Randy -William Durand

Randy -William Durand

Randy Eppler (70) passed away on February 27, 2024, at the end of a long battle with cancer. Born William Durand Eppler on July 18, 1953, his path in life took a number of twists and turns. Starting with vague plans to enter the ministry, a summer working as a roughneck on an oil rig in Wyoming led to a decades-long career in the mining industry. In 1975 Randy and his wife Jean moved to Golden, Colorado, where he pursued a master’s degree in mineral economics, writing a thesis on solar energy. His career took them from New York, to San Francisco, Jakarta, Indonesia, back to New York, and finally, to Denver, Colorado, where they lived for 29 years. He was active in the Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration, co-authoring a book on project finance. In his work for Chemical Bank, he developed strong business relationships leading to a position in corporate development for Newmont Corp., followed by 15 years as a consultant to mining companies and decades of service as a director for Golden Minerals and Vista Gold.

Randy’s love for and understanding of the earth, especially rocks, brought him to all corners of the earth. One must go where the metals are, after all, and he traveled frequently to sites in Africa, Central and Southeast Asia, Australia, and South America. He delighted in bringing his family along to experience the world with him. He enjoyed spending time in the quiet and solitude of nature, whether camping, hiking, or canoeing. He loved San Francisco and walked from his house on Downey Street to Ocean Beach daily, in sunshine or fog or wind, to arrive at the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean.

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