Tristan Nicholas Alexander

Our hearts are broken.

It is with profound sadness that we mourn the passing of our precious son, brother, grandson, nephew, cousin, loving partner and loyal friend, Tristan Alexander.

Tristan died on Tuesday, January 5th, 2021 in a tragic snowboarding accident at Mount Washington, BC. He was 22 years old.
 

Not only was Tristan an intellectually and athletically gifted young man, he had a beautiful light that shone from within that people were very drawn to.  He took the time to sit with both young and old alike and make meaningful connections on a regular basis.  He truly enjoyed learning about others lives and sharing insights of his own with them.

Tristan had a knack for picking up languages.  He studied Spanish and was fluent in both French and German, graduating in Grade 12 from the French immersion program at Oak Bay High School.  He also attended the Victoria German School on Saturdays until he was 16, obtaining his Sprach Diplome.

When something caught his interest and attention, he spent the time learning about it and practicing to refine his abilities.   Whether it was making kombucha, home brewing beer, making Christmas cookies  or researching how best to plant and grow vegetables.  He loved sharing his excitement about things that he’d learned about with others.

He enjoyed traveling and learning about different cultures.  We have beautiful memories of adventures and fun times.  He had become  particularly passionate about planting and harvesting vegetables in the last few years.  Tristan was constantly aware of his impact on the environment and strived to live in an ecologically responsible way.  This was a passion of his.

He loved to cook and bake and try different cuisines.  He was deeply appreciative of others home cooking, baking and preserving partly because he identified with traditional values and customary dishes that were part of his German heritage.  Tristan really loved that about our family and we made sure to carry on traditions from Germany partly because of his enthusiasm for them.

Tristan, his sister and his dad all loved history, studying it and sharing this interest together.   Tristan loved spending time in nature, playing cards and other games with his friends and family.

Tristan loved animals in general but had a soft spot in his heart for cats, especially his sweet cat, Light Fur.  It took time for him to come to love Max, his dad's mini weiner dog, but eventually he treated him like a baby.

He greatly enjoyed personal connections with people and although he was very busy with work and all of his athletic and leisure activities, one never felt that he was rushed when he was with you. Tristan honoured the people he loved and was available to help out when we needed him for chores, renos or emotional support.

His sister, Ava, noticed that he had an affinity for believing in something greater than himself.  She noticed how Tristan allowed the traditions and values he cherished to guide him in his day to day life and that he never really acted out of line from the greater values he had. He was pure of heart and open to experiencing life fully without judgement. 

Tristan didn’t switch between different ways of thinking and although he could be stubborn at times  it was only because he just knew what he wanted.  If you came to him with an open heart he would always listen to you and would soften his stance.

He was goal-oriented and when he became a young man, it was important to him to create a fulfilling, happy, stable foundation for himself and to honour his whole family with his work.

He was proud to have recently completed his Electrician Red Seal certification at Camosun College in Victoria in November 2020.  He was excited to begin his career in his chosen field.  During his apprenticeships he had created many meaningful friendships with his mentors and coworkers.

He is remembered as a pillar at Oak Bay High School for his leadership and bright personality. He graduated with honours and scholarships. Tristan won the District Authority Award for athletic accomplishment and a citizenship award known as the Green and White, for kids who made Oak Bay High School proud.

It was there that Tristan met his beloved, Koa. Over the last 5 years they have been inseparable, loving and supporting one another in their daily lives and planning their future life together which included many travel adventures and a family of their own. Koa feels a profound absence in her life from his passing but is thankful for their beautiful memories together. He was her biggest cheerleader and she will treasure his unwavering and unconditional love for the rest of her life.

His dad, Anthony, instilled in Tristan how to be a good big brother and an honourable man.

From the moment he found out that he was going to be a big brother, Tristan loved and cared for his little sister Ava.   He was a gentle, kind, supportive big brother.  He was so very proud of her and loved her dearly.  She always felt protected by him and he always made a point of teaching her things, even hard things and lessons he learned as a child himself.  He took his responsibility to care for her seriously.

His athletic focus started at a young age.   Tristan excelled at hockey, rugby, football, lacrosse, basketball and judo.   
 

An elite athlete, Tristan is particularly well known in the judo world He began his training in 2005 and was awarded Shodan (Black Belt) in 2016.
He  achieved a high standing in Judo with multiple medals, awards and championships with Bronze, Silver and Gold medals in provincial, national and international competitions.

He was awarded The U21 Athlete of the Year award from Judo BC in 2018.

He won multiple provincial championships and was a BC Winter Games and Western Canada Summer Games Alumni.

He was on the Senior National Team with F standard (top 10).

He competed in the Canadian Open Nationals on a yearly basis winning:

- Canadian Open Nationals Under 15 - Bronze 2012
- Canadian Open Nationals Under 18 - Bronze 2014, Silver 2015
- Canadian Open Nationals Under 21 - Gold 2018
- Canadian Open Nationals Senior - Bronze 2018, Silver 2019
 

Tristan proudly participated in the Western Canada Summer Games, winning an individual Bronze and Team Gold  in 2015.
 

Most recently Tristan had taken an interest in coaching judo and was actively instructing the competitive teens of the VRTC program, showing the way for young athletes and being the leader he was meant to be.  Tristan loved children and always wanted to be a teacher. He particularly lit up when talking about coaching the really little kids.
 

Despite his many achievements Tristan was never boastful.
 

Tristan will be remembered for his kind personality, his sense of humour and gentle, helpful nature. His passion for life was evident to all who knew him. His smile lit up the room and the love that he held within, for people of all walks of life shone through his smile and kind eyes.

Tristan showed us what it means to live life fully.

Tristan’s death has left a huge hole in all of his family and friends’ hearts. From the time Tristan was a toddler, he connected with people in a memorable way.  Tristan had an open heart and allowed the people he met, even briefly, to affect him and make an impact on him.

Since his death, people around the world have expressed their grief to us and how they felt it was an honour to have met him; how their memories of his compassion and genuineness will be cherished.

His brilliance will forever be missed by his mother, Christina, father Anthony, sister Ava, grandmother Ingerun,  life partner Koa,  Aunt Heidi, and cousins Konrad, Sean, Nelson, Raymond and Heather, relatives, friends, teachers, coworkers and team mates.
 

He is predeceased by his sister Katarina, paternal grandparents, Elsie and Nicholas, his Uncle George and maternal grandfather, Konrad and his cat Light Fur.
 

Till we meet again.