Alexander Matthias Hopkins Kuffel-Barbanel

Alexander Matthias Hopkins Kuffel-Barbanel, 17, of Charleston, South Carolina, entered into eternal rest Thursday, April 4, 2019, twelve days before his eighteenth birthday. His funeral service will be held Wednesday, April 10, 2019 in the J. Henry Stuhr, Inc. Downtown Chapel, 232 Calhoun Street at 2:00 p.m. The family will receive friends Tuesday from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. in Stuhr's Downtown Chapel. A reception will follow the service at the Circular Congregational Hall, 150 Meeting Street, in the Upper Lance Hall.

Alex was born April 16, 2001 in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, 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, FL; paternal grandmother, Lynda Kuffel Day of Lexington, SC; aunt, Amy Belle Isle (John) of Lexington, SC; three cousins: Shepard Bell Isle, the 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 undoubtably many volumes of his work, yet unwritten, that the world will never read.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Charleston Area Justice Ministry, PO Box 71416, North Charleston, SC 29415.