Obituary
When King Lear dies in Act V, do you know what Shakespeare has written? He’s written “He dies.” That’s all, nothing more. No fanfare, no metaphor, no brilliant final words. The culmination of the most influential work of dramatic literature is “He dies.” It takes Shakespeare, a genius, to come up with “He dies.” And yet every time I read those two words, I find myself overwhelmed with dysphoria. And I know it’s only natural to be sad, but not because of the words “He dies.” but because of the life we saw prior to the words.
I’ve lived all five of my acts, Mahoney, and I am not asking you to be happy that I must go. I’m only asking that you turn the page, continue reading… and let the next story begin. And if anyone asks what became of me, you relate my life in all its wonder, and end it with a simple and modest “He died.”
— Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium
Martin Alexander Totusek, 55, of Seattle, WA passed away unexpectedly in the early morning hours of January 28, 2017 at Swedish Medical Center, First Hill.
He was born by emergency Caesarean section on July 7, 1961 at St. Luke’s Hospital in Spokane, Washington, a full two months early, to Susan Teresa Helbig and the late Richard Quam Totusek. Weighing only 3lbs 1oz at birth, the doctors didn’t give him more than a 50% chance of living until he was one week old.
From a young age, Martin displayed a deep love of books and music. He was particularly fond of libraries and bookstores, where he would spend hours upon hours voraciously reading books on a wide variety of subjects from history and politics, to music theory, to science-fiction and fantasy. He claimed to have read the entire bible one summer as a child, and upon completion, declared it to be the strangest book he’d ever read. He had an uncommonly beautiful boy soprano voice that he utilized while singing in school choirs, and at nine years old was a featured soloist in 1970 where he sang O Holy Night for thousands of people in the old Spokane Coliseum.
Martin studied violin in Spokane, began playing piano at age 16, and developed a virtuosic talent for the piano in spite of being primarily self-taught. In 1973, he, along with his mother Susan and two younger siblings, Erika and Leif, relocated to Seattle, WA following his parents divorce. As a teenager he attended the then-brand new alternative high school, The Nova Project, on Capitol Hill. In Feb of 1979, Martin became a father when his son Gabriel was born. Martin briefly attended Seattle Central Community College, singing under conductor George Shangrow, before moving to LA for a few years. He immersed himself in the LA jazz scene, and was fortunate to find a friend and mentor in veteran bass player Vernon Martin. After returning to Seattle, Martin participated in the Seattle jazz community with gusto, working with countless local musicians. He was a bandleader, as well as side musician, in numerous jazz and blues-rock bands in the 80’s and 90’s. A self-described music historian, he spent long hours transcribing different renditions of the same song when he was dissatisfied with errors he identified in existing sheet music, in addition to composing some pieces of his own. He developed a friendship with Dave Brubeck, and regularly corresponded with him until the jazz legend’s passing in 2012. Sadly, a severe back injury in 1996 hampered Martin’s ability to make it out to gigs. The loss of his studio and home of 20 years in 2006 was another major blow to his ability to rehearse and perform music. However, in the last several years he could occasionally be found sitting in on a set with local musicians.
Martin was a political activist, humanitarian, and feminist who cared passionately about people and the world we live in. Whenever he saw people being harmed by corporations or the government, he would speak out of love for his fellow humans. He was a union steward while working at Group Health in the 80’s as well as a member of musicians unions in both Los Angeles and Seattle. He was also a Democratic PCO for many years. He volunteered in a number of democratic campaigns; at one point in the 90’s, contributed language to the Washington State Democratic Platform. He was reunited with Gabriel in 1991, and within a few years, Gabriel chose to live with Martin. Martin was never a wealthy man, but he worked hard doing odd jobs to provide for his son, whom he also considered his best friend for the rest of his life. On March 21st, 2000 his wife Lisa gave birth to his second child, Madeline. Madeline was diagnosed with Prader-Willi syndrome, and Martin, the ever-loving and accepting father, spent the rest of his life dedicated to her care and education. Martin being Martin, this also propelled him to become an outspoken advocate for providing access to educational resources for special needs children in Seattle.
He is survived by his wife, Lisa Morgan, as well as his son Gabriel Burkholder and daughter Madeline, sister Erika (Totusek) Olsen, brother Leif Totusek, mother Susan Helbig, and stepfather Rory Link.