Julian Arcel, 33

Julian (Jules) Thomas Arcel, 33, passed away unexpectedly Sunday, August 2 in Whitefish. Anyone who knew him also knew that he was the best of us - funny, kind, openhearted, and enormously giving. Jules greeted life with a smile and the enthusiasm of at least three people. He would (and did) give the literal shirt off his back not only for the people he loved, but for anyone who needed it. 

Jules was deeply sensitive and touched by the world. He felt people’s pain like it was his own and would go above and beyond to ease it where he could. He cared tenderly for his father in his last days, fed unhoused people in the community, and reached as far and wide as possible with his heart and his energy. 

Jules played and composed music and created artwork that he posted online. He was deeply creative and imaginative from a young age; orchestrating elaborate GI-Joe scenes on the family’s camcorder, creating art that was perfectly weird and entirely him, and making everyone around him smile with his abruptness, humor, and joy. And maybe that’s what stood out the most about Jules - his joy and the way it allowed him to move through the world as a light. He loved to skateboard in the summer and snowboard in the winter. He was a joyful fixture at the Whitefish Dog Park and an integral part of Whitefish’s Wasabi Sushi Bar for years. He will forever be remembered as the person who could bring a smile and some joy to anyone he crossed paths with. 

Jules is preceded in death by his wonderful father Jeff Arcel, and survived by his mother, Jean; his beloved partner Lizzie; and his sister Ashley; as well as his two nephews, Arlo (3) and Augustus (6), who loved him dearly, deeply, and with their whole hearts. 

A celebration of life will be planned and announced in the coming months. In Jules’s memory, donations can be made to the Nate Chute Foundation: natechutefoundation.org.