Obituary - Rune Erik Martinson August 31, 1979 - August 9, 2018

Rune Erik Martinson, a beloved husband, father and friend to many, passed away on August 9, 2018 at the age of 38 after a difficult battle with metastatic renal cell cancer.

Born in Bozeman, Montana, Rune grew up camping and fishing on the Madison and Gallatin Rivers, starting a life-long love of the outdoors and the Big Sky Country of Montana. He enjoyed spending his time hiking, camping and exploring.

An architect specializing in high-end residential design, Rune put his love of design, interest in craft and his unique eye for detail to work for a variety of architecture firms in both Montana and Seattle. He started his career at design/build firms Intrinsik and Goff Architecture in Bozeman, Montana. Upon relocating to Seattle, he joined Suyama Peterson Deguchi where he spent 10 years. For the past three years he put his talents to work for Olson Kundig.

Rune graduated from Montana State University, Bozeman, with a Master of Architecture in 2003. While attending school there, he worked in woodworking at Western Millwork in Manhattan, MT, a job that provided a foundation for the design/build work that he loved.

It was also at MSU that he met his perfect match, Patricia "Patty" Flores. An orange decorated with a handmade wood and paper flag placed on Patty's student architecture desk started an adventure of 17 years together. The two supported each other through student life, architecture thesis projects, first jobs and a move to Seattle in 2006. Rune and Patty married in the summer of 2011. Together they bought a house in West Seattle where they enjoyed working on a variety of projects, putting their unique stamp on the space.

The two shared many outdoor escapades, enjoying the beauty of the Pacific Northwest. Their adventures ranged from camping along the Oregon coast and hiking different Northwest mountain ranges to weekend paddle excursions in their Old Town canoe. The biggest adventure of their time together started in June of 2017, when Rune and Patty welcomed twins, Nelsen and Harriet. Rune loved spending time with his children and watching them discover the world as their personalities started to emerge. Both kids lit up every time their father was in the room.

As those who were fortunate enough to know Rune would agree, he was one of the most kind, thoughtful and creative individuals around. He had wonderful integrity, a steadfast work ethic and a humbleness that touched many. Rune valued both family and friends and was genuinely interested in learning more about people and connecting with them as individuals. With a contagious laugh and warm smile, he had a unique talent for making those he came across feel special and supported. A life-long learner, Rune was always up for exploring something that piqued his interest, be it a new restaurant, author, design concept or skill. He valued experiences and their memories over material things.

Rune is survived by his wife, Patricia, and their children, Nelsen and Harriet, his father, Kim Martinson and his wife Cindy, mother, Jody Ross and her husband Corbin, sister, Greta Frohlich, and grandmothers, Irene Martinson and Evie Beck. He also leaves behind many other close family members and friends.

A memorial fund for his children's education has been established and donations can be made at: http://www.gofundme.com/rune-martinson-memorial/.

In lieu of the memorial fund, donations in Rune's name may also be made to the Washington Trails Association, http://www.wta.org/,or the West Seattle Food Bank to help carry on his love of the outdoors and his kindness towards others.