Obituary of Steven Able Musman

Steven Musman, aged 86, was beamed up from this plane of existence on July 10, 2024. That’s probably how he’d describe it in order to minimize any sorrow from his loss. Prostate cancer got him. He was a proud Denver native. Despite this, he managed to convince his kids that he had sprung fully formed from Zeus’s brow. Eventually he let them know that this perhaps “wasn’t entirely true”. 

He lived in and traveled to many fascinating places. His daughter was often his “travel buddy”. He was always prepared for a destination. He’d know the history, the geography, learn about the people, learn (enough of) the language, and know all of the most interesting things to see. The trip reports were full of detail and intrigue, emphasizing the unexpected gems that were encountered. 

He was a renaissance man and master of the understatement. Things that were bad “could potentially be a little better”. Things that were good “weren’t completely unpleasant”. Physically, he played varsity football in high school, competed in Judo, and although he didn’t start until his 40’s he was proud he completed 5 marathons. He always enjoyed hiking the trails, or at least taking a walk. His “daily constitutional” as he called it. Professionally he was an Astrophysicist, who later applied his intellect to Geophysics. You can search google scholar for his contributions to mankind’s understanding of our solar system and planet. He loved to share what he knew with others, so after retirement he also taught classes at a local community college.

He was one of the smartest people you might talk too. With the possible exception of discussing any music newer than 1950, he could talk intelligently about almost any subject. He loved learning. Not just to gain information, but to interpret it, and then apply it. He knew how most things worked: from engines, to machines, to sewer systems, to electricity. Among his favorite topics, though, were history and archeology. He would often steer conversations to leverage his encyclopedic knowledge and apply it to the topic at hand. If you were paying attention you’d often realize he did that. Although he would say that ”the universe is a very serious place”, he would find humor just about everywhere. The funny, and the funny because it is absurd, were things he would enjoy sharing the most, often finishing up by saying “I couldn’t possibly have made that up”. Sometimes he had actually made it up, but usually to make a point, or just lighten the mood, and he would always let you know.

He was a very creative person. To stop his kids from bickering he invented “indiscriminate affection hour”. It didn’t have to be scheduled, it didn’t have to last an hour, you just had to show some affection to someone near you, and he’d usually start things off. Rather than read stories to his kids at night he’d make them up. They always had a moral. He would noodle on the piano playing his favorite pieces, often with a shit eating grin on his face. He even made his own clavichord at one point, because “it was no joke to sound more baroque”. He tried his hand at many of the arts, but most passionately he was an avid sculptor. He created pieces in stone, metal (having learned to solder and weld) and wood. If looking at one of his pieces might give you a warm, pleasant feeling then that was success. 

He is survived by his two sisters, his brother, his son, and a variety of nieces, grandnephews, grandnieces and grandkids.