Lafayette, La, where he was also responsible for redeveloping the corporate geosciences training program specific to subsurface interpretation and mapping. His significant subsurface mapping expertise was the foundation for the three textbooks and related training courses he was to co-author in the years to come: Applied Subsurface Geological Mapping, Quick Look Techniques for Prospect Evaluation, and Applied Subsurface Geological Mapping with Structural Methods – 2nd Edition.
When Tenneco was sold in 1988, Dan struck out on his own, forming Subsurface Consultants & Associates, LLC. The business grew quickly from a four-person shop of ex-Tenneco employees to an international consulting and training firm with multiple branch offices. At the same time, Dan’s Applied Subsurface Geological Mapping book grew in recognition, becoming a Prentice Hall Technical best seller in 18 months.
Over the years, Dan was a frequent public speaker and committee member, a prolific author of professional papers, and an officer for organizations such as the AAPG Division of Professional Affairs and JCORET (a collaboration of multiple technical organizations, which he helped found to provide industry input to the SEC reserve reporting process). As the CEO of Subsurface Consultants & Associates, LLC (SCA), Dan built SCA into an internationally recognized upstream training and consulting firm.
Dan was the 62nd member to be inducted into the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences, US Section, and was the 40th person to receive the Kapitsa Medal. His success as a businessman also received notice: in 1986 and 1998, he was an Entrepreneur of the Year Finalist, a distinction sponsored by USA Today, NASDAQ, Ernest & Young, LLP and the Kauffman Foundation.
The course of Dan’s career took him around the world, for both work and pleasure. His wide-ranging professional travels included significant time in the Middle East, Europe, Venezuela, Thailand, Canada, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Korea, and he found enjoyment vacationing in Spain, England, the Mayan Riviera, and the North American Rockies, among many other destinations.
In 2011, Dan married Diana Poon and welcomed Cindy Au as his step-daughter.
In 2012, after 24 years as Chairman and CEO, Dan chose to take on a new role in the company he built: that of Chairman Emeritus. That decision coincided with a year of significant recognition in the industry, including receipt of the DPA Heritage Award, nomination to the Bloomsburg University College of Science and Technology Advisory Board, and the AAPG Honorary Member Award.
In addition to his success as a geologist, Dan had many outside interests. To help pay for college he opened a taekwondo studio and was a kick boxer. In the 1990’s he was a body builder and participated in several competitions. He played multiple instruments, composed music, was an artist and self-published a science fiction novel. The Tearpock Family band traveled and played all over the state of Pennsylvania.
Dan was active in public life, and gave generous donations of time and resources to social and political causes about which he was passionate. He sponsored numerous children through the Christian Children’s Fund. He also funded the Daniel J. Tearpock Scholarship at Bloomsburg University for a junior or senior in good academic standing pursuing a degree in the earth sciences or geoscience. His final years were enriched by ever growing commitments to service and his Catholic faith. Together, he and his wife Diana donated funds to help build a Catholic retreat in Humble, Texas and volunteered at MD Anderson to help other patients with pancreatic cancer. Dan was a regular visitor to the House of Tears (Southwest Houston) and started a prayer group where he would pray over people in need.
Dan was a dedicated family man who never missed a track meet, softball game, dance team function, band concert or piano recital. He is survived by his mother, Laura-Nita Tearpock of Mocanaqua, PA; wife Diana Poon Tearpock of Houston, TX; daughters Nicole McMorris-Lavergne & Danielle Lavergne of Broussard, LA, and step-daughter Cindy Au of Houston, TX; four grandsons – Tyler McMorris, Justin, Jonathon, and Jesse Hitt; and great-granddaughter, Nena Belle Hitt.
Services will be held in Pennsylvania and Texas as follows:
Mocanaqua, Pennsylvania
St Mary, Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church
150 Main St
Mocanaqua, PA 18655
Phone: (570) 542-4157
Monday, February 17, 2014
3pm-9pm Viewing
7pm Rosary
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
10 am Funeral Mass
Houston, Texas
Catholic Charismatic Center
1949 Cullen Blvd, Houston, TX 77023
(713) 236-9977
Memorial Service – Details TBA. Please check http://scacompanies.com/djtmemsvcs/ for the most updated information
Dan and his family requested that in lieu of flowers, donations be made in his name to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Please use tribute #35296595 or DANIEL TEARPOCK when donating.
