Alexander James Wilder

Alexander James Hartzler Wilder, age 32, of North Oaks, Minnesota, passed on from this lifetime in the early morning hours of the Winter Solstice, December 21, 2024. His death was extremely unexpected. Alex was full of life, joy, passion, love and peace until his passing.

Alex lived a very full and unique life. His stories are wildly entertaining, terrifying, full of laughter, loss, courage and perseverance. At the center of all of them, there is a man who deeply loved life and had an intense passion for connecting with others, nature, a higher power, and never letting a day or experience go wasted. It's impossible to relay the depths of his human experience in a few paragraphs or pages; he lived a thousand lifetimes within one, always searching for new learnings, passions, joys, and adventures.

Alex began his life on the mountains of Minnesota, riding park and developing a deep love of snowboarding. This love ultimately took him to Salt Lake City, UT for school, but more importantly, for snowboarding. Few things made Alex as happy as riding on powder day. Seeing him bomb hills or hit jumps with a big, goofy grin will always be some of my favorite memories of him. He enjoyed riding backcountry and spending days hiking canyons to catch a few fresh turns.

In Salt Lake, he learned to fly fish, which opened an entire new world to him. Spending days wading in rivers, rowing his drift boat, and taking others out on streams to share in his passion made Alex happier than essentially anything else. He believed in the healing powers of the river, which was made evident through his years of sobriety. This is where he experienced the most peace. Alex threw himself into fishing with his whole heart. There was not a free moment when he wouldn't be planning his next trip to the river, learning to tie complex fly patterns or connecting with his friends and mentors in the fishing world. Alex experienced the greatest peace while on the rivers. He fished in streams all across the US and recently in Norway. He didn't care much about catching the fish; he was happy to just be connecting with his higher power, his friends, and nature at large. He felt deeply connected to the river systems of the Driftless region and was happy to just wander canyons with a fly rod in hand, watching nature take its course.

Alex would say his life began on October 27th, 2017, the day of his sobriety. Alex's experience encompassed a wild ride through addiction and recovery. In recovery, he met his wife, Olivia, deepened his passion for fishing into a spiritual practice, and developed a connection with a power greater than himself that was intentional, actionable and real. He deeply believed in a world beyond ours and in doing the next right action. These beliefs, coupled with a dedication to his sobriety and family, led him, and us through him, to a life that was beyond our wildest dreams. He was a selfless, devoted, goofy, adventurous husband, father and friend, always putting others before himself and finding new ways to connect in community with God and others. He refused to let a moment pass by unnoticed, taking joy in action and learning no matter how mundane.

In sobriety, Alex returned to school, becoming a mechanical design engineer. He enjoyed working at Sleep Number as a part of their innovation and design team, and was a respected and cherished employee and friend. Beyond work, he was a gifted learner with an insatiable appetite for knowledge. He had both an impeccable eye for design and vast knowledge and understanding for how to create and build anything from nothing. He was able to disassemble and completely rebuild motorcycles, wire an entire house's electrical system, and build and renovate beautiful homes completely on his own. He never saw problems, only creative solutions. Alex lives on in the many projects he created in his time on Earth, of which there are many. He was incredibly proud of the beautiful home he and Olivia created near Nokomis, Minneapolis. Together, they designed, renovated, added on, demolished, and rebuilt. The house is a true labor of love and a symbol of the family and life he and Olivia built together.

When Alex became a father, a new being came to form. He adored his daughter, Pearl. Alex was consumed with teaching Pearl new things while marveling at her as she grew. Being able to be Pearl's dad was the highlight of his life, and witnessing his love for her was like seeing magic on earth. We have looked at each other countless times remarking to one another "We did it! We made the perfect baby!". Never willing to miss an adventure, he would bring her to the river in a backpack, showing her how to tie on a fly and cast a line in the water, snowshoeing or cross-country skiing, taking her up the mountain in Taos, New Mexico for her first ride on snow, chasing her around the house in fits of giggles, or strapping her to his handlebars to visit every park within biking distance of our home. He learned to play guitar and ukulele to provide constant music for Pearl, and he is the life-force of our family. The loss of Alex to our family is devastating. He was an incomparable father and husband.

What stands out most about Alex was his devotion to others. He had such an incredible love of life and countless passions to chase and share with the world. He was a natural teacher, devoted to sharing his joy in every day with those around him. Being able to be of service to others made him so deeply happy. He was selfless always, compassionate to a fault, generous with his many skills and his time, and deeply loving.

Alex is survived by his loving wife, Adelaide Olivia "Liv" Wilder; his beloved daughter, Pearl Ruth Wilder; his parents, Belinda Stutzman (Tim Laudner) and Jeff Hartzler (Jane Daley); his devoted family "in-law" Harry (Paddy) and Susan McNeely, Ingrid McNeely, Rose McNeely & Chase Nystedt; and sibling, Audrey Mraz. Alex was deeply beloved by many friends and other family members, as well.

Memorial Service 10:30am Sunday, February 2nd at Bradshaw, 2800 Curve Crest Blvd., Stillwater, with visitation beginning at 9:00am. In lieu of flowers, memorials preferred to The Kinnickinnic River Land Trust or Reeling in Serenity.