Month: November 2023

Aleksandr Arthur Van Campen, 24, born on April 10, 1999, died on Nov. 19, 2023, leaving family and friends saddened that his life ended so abruptly. Visitation with the family will be 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, Nov. 24, at Tates Creek Presbyterian Church, 3900 Rapid Run Drive, Lexington, Ky. Memorial services will be at 3 p.m. at the church. There will be a private viewing and graveside gathering for the family. Burial will be in Lexington Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers,  please consider donating to Assurance Care in Lexington where Alex had occasionally volunteered and where his mother currently works. 

The eldest of five children, Alex is survived by his parents, Todd and Guinever Van Campen; siblings Caleb Daniel, Mary Suzannah, and Thomas Jonathan Jackson Van Campen; future brother-in-law Jeremiah Weyel; best friend Caleb Burgin; maternal grandfather Daniel Lance Herrick; paternal grandparents Arthur Frank and Luana Mae Van Campen; and numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins. He was preceded in death by his beloved sister Abigail Helene, affectionately called Abby; his maternal grandmother, Donna Lee Herrick; and all of his great-grandparents.

Noticing that Alex could retain surprising amounts of information at a very young age, his mother set him to memorizing the Ten Commandments – not just the bullet points printed on posters, but the entire chapter of Exodus 20 in the King James Version. While visiting with his Great Grandma Herrick, Alex launched into a recitation of the chapter that went on, and on, and on. He stood eye to eye with her as she sat in her wheelchair squirming and trying to interrupt. Like a seasoned preacher who can deliver a sermon while ignoring inattention, Alex was undeterred.

Once he learned to read, Alex traded Legos and playing with his siblings for the adventures found in books such as Farmer Boy, Ralph S. Mouse, Narnia, Redwall, and Freddy the Pig. Weekly trips to the library always took him to books about animals. He quickly became a talking encyclopedia on the habits and habitats of lizards and mammals. He enjoyed his pet gecko Stripe for several years.

Alex participated in a first-grade spelling bee, complete with stage and mic, at the library. His parents were taken aback when he won his age group that day effortlessly and with poise. He went on to win bees each year and advance to the Fayette County bee. In 5th grade, he missed his first word, not because he didn’t know it, but because of the self-awareness and stage fright that can come with adolescence. He never wanted to participate again. Also he no longer hoped to compete on the TV show Jeopardy during teen week, which he had set his sights on to do once he was old enough. 

In 7th grade, he was a Duke Tip Scholar. In 8th grade, he presented “How to Prevent Brain Freeze” as his science project. He had slapped together a hand-written presentation board that was crumbling and askew. The judges approached our family afterward because they found Alex’s topic unique, interesting, and well-researched, and they were impressed by his ability to easily and eloquently answer questions. He didn’t place in his category that day because of the way his board looked. The judges wanted to grant him a wild card spot at the countywide fair if he agreed to redo his board. After following the judges’ advice, he advanced through two more levels of the science fair competition.

He loved soccer and played on the Bluegrass United homeschool team. He was not gifted in athletics, but what he lacked in ability he made up for in passion for the sport, watching Newcastle United and University of Kentucky men’s soccer games with his father at every opportunity.

In high school, where he attended a Classical Conversations community, he loved debate,  and he was good at it. He embraced the research and crafting of arguments involved in playing the role of lawyer during mock trial. The judge at Alex’s high school debates encouraged him toward a career in law. Alex pursued the idea until he realized how much schooling was required. At this point, his parents told him how bright he was and that he could do whatever he wanted to do, if he applied himself. What had been intended as encouragement and motivation unfortunately had the opposite effect. Alex admitted years later that one of the reasons he didn’t go to college was because he was afraid of failure and disappointing us.

After graduating from homeschool, he moved to Georgia with a friend. Being away from home afforded him the opportunity to read all the books he wanted – including authors that had been forbidden in high school. Additionally, he devoured every Jane Austen novel. He got his liberal arts education outside the classroom, figuring that he could study his main interests, literature and history, on his own.

He held a variety of jobs, including working in his Uncle Dan’s welding shop. Being on multiple construction sites piqued Alex’s interest in civil engineering. When he moved back to Lexington in late 2021, he met with a counselor at Bluegrass Community and Technical College, showing excitement about architecture. He registered for a class, which he quickly dropped because he didn’t like it. Recently, he started to revisit the idea of pursuing law. He took a practice test online for LSTAT just to see how he scored; he scored high. 

We didn’t realize what was going on inside Alex. Why couldn’t he commit and follow through with a career path? He bought a Bible and a beautiful leather cover for it and read it constantly in our living room the last month of his life. When he wasn’t cooking at South of Wrigley, he was often at our house. Spending so much time in his childhood home was new. He also resolved to improve his personal habits and began to make progress. But at the same time, he admitted that he was struggling with mental illness and needed help. He started calling one of his uncles, and he talked a lot with his friend Caleb. During a counseling session, Alex said he hoped to be better by his sister’s wedding in December. He returned to church after being absent for several years. Only hours before he died, he said he would be joining his family at church the next day. 

Scripture says God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. Alex, we are thankful that you are reunited with your sweet sister Abby. We are thankful that the darkness is behind you. And we are thankful that you are now in the light.