Alex John Pitcher

Alex Pitcher died on June 7th. He was 24 years old. Soft spoken and kind, he was loved by every person who had the unique opportunity to know him. Alex was born on July 6th 1992 to Steve and Chris Pitcher in Mankato Minnesota.He was baptized and confirmed into the Christian faith at St. Paul's Lutheran Church. He spent his childhood years in Saint James, ultimately graduating from Saint James High school. He developed several close friendships in his teen years, forming close relationships he would continue to nourish for the rest of his life. He also discovered a love of the mountains at a young age, from his first snowboarding trips to Jackson and Vail. Following his graduation from high school, he briefly attended The University of Minnesota, Duluth until he followed his heart to the mountains of Tahoe, California. While he called Carnelian Bay home during his time in Tahoe, the reality was that his time was spent in the mountains and in Yosemite. He developed a profound love of the outdoors, waking early to enjoy the sunrise over the lake. His list of hobbies expanded to include slacklining, bouldering, and rock climbing. In tune with his quiet yet compulsive drive to perfection, he developed a mastery of nearly every undertaking he pursued. He continued his travels westward, settling for a time in Santa Cruz, California. He added the ocean to his list of loves, learning to surf and swimming daily. While in Santa Cruz, he would spend weekends with his brother in San Francisco, often brewing beer, enjoying good food, and loving life. They would go swimming on Ocean Beach, often accompanied by dolphins or seals. In the last six months of his life, he had returned home to Minnesota to more seriously pursue his studies. He took classes with his sister Morgan, where they proved to be each others best motivators, frequently studying together and always encouraging each other to be the very best versions of themselves. They even convinced their older brother to attend class with them, and for one hour all three Pitcher children sat in a lecture hall together for the first and only time in their lives. Little anatomy was learned that day. Although Alex was many things to many people, above all he was kind and gentle. He rarely uttered a negative sentiment, and always went out of his way to enrich the lives of those around him. Alex touched the lives of those near him, encouraging us to always be better, to be more adventurous. He loved life in ways that few of us ever truly do. He was not just open to new experiences, he aggressively sought to taste all that life could offer. Between travels to the high mountains of Nepal, the beaches of Thailand, the Cliffs of Mohr, secluded beaches of Majorca, and the mountains of oceans of the west coast, he squeezed more out of his 24 year of life than most of us manage to accomplish in totality of ours. Beyond the people in his life, his three great loves were the mountains, the ocean, and music. Words cannot begin to describe how he will be missed. The lives of those of us who had the fortunate of knowing him will be forever and continuously molded by the effect he had on us. He is survived by his parents – Dr. Steve and Chris Pitcher, brother Dr. Austin Pitcher and fiancé, Dr. Valerie Au, sister Morgan Pitcher and boyfriend, Zach Persian; grandparents – John and Myrna Eppeland, aunts – Pat Pitcher, Barbara and Al Slarks, Vonnie and Dan Gratz, Marie ( Farley) and Dr. Tim Christiansen, and uncle Roy and Connie Eppeland. He has the best cousins – Erik Gratz, Aaron and Bailey Gratz, Lauren and Seth Moffet, Michaela Farley, and Samuel Farley. He is preceded in death by grandparents Dr. Arlo and Elsie Pitcher and uncle Robert Allen Farley, Jr. Visitation 1 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm Saturday, June 10, 2017 St. Paul's Ev. Lutheran Church, St. James 315 9th Street S. Saint James, Minnesota, United States 56081 Service Information 1:00 pm Saturday, June 10, 2017 St. Paul's Ev. Lutheran Church, St. James 315 9th Street S. Saint James, Minnesota, United States 56081 Fellowship & Sharing Following the funeral everyone is invited to Steve & Chris Pitcher's home for apple pie & apple crisp and a time to share stories.