David Seth Savage

(June 04, 1970 – April 15, 2026)

In his final act of punk defiance, Dave Savage drew his last breath on Tax Day. His wife held his hand while rain pelted the hospital window, and a rare Seattle thunderstorm illuminated a city left a little less weird for his loss. He was 55.

David Seth Savage was born June 4, 1970, in Independence, Mo. to Clarence “Seth” and Margaret “Jean” Savage. He began his education at the H&H School of Adventure, where he developed the spirit of wonder and exploration that he brought to everything in his life. Dave attended William Southern Elementary, Sycamore Hills Elementary, James Bridger Jr. High School, and Truman High School, where he edited the school yearbook, while competing as a BMX racer in his spare time.

Dave’s education was interrupted by his first bout with cancer, lymphoblastic t-cell lymphoma, diagnosed in April 1989. Dave, then just 18, fought the previously incurable cancer for two years, enduring dozens of rounds of chemotherapy and intense radiation treatments. As life-altering as that experience was, it never threw Dave off course. He graduated from Truman University in 1993 with a degree in art which he continued to pursue at Portfolio Center in Atlanta.

Dave enjoyed a fulfilling career doing precisely what he loved, from Funny Garbage in New York, to American Greetings in Cleveland, and Cartoon Network in Burbank, where he worked on the series “Secret Mountain Fort Awesome” and “Uncle Grandpa.” He freelanced for Nickelodeon, Microsoft, Hasbro, Red Bull, and Nike, among others.

He was passionate about his company, Savage Monsters, founded in 2000. He created thousands of works of art, including paintings, prints, t-shirts, buttons, and stickers. He contributed to gallery shows and books, published zines and online animations. As an acclaimed local artist, Dave left his mark on and throughout his beloved neighborhood, Lake Forest Park, just north of Seattle. You can find his murals at friends’ homes, as well as Brookside Elementary School, the Lake Forest Park Water District, and at Local 104, where his celebration of life was held Dec. 7, 2025.

Art, of course, wasn’t Dave’s only love. He met his wife, Alynda Wheat, in 2008 at Cat & Fiddle, a pub in West Hollywood, Calif. They had their first date at The Shack, an aptly named bar in Santa Monica, Calif., where Dave would propose to Alynda in the summer of 2010. Their wedding was held April 2, 2011, in Santa Ynez, Calif., though according to the state of California, it technically didn’t count. Due to a filing error, despite their April wedding, Dave made Alynda a June bride. Dave and Alynda’s greatest gift, Jackson, was born three years later. Dave was enamored with his son from Day 1, after infant Jack grasped his father’s finger moments after birth. They were inseparable from then on, drawing together, going on hikes, building Lego, taking walks with their beloved puppy, Spencer, and snuggling up to watch delightfully weird TV and movies. Dave fostered his son’s creativity at every opportunity, helping Jack film his own stop-motion animation movies, co-creating the thriller/love story comic Crime, and committing mild acts of vandalism. Dave treasured Jack’s art, secreting it away in boxes and files, assured that one day the world would know the name Jack Savage, and his dad would be ready with his back catalog.

The Savages were wonderfully happy until cancer resurfaced in April 2025. An MRI to examine why Dave suddenly had trouble reading found what appeared to be cancerous lesions. A diagnosis of glioblastoma was confirmed a week later, after a seizure left Dave hospitalized. The Savages, intrepid weirdos, decided not to let cancer tell the end of Dave’s story. They planned adventures, taking a helicopter ride from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon, petting reindeer in the mountains of northern Washington, and gawking at shrunken heads in Portland. Instead of a funeral, they threw a party. It was odd, heartfelt, weepy, and hilarious. In short, it was perfect—and so Dave.

Throughout his final months, Dave and his family were supported by the most incredible cadre of family and friends. His mother, Jean, and sister, Dr. Cynthia Savage Tabibian, visited frequently, carrying much of the load for the household. Neighbors mowed lawns and ran errands; friends delivered meals and entertained a kid and a puppy. The Savages can never begin to repay the kindness shown to them from the moment they moved to Lake Forest Park, most especially in the past year. No one should endure the pain of terminal illness, but everyone should wish for the kind of support given to this little family.

Dave was preceded in death by his father, but is survived by his wife, son, mother, and sister, as well as his brother-in-law, Ryan Tabibian, and his niece and nephews, Sara, Jacob, and Zachary, in addition to friends and admirers of his art around the world. He would wish nothing more from you than to remember him as hardcore and to keep his weirdo spirit alive. That he was also the sweetest, kindest, funniest man, who liked to “draw pictures of his feelings,” is a secret his loved ones will keep close to their hearts.

Donations may be made to the Glioblastoma Support Network and ArtCorps Seattle