Martin Boudewyn Filet

Martin Boudewyn Filet, 73, a man of courage and compassion, left this world September 13, 2025, at home in Davis, CA, surrounded by his loving family and lifelong friend, Blake Stevenson.

Martin lived a life of quiet, joyful heroism, delighting in music, learning, and the love of family and friends. Diagnosed with a genetic cancer and faced with decades of cancer treatment, he responded with an optimism, humor, generosity, and unflappable zest for life that inspired all who knew him.

Born January 1952 in The Hague to Dutch Indonesian parents who had fled to the Netherlands during the Indonesian National Revolution, Martin moved with his family to Sacramento at age 4. He graduated from UC Berkeley in sociology, then pursued a lifelong career as a CPA, earning a masters in taxation from American University in Washington D.C.

In 1987, Martin married the love of his life, Mary McDonald. The passion, quick wit, and fierce love of their marriage lit up their lives. He was an adoring, playful, devoted father to their daughters, Margaux and Nora Filet, tirelessly supporting and encouraging them and celebrating their successes.

Family was central to Martin’s life. In weekly Dutch-language conversations with his cousin Robert Filet, in happy accountancy sessions with his mother-in-law Dorothy McDonald, and in gatherings with the whole McDonald clan, Martin never failed in cheerful kindness and generosity. His enduring friendships with Davis neighbors became another extended family, a network of mutual support, travel, and great dinners. He sought out and brought out the best in everyone.

Music was an inexhaustible source of joy to Martin. Self-taught, he played the guitar with pleasure, and loved nothing more than to jam with friends. He was a passionate listener to classical, jazz, rock, and folk music and never stopped marveling at music’s power and beauty. His curiosity and love of learning led him to study Dutch and Spanish, to read widely in literature and history, and to revel in live music, theater, and the natural world.

Though cancer treatment was an inescapable and often acute fact of his life, Martin never allowed it to dominate his outlook. The exceptional and compassionate care of Dr. Melissa Williams helped him navigate this path, allowing him to embrace and enjoy life.

Martin is preceded in death by his parents, Rudolph and Corry Filet, and by his siblings, Rudi Hans Filet and Irene Dunzweiler. He is survived by his wife of 38 years, Mary McDonald, by his daughter Margaux Filet and son-in-law James Debacker, and by his daughter Nora Filet.

A celebration of Martin’s life will be held Sunday, November 9, 12:15 pm, at Vizcaya Sacramento, 2019 21st Street. If you plan to attend, please let the family know at familyfilet@gmail.com by October 26.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the UCSF Lynch Syndrome Research Fund, which supports research and treatment for Lynch Syndrome, https://lynchsyndromecenter.ucsf.edu/.