Martin Sikes (1968-2007)

Martin Sikes memorial programMartin Sikes was a Canadian engineer, software and hardware developer, DJ, dance party organizer, and enthusiast about travel, the outdoors, and trains.

He grew up in North and West Vancouver, British Columbia, attended West Vancouver Secondary School, and studied at the University of British Columbia, where he earned a degree in Electrical Engineering. He spent much of his career in the video game industry, working for Radical Entertainment, co-founding Black Box Games, and later selling it to Electronic Arts. Martin was also a key organizer of the Soundproof collective of DJs, promoters, and artists, who hosted numerous parties over a ten-year period.

He died suddenly in his sleep on December 24, 2007, age 39. His daughter, parents, sister, and many relatives, friends, and colleagues celebrated his life two weeks later, on January 6, 2008. I knew Martin for almost 25 years, and he was my friend. Many of his friends like me wondered, despite his success in business and life, whether he would ever grow up and settle down as lots of us have.

Now we know he never will. He lived only half a life, and accomplished amazing things in that time. Imagine what he could have done had he lived the rest. I miss him. We all do.

—Derek K. Miller

Blogs, articles, and comments about Martin

Photos of Martin's memorial event

These photos are from Flickr. Some of them (plus a few extras) are also available in an album on Facebook. You can find more like them by looking for Martin's tags on Facebook and Flickr.

Long Beach 1989(?) Brooklyn, Her Boyfriend, and Her Dad Living Room Richard, Andrew, Dennis, Steve, Paul, and Martin Paul, Martin, Johan, and Alistair Midnight View At the DJ Desk Martin Sikes obituary - Vancouver Sun, 2 Jan 2008 Martin Sikes article - Vancouver Sun, 3 Jan 2008 Martin Sikes Martin memorial poster Martin Sikes memorial 1 Martin Sikes memorial 2 Martin Sikes memorial 3 Martin Sikes memorial 4 Martin Sikes memorial 5 Martin Sikes memorial 6 Martin Sikes memorial 7 Martin Sikes memorial 8 Martin Sikes memorial 9 Martin Sikes memorial 10 Martin Sikes memorial 11 Martin Sikes memorial 12 Martin Sikes memorial 13 Martin Sikes memorial 14 Martin Sikes memorial 15 Martin Sikes memorial 16 Martin Sikes memorial 17 Martin Sikes memorial 18 Martin Sikes memorial 19 Martin Sikes memorial 20 Martin Sikes memorial 21 Martin Sikes memorial 22 Martin Sikes memorial 23 Martin Sikes memorial 24 Martin Sikes memorial 25 Martin Sikes memorial 26 Martin Sikes memorial 27 Martin Sikes memorial 28 Martin Sikes memorial 29 Martin Sikes memorial 30 Martin Sikes memorial 31 Martin Sikes memorial 32 Martin Sikes memorial 33 Martin Sikes memorial 34 Martin Sikes memorial 35 Martin Sikes memorial 36 Martin Sikes memorial 37 Martin Sikes memorial 38 Martin Sikes memorial 39 The famous train tunnel Martin Sikes memorial 40 Martin Sikes memorial 41 Martin Sikes memorial 42 Martin Sikes memorial43 Martin Sikes memorial 44 Martin Sikes memorial 45 Martin Sikes memorial 46 Martin Sikes memorial 47 Martin Sikes memorial 48 Martin Sikes memorial 49 Martin Sikes memorial 50 Martin Sikes memorial 51 Martin Sikes memorial 52 Martin Sikes memorial 53 Martin Sikes memorial 54 Martin Sikes memorial 55 Excursionists return to Denny's 1 Excursionists return to Denny's 2 Excursionists return to Denny's 3 Excursionists return to Denny's 4 Excursionists return to Denny's 5