Longtime Bolinas resident Mark Rafferty, a musician and former site manager at Commonweal, was found dead in his car in Sonoma County last Wednesday by California Highway Patrol officers in an apparent suicide. Just two days before his death, Mr. Rafferty was involved in an altercation with a bicyclist near Nicasio Reservoir that resulted in his being booked into Marin County Jail for assault with a deadly weapon, although the bicyclist, 25-year old San Francisco resident Charles Keane-Zirepolo, declined medical attention. Mr. Rafferty, who passed just shy of his 62nd birthday on Tuesday, worked at Commonweal in Bolinas for many years and, over the past year, as a driver for an elderly man in Belvedere. “Mark was a valued member of the Commonweal community,” read a statement issued by Commonweal. “We will remember him for his kindness, his sense of humor, his passion for music and songwriting and his dedication to our work.” For over a decade, Mr. Rafferty spent time with a strong contingent of Petaluma-based friends. They recalled that Mr. Rafferty carried a ukelele with him everywhere, a symbol of his lifelong dedication to music. Through the West Coast Songwriters group, Mr. Rafferty organized, judged and participated in music competitions at Petaluma’s Aqus Café; during trivia nights at the café, his friends said, he had an uncanny knack for astutely answering all of the music-related questions. Mr. Rafferty and his friends met every Wednesday to dine and socialize. They would also play miniature golf, watch movies, attend concerts and check out parades in San Francisco. “He loved being around people,” said Colleen Campbell, of Petaluma. “Mark’s the kind of guy that when you met him, he was instantly likeable. He didn’t have any hidden agendas.” An all-night bonfire was held in his honor on Wednesday at Petaluma’s David Yearsley River Heritage Center, to coincide with the peaking of the Perseid meteor shower. The Sonoma County Coroner is currently conducting an investigation into Mr. Rafferty’s death.