1951 - 2009

Bart passed away peacefully while surrounded by family and friends after a long and valiant struggle with brain cancer.

Bart was born in Portland, where he graduated from Washington High School in 1969, a basketball star and president of the student council. He received a bachelor of science degree in forestry and exercise physiology from Oregon State University.

He owned, operated and expanded the Corvallis Fitness Center for 12 years, and then moved to the San Francisco Bay area in 1991 to be near his mother and his sister's family. There he joined the Unitarian church choir and met its new pianist, his future wife.

They were married in 1994, and had a daughter in 1996. The family enjoyed music together as both performers and audience.

Bart expressed his grace and athletic ability in dancing, basketball, volleyball and golf. He went back to school to earn a CNE certificate, and worked in the information technology industry from 1996 till 2001. At that time, Bart received a California teaching certificate and became a schoolteacher.

Throughout his life, Bart always kept his sense of humor and philosophical attitude, which helped him and his family get through his numerous brain surgeries and treatments.

His wit and verbal prowess delighted and inspired his family and friends until the very end.

Bart is survived by his wife, Veronika Agranov-Dafoe; his daughter, Miranda Dafoe of Sunnyvale, Calif.; his sister, Janet Dafoe of Palo Alto, Calif.; his niece, Ashley Davis, also of Palo Alto; his nephew, Whitney Dafoe of San Francisco, Calif.; and his aunt, Helen Freeman of Vancouver, Wash.

A memorial service, "A Celebration of Music and Light," will take place at

7 p.m. June 6 at Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto, 505 E. Charleston Road, Palo Alto.

Memorial gifts can be made to the University of California, San Francisco Foundation Brain Tumor Program, P.O. Box 45339, San Francisco, CA 94145-0339; or to the Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto Bart Dafoe Music Fund, 505 E. Charleston Road, Palo Alto, CA 94306.