Ari William Charney

Ari was born on July 14, 1976, to David and Diane Charney in Alexandria, Virginia. He attended Alexandria Country Day School when it first opened and was housed in a church basement. He then attended the Potomac School, where he made lifelong friends, ran cross country, and got pretty good at Latin. He also achieved the honor of Eagle Scout during high school. At New York University, he earned a bachelor’s in political science and a minor in economics, and fell head over heels for the great city of New York.

Ari’s passions were vast and varied. Music, art, and literature were among his favorites, but he did not engage with everyday fare. Over the years, Ari’s endless curiosity led him down rabbit holes into the underground realms of music, comic books, art, film, writing, and thought. He was not interested in anything popular or whatever others were doing; he wanted to find the unfindable and consume every corner of lesser-known spaces. In recent years, Ari deepened his commitment to art and music creation. He began taking piano lessons with his son, Daniel, dedicated at least an hour a day to art and writing projects, and took all manner of classes in disciplines such as ceramics, circuitry, and locksmithing.

This very specific zeal for learning extended into his professional life. Ari worked as an analyst at Moody’s Investors Service in New York, a financial newsletter writer for MarketWatch and other businesses, and, most recently, a prospect researcher for George Mason University. These roles were very different, but they all involved some version of finding, understanding, and then conveying complex and valuable information.

He never kept his treasures to himself. He generously shared the mysteries of the underground or anything he found unusual, bizarre, or just … interesting with anyone who cared to listen. And most people did. A lifelong friend or a casual acquaintance would walk away from a conversation with Ari knowing something new and maybe even eager to explore it themselves.

Ari’s pursuit of art provided solace during a dark time when, in 2019, he was battling oral cancer. He expanded his collection of art, books, and antiques, filling a room in his home and turning into a mini-museum. At the time of his death, he was five years cancer-free and had doubled down on his personal well-being, physical health, and nutritional goals. He took exceedingly long hikes in various Virginia parks with his walking stick while listening to Great Courses on esoteric topics.

Ari met his wife, Amanda, in the spring of 1995 during her first visit to New York to visit a high school friend who was attending NYU with Ari. But it wasn’t until Amanda moved to New York in 2000 for a job that they reconnected, beginning their relationship. They spent three years exploring every corner of New York culture, food, music, and art – especially food. When they moved to Northern Virginia in 2003, they made the D.C. area their culinary playground, hitting nearly every corner of it in search of new food frontiers, even jumping on the food blog bandwagon for a while to document their discoveries. Ari and Amanda passed that obsession on to their son, Daniel, who loves Indian food above all and once requested Ghanian food for a birthday meal.

Ari and Amanda were married in 2006 and welcomed Daniel in 2011. One thing Ari always said to Daniel no matter the situation was “be your own person.” Ari didn’t give advice he didn’t take himself. As a true individual, Ari modeled this value for and instilled it in Daniel, hammering it home regularly. Over the past 13 years, Daniel and Ari became inseparable, sharing innumerable interests such as food and culture, cartoons (specifically “The Simpsons”), graphic novels, drawing, collectables, and anime. At the time of his death, Ari and Daniel were working on their own cartoon series modeled after “The Simpsons” and “King of the Hill,” including character names, dialogue, and methods for creating the animation, and distributing the content online.

Ari was predeceased by his mother, Diane Charney, in 2002. He is survived by his wife of 18 years, Amanda; his son, Daniel; his father, David (Patricia Ehrnman); his stepsisters, Shari Speer (Geoff) and Shane Speer; his father-in-law, Alan Kazdoy (Mackie); his mother-in-law, Deanne Varner; his brother-in-law, Matthew Kingsley (Natalie); his nieces, Vivienne and Beatrix; and numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins.

In lieu of flowers, please consider planting a tree in Israel in Ari’s memory: https://www.treesfortheholyland.com

A celebration of life visitation for Ari will be held Sunday, March 2, 2025 from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM at Murphy Funeral Home, 1102 West Broad Street, Falls Church, VA 22046. A celebration of life funeral service will occur Sunday, March 2, 2025 from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM, 1102 West Broad Street, Falls Church, VA 22046. An interment will occur Sunday, March 2, 2025 from 1:00 PM to 1:30 PM at National Memorial Park, 7482 Lee Hwy, Falls Church, VA 22042.