Julian Minh Cortes

Memorial video and slideshow here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cXQWLR70jA

“Are you interested in bats, Julian?”

“I’m interested in all bats, all animals and everything in the world.”

Julian was born on August 15, 2011 in Seattle, Washington to Erik and Katherine Cortes. Julian was diagnosed at the age of six months with a rare genetic disorder, Pompe disease, just a few years before this destructive, progressive muscle disease was added to the statewide newborn screening panel. Though his body steadily betrayed him, Julian’s bravery and radiant outlook on the world continually shone through, illuminated by his rich imagination and his persistent and buoyant connection with everyone whose paths crossed with his.

Julian attended school at the UW Experimental Education Unit, and through Seattle Public Schools at Broadview-Thomson PreK-8 and Robert Eagle Staff Middle School. Music lit Julian up – he was always singing – and he in turn lit up the stage through the SPS Discover Dance program at McCaw Hall and with the Creative Dance Center at Haller Lake Community Center, the Music Center of the Northwest, and Seattle Children’s Chorus. He joined the cast of High School Musical Jr. at RES, although illness prevented him from performing in the final production.

A proud advocate for others impacted by disability, Julian participated as a role model of assistive and adaptive communication through programs at the Arc of King County and with Woodland Park Zoo and Rooted in Rights, as well as speaking up for inclusion at Broadview-Thomson. Julian would rarely spend his own allowance but would direct the portion held aside to “share” for animal rescue efforts (joining the movement that amazingly brought the brown pelican off of the endangered list!) and to help children and families in war zones.

Anyone he met quickly learned of Julian’s abiding love for seaplanes. Almost every weekend, he would ask to go to “MoHAI” (the Museum of History and Industry) as shorthand for watching seaplanes take off and land from Seattle’s South Lake Union Park (with occasional visits as a member inside MoHAI itself, to watch “the fire movie” or do the scavenger hunt for the umpteenth time), or to the Kenmore Air base at the north end of Lake Washington.

Julian was so funny. He would program jokes into his talking iPad to connect with other students – a favorite was “Why didn’t the skeleton go to the dance? He didn’t have any body to go with” – and even made one up which the SPS Superintendent featured in her weekly newsletter: “what do you call a worm who is hot? … WARM.” He loved to hear and repeat stories of goofy things that he said when he was young. Watching baseball on TV, his dad once asked him if he knew what an oriole was – to which Julian replied, “someone who doesn’t listen?”

He loved his dad so much, and together they became huge Godzilla fans, watching all 36 (!) live action Godzilla movies, and countless other movies too scary for his mom. He loved his mom so much (“so so so so so so so much,” we would joke – “how many “so”s was that??”) and his stepdad Geoff, with whom would read endless books (Watership Down did not scar him permanently, for the record, Aunt Tina) and play complicated collaborative board games for hours. And he loved his caregivers and teachers and relatives and friends and would dole out kisses and hugs and laughter and song generously and bountifully from the seemingly endless font of his heart. We will all miss him so, so, so, so, so, so much.

Julian was preceded in death by his paternal grandmother, Norma Cortes. He is survived by his paternal grandfather, Edwin Cortes, and his maternal grandparents, Tuyết and David Brown, as well as his father Erik Cortes and his mother and stepfather, Katherine Cortes and Geoff Price.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, May 11, from 1pm to 3pm at Evergreen-Washelli Funeral Home (11111 Aurora Ave N, Seattle, WA 98133). All are welcome.

In lieu of flowers, we welcome donations in Julian's memory to two organizations that do so much to bring joy and inclusion to the lives of children who can be very isolated:

Seattle Children's Playgarden: https://seattleplaygarden.org/in-loving-memory-of-julian-minh-cortes/

MDA Summer Camp: https://mda.donordrive.com/campaign/Remembering-Julian-Cortes