Aleksi Pyrrho Moriarty

"Knew Love, Knew Beauty, and Knew Laughter"

Dec 11
1959

-

Dec 16
2025

Aleksi was a passionate artist, loving husband, and nurturing father. He is deeply missed by his family and many friends.

Aleksi leaves behind his beloved wife, Donna, and cherished son, Ensor (Aysha), as well as his dear sister, Melissa Arthur (David Schayes and daughters), and devoted cousin, Jill Arthur (Laure), who were by his side during a long year of accelerating health challenges. He also leaves behind supportive and much-loved relations in the Robinson, Arthur, Marin and Van Arsdale families. Aleksi touched, and was touched by, too many friends to list. Each friend in turn played a significant role in his heart and life journey. Most recently, Ryan Smith provided devoted comfort during his final months reminding him that he was loved by many.

Born in Connecticut and lovingly adopted by the late Bert and Rita Arthur (who first named him Al Arthur), Aleksi lived in several states on the East Coast, in California and then Ontario where he became a proud Canadian citizen. During his final years, he found unbridled joy in Queensborough, taking long walks in nature with his camera and immersing himself in the caring rural community.

While his deepest passions were visual music, writing, and photography, Aleksi enjoyed a successful career in movie special effects. As a Technical Director, his names appear in the credits of media from major Hollywood blockbusters to Paw Patrol. His love of opera also led him to the stage as a supernumerary for the Canadian Opera Company, where he acquired his signature moustache. In retirement, he shared his love of cinema and community by organizing Queensborough Movie Nights.

His visual music was performed in Europe and by symphony orchestras in New York, Minnesota, Colorado, and Texas. A pioneer in his field, he self-directed his education in groundbreaking computer art at Hampshire College before continuing his studies at the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts).

In his youth, Aleksi contributed to the advancement of holistic wellness and the search for a cure for Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. While beating his first round of cancer, he became a founding member of Bernie Siegel’s Exceptional Cancer Patients (ECaP) group and served as a long-time research patient at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Sadly, a new, aggressive cancer returned recently that could not be tamed despite his most courageous efforts.

His family expresses their profound gratitude for the compassionate care provided by Dr. Iris Gorfinkel, Kingston General Hospital (Dr. Kalyvas and Suzanne Robertson), the Ontario Home Health Nurses (including Kasey Hainer), the Heart of Hastings Hospice team, and Madoc’s Johnston’s Pharmacy.

An in-person and online remembrance hybrid event will be held on March 15th, 2026 at the Robert McLaughlin Gallery (RMG), where Aleksi served as an Artist in Residence and Board Member. Friends and loved ones will be encouraged to share stories at this upcoming event. For further information and updates, please visit the Ceremony section below.

Should you wish to donate, we are creating a memorial in his name at The Heart of Hastings Hospice for their compassionate care during his long illness.

(Please mention that the gift is in his name for a memorial: www.heartofhastingshospice.ca/onetimedonations )

Ceremony

We will be hosting a hybrid gathering at the Robert McLaughlin Gallery on March 15th, from 2-4pm. Click here for directions to the the gallery.

We welcome anyone who shared in Aleksi’s life to attend, whether online or in person, to share what he meant to them as we celebrate his life together.

If you are interested in attending, or would simply like to get in touch to leave a message or ask a question, please fill out the survey below.

Also, if you are unable to attend in person, we invite you to attend online by signing up for the online event here: click here to sign up for the online event (please note: the online event starts at 2:30pm EST, while the in person event begins at 2pm EST)

Final Playlist

Near the end of his life, Aleksi put together the following playlist to be played at the time of his passing. We invite you to listen and share in his memory.