Jason Travers remembered as gentle man, good listener

Friends and family of 32-year-old Jason Travers, one of the victims of the Capitol Hill massacre, remember him as a good listener and gentle man.

Travers had worked as a clerk at Madison Market, a food cooperative on Capitol Hill, since 1999. He was one of two people employed at the market who died Saturday morning.

"It's baffling and unbelievable," said Beau Ingraham, a friend and co-worker of Travers and another victim, Jeremy Martin. "We thought Jason was in a coma all day yesterday and we had hoped he'd pull out of it. We found out later Jason was killed while he was sleeping in a chair."

The co-op closed early Saturday after hearing the news of the men's deaths.

Travers was remembered for his gentle way of life: He was a vegan, a conscientious objector, a sometimes-Unitarian, according to his parents, who live in Albany, N. Y.

His mother, Judy Travers, said she used to call him "Atlas" because he worried so much about everyone else, it was like he was carrying the weight of the world.

"He had the soul of an angel," said his father, James Travers.

Another friend, Robyn Lively, 30, of West Seattle, said Jason Travers enjoyed listening to music and helped with fundraisers for musicians and artists.

Jason Travers was born and raised in Albany.

After graduating from Albany High School in 1991, he attended Schenectady County Community College in New York in 1991-92.

As a young college student, Travers bought his friends a van they needed for their band. That's the kind of person he was, friends and family said — generous and giving even when he couldn't afford it.

After attending college, he lived in Ann Arbor, Mich., where he helped friends set up a comic-book business. He later lived in Colorado Springs, Colo., before moving to Seattle about six years ago.

"Jason was the most gentle, beautiful person," Ingraham said. "Everyone wished they could talk to him one more time and let him know he was loved."

Christine Willmsen: 206-464-3261 or cwillmsen@seattletimes.com

Emily Heffter: 206-464-8246 or eheffter@seattletimes.com