Obituary of James Wayne Mercer

James (Jim) Wayne Mercer, Jr., of Great Falls, VA, died peacefully on March 11, 2015 after a seven-month battle with gallbladder cancer.   He leaves his wife of 34 years, Maria (Misia) Wieckowski Mercer; his half-sister Dorothy Miskimen of Panama City, FL; his stepson, Robert Gac and his wife, Patricia Brennan-Gac and their children Brennan Gac and Caitlyn Gac of Kensington, MD; his mother-in-law, Joanna Wieckowski of St. Davids, PA, and his sister-in-law, Anna Wieckowski of Boston, MA; and many friends and colleagues.   Born and raised in Panama City, Florida, Jim graduated from Bay High School in 1965, attended Florida State University, receiving his bachelor's in 1969 with Phi Beta Kappa and summa cum laude honors. He then earned a doctorate in geology from the University of Illinois in 1973. He came to the Washington, D.C., area in 1972 to join the U.S. Geological Survey in Reston, VA where he worked as a hydrogeologist with a focus on groundwater research.  In  1979, he co-founded GeoTrans with his business partner, Charles Faust, where he worked on cleaning up Superfund sites, including Love Canal.  The company was purchased by Tetra Tech in the late 1980s, where Jim remained until his passing.     Jim was passionate about his work and about sharing his love of science and the natural world. At a very young age he became enamored with geology. While in high school, he met a USGS researcher who sparked in him an interest in hydrogeology. Jim's avocation would become his vocation.  Jim also became an avid golfer and an author of several novels: The Scrolls, The Volcano and The Tsunami. A fourth novel is in the works and will be published posthumously.   A celebration of Jim's life with his family and friends will be held at River Bend Golf & Country Club in Great Falls, VA, on April 11, 2015, 12-4. For more information, please contact JimMercerCelebration@gmail.com.   In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you consider a contribution to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History; more information is available at http://www.mnh.si.edu/.