Laxalt family loses 2 members

RENO (AP) - Nevada's pioneering Laxalt family on Monday confirmed the weekend deaths of two family members - 80-year-old Peter Dominique "Mick" Laxalt and his 58-year-old nephew Bruce Laxalt. Both were lawyers and writers.

Mick Laxalt was the brother of Bruce's father, the late Nevada author Robert Laxalt, as well as former Nevada Gov. and U.S. Sen. Paul Laxalt. Mick died Sunday in Reno with family members by his side. The family did not release the cause of his death.

Mick was the youngest of six children born to Basque immigrants Therese and Dominque Laxalt. He published two children's books, "Angel Questions," a tribute to his grandchildren, and "A Basque Love Story," a short cultural tale. He also published "Whirlwind," a sequel to his brother Robert's novella, "Dust Devils."

Bruce Laxalt died in Reno on Friday from ALS. He was Washoe County's chief criminal deputy district attorney prosecuting homicide cases in the late 1970s and early '90s.

A collection of poems he wrote with his wife, Joyce, in the 2005 book "Songs of Mourning and Worship" included several that described living with ALS and its impact on him and his family.