LAKE STEVENS — They remembered his smile. They remembered his kindness. But mostly, they remembered his love for his hometown.
On Tuesday, city officials in Lake Stevens honored Marcus Tageant, a City Council member who died suddenly on May 26 during his fourth term in office. He was 52 years old.
Tageant was born and raised in Lake Stevens. After serving in the Marines, he worked in the real estate industry. He loved traveling, cooking, big gatherings and rooting for the Seahawks and the Mariners, his wife Marcella Scott said Wednesday.
Tageant was first elected to the council in 2009, serving on the dais for nearly 16 years.
Following his death, the City Council canceled its next meeting, scheduled for May 27. At Tuesday’s special meeting, a vase of white flowers was placed at Tageant’s seat.
In lieu of regular city reports, Lake Stevens officials shared stories of Tageant’s life during the meeting.
Council members remembered him as an smart, passionate representative.
“He was larger than life. He filled the room when he walked in, you felt his presence,” council member Kymm Shipman said Tuesday. “… Underneath all that kindness and that smile and that big personality was an extremely intelligent man that you could go to for clarification, and knew what he was doing and loved the city.”
Tageant had lots of love for the city’s parks, spurred by fond memories spending time in them during his childhood, Scott said Wednesday. One of the reasons Lake Stevens still has a park department is because of Tageant’s efforts, council member Kim Daughtry said Tuesday.
“I feel I’m a better council person because I was able to share this space with him,” council member Anji Jorstad said.
On Tuesday, Lake Stevens Mayor Brett Gailey recalled a time when Tageant organized a boating trip to bring members of a senior community onto Lake Stevens, the largest natural lake in Snohomish County and the city’s namesake.
“The love for his community that was shown by Marcus to those seniors is something I’ll always remember and cherish about Marcus,” Gailey said. “… To me, that embodies who Marcus was to our community.”
Scott and Tageant had been together for the last five years and the two were married in April, Scott said.
Tageant’s death was sudden and unexpected, she said. He died from a pulmonary embolism, which occurs when a blood clot blocks arteries leading to the lungs.
“He was a kind and generous, welcoming and happy human being,” she said. “He loved his community and he wanted to make a difference in Lake Stevens. He loved his family and his friends deeply and they loved him very much as well.”
Tageant’s term in office was set to end this year. He did not file to run for reelection and had intended to retire, Scott said.
“I knew that he did everything these past 16 years to make sure his community was a better place,” she said. “He was very, very proud of that.”
Will Geschke: 425-339-3443; william.geschke@heraldnet.com; X: @willgeschke.
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