On Monday morning, March 14th, Aric Chamberlain passed away from complications of cancer. Aric was an initiate minister with the CoBM and a wonderful person to know. It’s impossible to summarize a life such as Aric’s in a few sentences but there are a few things that do stand out.

Aric enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1986, as a medic, working medical/surgical ward, Emergency Room and Primary Care, and was a Desert Storm Veteran. After the Air Force, he went into nursing and was employed in geriatric care. After several years, at age 30, Aric started tattooing and piercing when life directed him in the direction of his new vocation. For the past 13 years, he had been tattooing and piercing and was most recently the owner of Phoenix Rising Tattoo in Ripley, WV.

Whether you knew Aric or not, I hope you’ll take two minutes to read the biography he wrote for the CoBM for his position as minister. He was the rare person who knew himself and knew the love of those around him. We already miss him; please join us in sending caring thoughts to his family.

Aric’s Memorial service will be held on Sunday, March 20th, the Spring Equinox. It will be held at the Waybright Funeral Home in Ripley, WV; visitation from 1 to 2 and the service will begin at 2pm.

In his own words:

I’m married to a wonderful woman and my life companion for over 17 years. We have 5 children between us, 4 girls and a boy. Our oldest is our son (22), who is on his own, working his way through life. Our oldest daughter (19) is in her first year of college. The others follow in age of 12, 11, and 8. Our goals in life are to eventually own our own piece of property; build our own earthen home; and become as self-sufficient as we can, making our own electricity and heat, as well as growing our own food, which looks like a distinct possibility in the coming years.