West Seattle's Mark "Monk" Hubbard was remembered during a special skate day event at the Delridge Skatepark June 22. There were no formal proceedings, just a day to remember Hubbard whose influence in the world of skateboarding was felt worldwide.

Hubbard, 47, passed away suddenly on June 9. No cause of death was announced.

Growing up in West Seattle Hubbard was interested in skateboards from an early age and was an unconventional thinker, dreamer and artist. 

Hubbard began his career by building plywood ramps and was one of those responsible for building the first unauthorized skating bowl under the Schmitz Park Bridge in 1990. He started skateboarding when he was five years old in 1975. "When I was six I had like three boards" he said.

"The first ramp I ever built was in 1984 on 38th and Charlestown in my driveway. It was an eight foot quarter pipe. But then I built ramps all over the city even up in Everett."

His Lead Designer Micah Shapiro was in attendance and said that work at Hubbard's company Grindline Skateparks would continue, "in honor of Mark's legacy" The company has built some of the most advanced (and praised) skateparks in the world including the largest in the western hemisphere near Houston Texas. Shapiro said he knew Hubbard since the late 1980's when he was 16. "He was probably 18 but I thought he was like 40 since he was crazy like this older guy, talking all this weird stuff. He's always been the guy. He was a guy with nine lives. He had numerous times when he should have died but he didn't. So it was like there was a guardian angel watching over him. Maybe he used up the nine lives." 

Hubbard was a musician too

Hubbard also, as if running a world reaching enterprise and being a driving force in skateboard culture wasn't enough, had a band. The Grindline Band, where he was the lead singer would attend major skateboarding events, traveling the country (and even Europe) when Hubbard was not leading the company on skateboard park projects as far flung as Denmark and Okinawa.

His bandmate Chad "Chadman" Ashland said, "Mark was bigger than life. I got to experience so many things because of him. He was more than a friend. He changed the world. I remember he told me how awesome it was that he got to build this park in particular because it's where he's from. The trials and tribulations he went through, always trying to do the underground skateparks and then to go from that to being able to be hired as a company and come down and be professional and build a great skatepark. To have this happening here today, at this park I think is pretty special.

Photos flowers and momentos from his long career were on a table near the Community Center at the park. Loud rock music, favored by skaters played from PA system.

Those attending the even on Friday were asked to write out memories for his family, his wife Jenny and three children. A GoFundMe page set up to help them defer funeral expenses and more was over $46,000 on June 22. 

A niece of Hubbards wrote in her note to the family. "He was the best uncle I'll ever have."