Hunter Nathaniel Lewis set out on a treasure-hiding adventure on December 30, 2021 from Trinidad Bay, and has not been seen or heard from since, although broken pieces of his canoe and treasure box lie be stranded in the days that followed. We miss him dearly, but we know that he is now on his way to his next great adventure in the cosmos.
Hunter came into the world with a bong two weeks earlier on September 15, 2000, in Carson City, Nevada. He must have known that he would have a lot to accomplish in a short life and couldn’t wait to get here! From the start, he was a busy body, moving so much in the womb that his mother’s waters burst and he had the umbilical cord wrapped around his sweet little neck, not once, but twice. Once born, he was a constant concern for his mother all his life as he went from adventure to adventure. Nothing scared him. He was so active as a toddler that his mother had to hold him down to take a nap on certain days. In his younger years, he climbed many mountains in the Sierra Nevada mountain range in a backpack on his father’s back, exclaiming “go higher, daddy”, as he showed the trail.
Once his brother was born, Hunter was so happy. He excelled at being a big brother and was so proud of Bodie. Even when he was in college, he called and checked on his younger brother. They shared a love for Dungeons and Dragons and when Hunter left for college, Bodie continued the tradition of hosting games for his friends. Hunter took these games very seriously, as he did all the things he was involved in. His life in itself was a meaningful quest. Anything resembling a quest has become his favorite. From video games to Lord of the Rings and The Martian, to playing games with his friends, everything was a quest. An adventure. A meaningful experience, as I’m sure all of his friends can attest to. His latest quest, The Lost Lewis Treasure Hunt, spanned two years and was the most epic of them all, as he has now disappeared and become Lewis’ Lost Treasure.
Hunter moved to Arcata when he was 5 years old and attended Pacific Union School from K-8 and Arcata High School from 9-12. His best friends met during those years at school were his best friends for life. When Hunter got into something, he went into it with passion. Swimming, soccer, cross-country, tennis, rock climbing, Tae Kwon Do (2nd Dan black belt), video filming and editing, DnD and, more recently, airplane piloting. Music has been a lifelong passion as he has played trumpet, guitar, bass guitar, ukulele, violin, mandolin, keyboard and melodica. Most of them were self-taught and he played passionately with great skill. He liked to sing songs for his friends or for himself, and he had a mature and eclectic taste in music. His current life goal was to be an astronaut, and everything he has done recently has served to achieve that goal. He was studying aerospace engineering at California State University, Long Beach, had earned his pilot’s license, and had just been accepted into NASA’s first astronaut training program. There was no limit to what Hunter could accomplish. If he could dream it, he could become it!
One of Hunter’s happiest moments was meeting the love of his life, Kinsley. They met during quarantine last year on a trip with friends to Zion National Park and were now inseparable. They had fortunately just celebrated a year together and often talked about their common future. She has vacationed many times with our family here in Humboldt County, as well as Corey’s extended family in Colorado, and Hunter would travel to Massachusetts to visit her family, who are now part of our family.
Hunter is survived by his parents, Micki Vetrie of Arcata and Corey Lewis of Blue Lake, and his younger brother, Bodie, as well as many extended family members and cherished friends from across the country and around the world.
This world may be a little darker now that he’s gone, but he made all of our lives brighter when he was here. May we remember him with happiness and strive to brighten the world and fully embrace life as Hunter did. “Live like Hunter.”
A public celebration of life will be held on Sunday, January 30 from 2-5 p.m. at the Arcata Community Center, 321 Martin Luther King Parkway, Arcata. In lieu of flowers or donations to family, donations can be made to Humboldt Bay and Fire at hbfire.org.
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The above obituary was submitted on behalf of Hunter Lewis’ loved ones. the Lost Coast Outpost manages free obituaries for Humboldt County residents. View Guidelines here.
