Ezekiel Frederic “Zeke” Kisling, age 53 years, died suddenly at home on Monday, May 21, 2018.
Born in Hollywood, CA, December 9, 1964, son of Ellen Grossman and the late Keith Kisling, Zeke was raised in the East Village section of New York City, NY. He later lived in Sunnyside, Queens, NY, Princeton, NJ and had resided in the Hopewell Valley, NJ area for the past twenty-one years.
The term, “Renaissance Man” is defined as, “a person with many talents or areas of knowledge.” An extremely talented and humble person, Zeke truly embodies that definition in all regards, however he would not want to be remembered as a definition as he never wanted to “fit” into any “category”. His depth of thinking and heartfelt continual search for answers to questions on all aspects of life preclude him from being defined in any particular way.
An artistic personality was his hallmark and he studied fine art in school. He appreciated a huge variety of art in all forms; from music to books, from paintings to photography, Zeke loved it all. He was a devoted minimalist from his youth and this attitude helped propel his lifelong study of all subjects.
If one wanted to try and define Zeke, in addition to being a, “Renaissance Man,” one would certainly say he was a, “people person.” Having friends from pre-school on up, he kept close-ties with each of them. Extremely kind and caring, he had a passion for trying to form a connection and find common ground with every person he ever met. From the prince to someone down on their luck, Zeke had a wonderful ability to just make everyone feel special. He was kind and gentle, yet very strong and masculine all at the same time.
Skepticism was part of Zeke’s psyche and he approached life with a healthy sense of skepticism which should not be confused with him being a negative person. It simply means he questioned why things were they way they were, and tried to learn as much as he could about all life threw at him. In particular, he had a fascination with the study of linguistics and was always trying to find better ways that one’s thoughts in their mind could be properly expressed through speech and writing.
A survivor of the attacks of September 11th, he barely escaped Tower One and that experience left a lasting impact on Zeke, as it did for so many. Losing so many friends was very hard on Zeke, especially with a very young family himself. However, that in itself it what helped him rise beyond that day, heal, and help try to make the world a better place through his simple kindnesses.
To those whose hearts are heavy by the sudden death of Zeke, please think the way he would want his friends and family to think, summed by in a simple phrase by one of his favorite authors, Kurt Vonnegut, “So it goes.” Remembering this phrase daily should remind everyone to live each day to the fullest so that life is lived with as few regrets as possible.
In addition to his father, he was preceded by his maternal grandfather, with whom he was extremely close, Harold Grossman, as well as by two of his, “fur-babies,” his cats Remus and Romulus, and his daughter’s beloved Thoroughbred horse, Hutch.
Surviving are his wife Yvette Laura Montero Kisling, with whom he joined hands in marriage on September 29, 1990 at the United Nations Chapel in New York City; his son, Luc Braedon Kisling; his daughter, Heather Autumn Kisling; his mother, Ellen Grossman; his sister and brother-in-law, Dr. Sasha Hilchuk and Joseph Levy; his mother-in-law and her husband, Terry and Michael Enright; his brother-in-law and sisters-in-law, Santiago Montero, Marlene Montero, Leslie Montero and Marilou Montero; his three cats, Jasper, Gussie and Joey; many half-siblings, cousins, and extended family; and many dear friends.
A celebration of Zeke’s life will take place at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 2, 2018 at Wright & Ford Family Funeral Home and Cremation Services, 38 State Highway 31, Flemington, NJ.
Family and friends are invited to gather and reflect on Zeke’s amazing life from 1:00-3:00 p.m., prior to the life celebration service, at the funeral home.
Please visit Zeke’s permanent memorial site at www.wrightfamily.com where one can light a memorial candle and leave a message of condolence and words of comfort, as well as share stories and photographs of his life.
In lieu of flowers, friends have set-up a GoFundMe page to assist with final expenses as well as Luc and Heather’s college education. Please click HERE to be taken to the donation page. Any and all contributions are greatly appreciated by the family.
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Wright & Ford, your local, family owned and operated “Life Celebration Home”