Hector Ariel Picart Jr. was born in Fayetteville, NC to Mrs. Debbie Kainu Shelley and Mr. Hector Ariel Picart Sr. on August 31, 1975. Ariel grew up in Fayetteville, North Carolina with a band of brothers who became his lifelong friends in Westarea Heights and later. Upon graduation from E. E. Smith High School, he went to work honing his skills as a talented construction worker.

“Family over everything” wasn’t just a mantra for Ariel; it was how he lived his life. Whether it was protecting his little sister Nicole Picart Washington, cracking jokes with his niece Nahla, or hanging out with his grandparents Gloria and Liborio Curet-Picart, who lived just down the street. Ariel always enjoyed quality time with his family. His heart experienced new levels of love when his first son, Hector Ariel III, was born. Soon thereafter, three daughters, A'Janay, Janaya and Nevaeh, began to wrap him around their little fingers. Ariel cherished his children and worked hard to provide for them.

In 2013, Ariel’s life changed forever. A chance encounter with an old classmate from E. E. Smith led to texting and phone calls and then an amazing first date. Ariel was so enamored with this young lady that he even told his barber as he prepped for the big night that he knew that he would marry her. And that he did. On August 16, 2014, Ariel married Cassandra Lewis, uniting two families into one. Ariel’s four children joined forces with Cassandra’s two daughters, Reahnna and Annanda, to create an amazing new family unit. Life was not always easy, but their home became filled with lots of laughter and love. Ariel and Cassandra wanted very much to have a child of their own and on August 10, 2015, Aayden-Carlos was born—making the Picart-Powers family complete.

No one could deny Ariel’s love for Cassandra and their children. He often boasted of his wife’s beauty and how effortlessly she took care of their family. He was constantly bragging on his children as well, whether it was because of their athletic feats or their academic accolades. Anyone who ran into Ariel in recent years could see the change in him. He was happy, ecstatic even, about his new life.

When Ariel was not with his family, you could find him enjoying some of his second favorite things, like hunting, fishing, rooting for the Green Bay Packers, and talking trash to others about Duke basketball. He was also a dutiful employee, taking pride in his work and encouraging his close coworkers to do the same. He worked hard and loved hard—always letting others know he cared for them. That’s just who he was.

The world lost this bright soul on January 10, 2020. Hector Ariel Picart, Jr. was loved by many and will be deeply missed.

He also leaves behind Roger Shelley (step-father), Mary Allen King (step-mother), Don, Patricia and Gary Kainu (grandparents), Raeford and Laura Lewis (parents in-law) and a host of aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins and friends