On May 23, 2015 a beautiful, brilliant, funny and kind young man was sitting on his couch in Pullman, Washington excitedly messaging his sister about plans to celebrate a family event. Then his heart stopped beating. He was 26 years old.

Aric Matthew Kleppin, who was born on August 30, 1988 in Anchorage, Alaska and graduated from South High School, would have loved this opportunity to write something ridiculous about himself in the newspaper, and likely would have preferred we use a picture of him in his beloved Halloween horse mask. Instead, his family would like to introduce him to those who did not know him.

Aric was an avid student of history and linguistics; he was an enthusiastic cook with a kitchen full of unusual cooking implements; he was a talented trombone player with a passion for jazz and love of Japanese pop music; he was an outspoken activist for human rights, volunteering with Project Hope in Nablus, Palestine; he was a caring son who loved going to football and baseball games with his dad as well as road trips with his mom; he was a proud Washington State University graduate like his older sister; he was a world traveler who gleefully celebrated Spain's World Cup victory while in Barcelona and did not go into the details about how exactly he got that photo from the top of the pyramid of Giza; he was a Spanish speaker who loved teaching at Concordia Language Camp in Bemidji, Minnesota; he was a passionate debater who never conceded an argument no matter how absolutely wrong he might have been.

Our awesome son, brother, and friend had unbounded intellectual curiosity and has left behind passionate and prolific recommendations of novels, articles, films, albums, documentaries, causes and recipes which will take us a lifetime to catch up with.

Aric is loved, missed, and survived by his family including his parents Daryl and Donna, older sisters Desa and Lyndsey, brother-in-law Cory Duskin, niece and nephew Alaina and Parker Duskin, grandfather Ronald Steichen as well as numerous, aunts, uncles, cousins, teachers, students and friends.

A celebration featuring his favorite food, beverages and music will be held at home in Anchorage on August 29th. Further details will be announced closer to that date. Memorial contributions in Aric's honor are suggested to the Southern Poverty Law Center or Doctors Without Borders. Kimball Funeral Home & Crematory of Pullman has been entrusted with cremation arrangements.