David Marcial

March 15, 1946 - Sept. 10, 2024

David Marcial, a much loved father, friend, and musician left this plane of existence on September 10, 2024. After a difficult seven month battle with an aggressive brain tumor David was finally able to rest, surrounded by love and music in his final moments. David was born in Peterborough, England on March 15th 1946, to English mother, Sheila Lavinia Catmull and Puerto Rican father, Torrido Marcial who met during World War II. David and his brother Jack emigrated to the US with Sheila after the war. He grew up in New York City and later in upstate New York where his sister Jayme was born. His many professions included oil rig worker, teacher, taxi driver (Chicago, New York, Seattle) and others but in the last 30 years of his life he was proud of his long career as a phlebotomist. He worked in many contexts from the hospital neonatal intensive care unit at Swedish to in person home exams. More than work, David’s life was shaped by social movements and his untiring and sometimes unrelenting commitment to seeking truth and justice in an unjust world. He read everything, his shelves were full of books on the environment, the economy, the military industrial complex, histories of racism and colonialism, civil liberties and efforts to erode them, government corruption, corporate greed, food, medicine, philosophy, psychology, physics, metaphysics, dreaming, space... He paid attention to the world, even when it hurt to look. He always gave more than he had, he never crossed a picket line and he never missed an opportunity to talk to people. Friends, family, co-workers, strangers on the bus, he was always willing to share the things he felt were important. In this way he made a difference in countless lives by urging those around him to question authority and look at their world with both criticism and compassion. David’s dedication to political activism was matched only by his dedication to music and he spent his life finding ways to bring the two together. He loved playing the drums and he played congas in latin groups in Seattle, New York and Florida. In Florida he played in the group Standing Eight Count, a long standing jazz group whose members became some of his closest friends (you can listen to some of their music at this link https://shorturl.at/S0aGI). In the last few years in Seattle he participated in both latin jazz and Brazilian samba groups through the Seattle Jazz Night School (https://jazznightschool.org/) where he had a blast performing at their quarterly performances at the Royal Room in Columbia City. For those who wish to find or remember him in his most loved place, this link is a Spotify playlist of some of his favorite songs https://shorturl.at/rzVYv David’s brother Jack and sister Jayme passed away before him. He is survived by many loving friends and family including his daughter Taiko and son-in-law Charlie, his sister-in-law Doreen, his nieces Tori and Cassie (and their children), and his nephews Billy and Shane. Since David’s family and friends are spread across the country, an online memorial celebration will be held at a future date. In honor of David’s commitment to nature his remains will undergo soil transformation which is an environmentally-friendly alternative to burial and cremation. This soil will be returned to the land at his daughter’s home and at a memorial forest conservation project on the Olympic Peninsula. As David prioritized justice and activism, the family asks that you do the same, go out and do something that advances equality and freedom, read something, watch something, learn something, teach something. If you feel so moved, share something here or reach out and tell us about memories or experiences you shared with David. He will be missed forever.