Todd Clair Houghton

passed away in his sleep Nov. 15, 2014 at his residence on Bainbridge Island, WA with his wife Nancy at his side. He was 67 years of age.Todd was a much-loved musician, friend, husband and father to two beautiful children. Though he lost his eyesight early in life, Todd led life with integrity and quiet strength, and didn't let the affliction diminish his passions for music and community.Todd was born in MacPherson, KS, Jan. 11, 1947 to Jack C. Houghton and Carolyn (Peterson) Houghton. The family moved to Denver, CO where he attended George Washington High School. He received a BA in Psychology from Adams State College and a MA in Experiential Education from UC Boulder. He began performing, teaching, and producing music in the 1960's in Colorado. He has played guitar, bass and keyboard in jazz, folk, rock and C&W groups and composed for commercials, films and live theater. In addition to his music, Todd served as an advisor to Jack Straw Production's Blind Youth Audio Project and the Bainbridge-Ometepe Sister Island Association's Special Needs Delegation.Todd was a seminal force in the Bainbridge music scene starting almost immediately when he moved to the island. Shortly after the opening of the Harbour Public House, he began hosting an open mic, which ran weekly for about 11 years before switching to monthly about 10 years ago. For over 20 years, he was a gentle and supportive host, and as a result, the Pub open mic became the spawning grounds for many a musical group, and also a safe place for individual artists to try out new tunes or polish old ones. Todd's blindness was an advantage when he was running sound. He was usually able to tease out good tone and appropriate volume for nearly everyone who performed, no matter what their skill level or what kind of gear they used. Often Todd would sit in on guitar, bass, piano, or on whatever instrument he had along that night. Many nights he played for hours and invited anyone in the room to jam along.Todd had a gift for songwriting and holds some 180 copyrights, all of them superbly crafted and flawlessly performed. He produced an album of his original music entitled "Roll Back the Sun" in 1993. Todd recorded and produced music for others in his home studio utilizing computer equipment adapted for those without vision. His finely tuned ear and uncanny musical sensibilities contributed to any musical setting, whether in the studio, at a gig, or just singing around a campfire. He had an innate ability to subtly guide a musical setting without ego or pomp, simply making everyone feel and sound just a bit better. Lacking the ability to read printed music, he amazed players with his seemingly endless store of memorized songs and lyrics.His last project was to re-learn all of his own songs on keyboards.Over the years, Todd was recruited by a number of bands in the area, including "Ranch Romance" and "Johnny Sound and the Furies," with whom he played dozens of gigs, most often on bass, but sometimes on keyboards, too. In 2006, Ranger and Mike Sciacca recruited him for the working band "Ranger and the 'Re-Arrangers,'" with whom he subsequently played gigs across the state. Eventually he played over 600 gigs with the band, including festivals, weddings, county fairs, and special events for clients such as the Seattle Art Museum, the Bainbridge Museum of Art, and many more. Just a month ago, the band was flown to La Jolla, California for a gala at the J. Craig Venter Institute where they had even the most staid of scientists up and dancing! Todd loved making music for people, and he glowed when listeners approached him afterwards, as they often did.Todd pushed past his blindness and experienced as much of life as he could. With a few nudges from his wife and family, he found himself cross-country skiing, sailing, kayaking (even zip-lining and surfing) and travelling to exotic locals such as Fiji, Mexico, Kauai and Europe. Nancy was not afraid to ask for special privileges, such as arriving at Stonehenge on Summer Solstice and convincing a guard that Todd should be allowed to go sit alone among the ancient stones, while hoards of visitors were kept at a distance. His guitar travelled with him and enabled him to meet and experience others through music, whether sitting in a sarong in the chief's hut in Fiji or in a high-mountain Gasthof in Switzerland.Todd is survived by his wife of 23 years, Nancy Hurlow Houghton, and the two lights of his life: Hugh Aaron Houghton and Julia Rose Houghton. His sister, Julie Abbott, and brother, Warren Gene Houghton, reside in Denver, Colorado. Family and friends are respectfully invited to attend the celebration of life on Saturday, January 10, 2015 from 7 to 10 PM at the Wing Point Country Club on Bainbridge island. Arrangements entrusted to Cook Family Funeral Home.Please sign his guestbook for the family.Donations may be made in Todd¹s memory to the "Todd Houghton Fund" tobenefit the Special Needs projects on Ometepe at:Bainbridge Ometepe Sister Islands AssociationPO Box 4484 Rollingbay, WA 98061-0484