Maris Kundzins

I remember Maris on our Grand Canyon trip. Most of the conversation in the evening was somewhat shallow, possibly booze influenced and often about other river trips. Maris started a deep conversation about goals, and we all dug down and contributed. That may have been the only deep group conversation. Thank you, Maris, deep and wonderful

We extend our deepest sympathy to Maris' family. He was a great friend and person and teacher of life since we met each other in Japan in 1965.

My Maris - your gentle face and manner were part of my life for a good many years, and it's hard for me to accept the fact that you're not on this earth anymore. Your love and your life were both beautiful things to witness.

Maris my dear friend you will be with Judith, Viva and I all of our days. Your kindness, creative presence and intelligence are inspiration to us. You knew things that most spend a lifetime seeking to learn. It was a huge gift to us all on Sunday to be together in your memory. Your wonderful essence filled the room with joy.

I met Maris at a sandwich shop in San Francisco in 1973. We hit it off immediately and stayed in contact with each other. My relationship with him was primarily through letters and (later) emails and Facebook. But he was always encouraging and interested in whatever I was doing--he inspired me to experiment with whatever I was working on, and to share it with him. I can see that everyone he knew or came in contact with had a unique relationship with him. He was like a blank slate--he...

I've known Maris since 1982, and though I would see him only intermittently, he always had something lovely to say about someone. He had an innate understanding of the beauty of those he was in relationship with and even if some matter would pull his loved ones into a more separate space, he always honored and respected choices. I loved him, for he loved; and one did not have to spend years with him to know that--it emanated from him and those sensitive to love resonated with him.

I worked with Maris for 5 years at DSHS-DDD. He was a very unselfish person, that made everyone who met him, feel they were all part of something larger than life. I admired his zest for life and his energy. He will be missed, but never forgotten.