Alexander Matthias Hopkins Kuffel-Barbanel, 17, of Charleston, S.C., entered into eternal rest 12 days before his 18th birthday on Thursday, April 4, 2019.
His funeral service was held at 2 p.m. Wednesday, April 10, 2019 in the J. Henry Stuhr Inc. Downtown Chapel. The family received friends 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, April 9, 2019 in the chapel. A reception followed the service at the Circular Congressional Hall in the Upper Lance Hall.
Alex was born April 16, 2001 in Mount Pleasant, S.C., son of Amy Laura Barbanel and Michael Patrick Hopkins Kuffel.
He is survived by his mother, Amy Laura Barbanel of Charleston; father, Michael Patrick Hopkins Kuffel of Charleston; maternal grandmother, Anne Matthias Barbanel of Amelia Island, Fla.; paternal grandmother, Lynda Kuffel Day of Lexington, S.C.; aunt, Amy Belle Isle (John) of Lexington; three cousins, Shepard Bell Isle, Logan Alexander Gordon, and Hailey Sage Gordon; special family friend, Delma Gordon; beloved great-aunts and uncles and their families, and many friends.
He was preceded in death by two grandfathers, Sidney M. Barbanel and Richard M. Kuffel; and his aunt, Bonnie Barbanel Gordon.
Alex had studied at Buist Academy, James Island Charter High School, and Charleston County School of the Arts, where he was enrolled in the creative writing program. He had been accepted into the Capstone Program at the University of South Carolina, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Emerson College, and Lewis and Clark College, where he planned to study journalism. He was an active member of the Charleston Area Justice Ministry.
Alex had a gift for words and had decided to hone this talent into a career as a writer. He was a natural athlete who played youth soccer for many years. A born adventurer, he enjoyed traveling, camping, climbing, and exploring. In addition to a boundless curiosity, Alex will be remembered for his preternatural intelligence and wisdom, a cut-glass sense of humor, and a profound sense of empathy. There are undoubtedly many volumes of his work, yet unwritten, that the world will never read.