Marc W. Moriva, 58

Local musician Marc W. Moriva passed away on Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2010, while traveling with his wife Marjory. Marc was born on March 13, 1951, in Columbus, Ohio. He graduated from Grove City High School and went on to attend college at Ohio State University. Marc was a multi-talented musician who played guitar, sax, clarinet and banjo. He played across the country in various bands and with notables such as Delbert McClinton, Glen Frey, Tower of Power, Joe Walsh and an appearance with Bruce Springsteen. In 1997 Marc and Jerry Fletcher were asked to join the cast of It Ain t Nothin But the Blues as musicians, a review which chronicled the history of the blues in song and dialogue. The play eventually ran on Broadway and was nominated for a number of Tony awards. Marc would tour with the play two more times over the next several years. Locally, Marc was well known as one of the principal players of The Fanatics who performed for many years at the Great Northern. Many will be familiar with the jingles Marc wrote and recorded in his home studio which include Able Body Shop and Gil s Got It. More recently, Marc had been performing with the Andre Floyd band and the Moriva/Fletcher Duo. In 1994, Marc met Marjory McClaren and began to experience his transformation as a player, a companion, a friend and a husband. Marc went from fitting all of his belongings into the back of a Honda Civic in 1991 to a wife, a home, a hot tub, two dogs, a cat and a mortgage, and was never happier. He exercised on a regular basis and recently had become an avid cycling enthusiast. He was on his way to a two-week vacation filled with cycling across the desert when this lifetime came to an end. Marc will be missed by so many friends and family, but none more than the music community in which he was so highly regarded. Marc was preceded in death by his father, Wayne Moriva. Marc is survived by his wife, Marjory; his mother, Monna Hilton, and her husband, Jim; and his brother, Joseph Moriva, and wife, Shelley. Also of particular importance to him were his dogs Sami and Pops, and Hazel the cat. A memorial service is planned for 1 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 23, at Shining Mountains Church, 475 Eighth Ave. EN, in Kalispell. A reception will follow. A musical celebration will be held at 3 p.m. Sunday, March 14, at the Great Northern Bar in Whitefish. All are welcome. In lieu of flowers, please donate to the charity of your choice.