Family and friends are remembering Brent Curtis, and sharing this with his community:

Brent Curtis (January 2, 1967 – December 1, 2021), died in ICU with his wife Katie at his side, five days after suffering a massive stroke.

Brent was a loving and devoted husband, father, and community builder. One of his compatriots at Delridge Grocery Coop said of him: “Brent is the reason I came to start volunteering at the DGC and he was the continued inspiration that kept me going — his positivity, his love for his kids and his wife Katie, and his easy laugh even in the face of obstacles. I will miss his partnership and camaraderie within our Co-op, and the times our families gather will feel far emptier. But I will keep his inspiration close to my heart in the years to come.”

Brent co-wrote and helped make several films with a dear friend. He also wrote prolifically, self-publishing two of his novels. He, Katie, and several other artists cofounded Secluded Alley Works art coop and gallery in 2000-2001. He remained passionate about the arts, working tirelessly to build out rented space next to their home into a community performance and gallery space as part of the family’s garden consulting business.

Had he lived, he would have retired in April from his job of 30 years at the University of Washington as a manager in Transportation Services to manage full time the business he and Katie founded together, Weary Stone Farm. If you ever went to a Huskies game, he and his staff were the ones keeping game traffic moving and Montlake from becoming a parking lot. One of his colleagues of many years said of him: “He was a treasured individual here: Uniquely generous, intelligent, compassionate, and funny. He gave so much of himself to those around him. He changed the culture here at work and made our work lives better. I hope he was proud of that.”

This was the ethic by which Brent lived his entire life: Make every place you are in better than before you arrived. Be with all the people you encounter in the best way you can. Listen, learn, and help each person in the way that person needs, rather than in the way you might imagine they need. He and Katie would have celebrated their 20th anniversary in September of 2022. In addition to Katie, Brent leaves behind their two children, 11 and 15, his mother, brother, and countless people in all the communities of which he was a part.

The family will hold a celebration of life in Seattle, sometime in spring or summer of 2022, when we can all be together safely outdoors and remember Brent how he wished to be remembered: With music, fun, and joy.

(WSB publishes West Seattle obituaries and memorial announcements by request, free of charge. Please email the text, and a photo if available, to editor@westseattleblog.com)