Mark Gregory Walsen

Mark Gregory Walsen (born Mark Gregory Samsen) passed away unexpectedly on January 30, 2011. Born in Toledo, Ohio, on June 22, 1953, Mark grew up enjoying the sunshine of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He earned a bachelor’s of science from Wake Forest University followed by a master’s of science in economics from Northwestern University; he then began a pioneering career in software engineering. After he met his wife Celeste, they headed west from Baton Rouge, Louisiana to Bellevue, Washington, where Mark was active in his neighborhood and city for nearly 30 years. Mark worked with software development teams at Intermetrics and Microsoft, but often said he felt like he was on a full-time vacation amidst the mountains and waters of his adopted home. For the past decade Mark pursued his passion for music. With his own company, Notation Software, Mark used his remarkable energy and intellect to develop the world’s leading software for transcribing musical notation from a midi keyboard. Mark was softhearted and soft-spoken; he was a true genius, with an abiding love of music and the outdoors. He will be deeply missed by his wife Celeste, children David, Kayla and Greg, mother Nan, and his brother Mike (with children, Kate and Christopher). In honor of the grace that music brought to Mark’s life, the family invites donations to the Bellevue Youth Theatre Foundation (www.bytf.org)

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