“Arik was my dear nephew. He was incredibly talented with his art. Many birthday parties and holidays were enjoyed with him and his wonderful sense of humor. He has left a hole in my heart and I look forward to seeing him in heaven.”

“This is my brother. He was a sweet, silly and loving brother. I miss him so much. I will see him again..”

“Arik was my “Twinsie” and there is no shortage of stories that we shared together. We got matching feather tattoos a few years after meeting, because we truly wanted to commemorate the fact that we were “two birds of a feather.” He was the brother I always wanted—he was always there when I needed him, and he always had the right things to say, with a side of inappropriate humor that always made us laugh.”

“In the early days of Arik and I dating, I took him out to Horseshoe Lake to kayak. We had spent about 20 to 30 minutes getting out to the middle of the lake when all of a sudden the drain valve on my inflatable kayak, started to take on water. It was quite the experience having to water out in the back while he quickly paddle us back to the boat launch. While it was quite stressful in the moment, looking back, it was quite the team building exercise for a new couple. This was one of many amazing memories. We spent lots of time out on the water in the summers with my kayak. Arik loved being outside, whether it was hiking, kayaking, swimming, or just laying out in the sun.”