Alexander Paul Dunn

"Love never ends." 1 Corinthians 13:8-13

Alexander Paul Dunn, 36, of St. Petersburg, Florida — devoted father, beloved son, husband, and brother, encouraging friend, joyful musician, courageous student of personal transformation, and pure force of nature — died August 20, 2025, of a heart attack at his home. 

Alexander is survived by his wife, Christine Rebholz, his sons, Augustus and Thaddeus, his parents, Peter and Zora Dunn, his sister, Lillian and brother-in-law Travis Douglas, and his aunts Deborah Dunn, Tricia Enticknap, and Lucilla Epps and her husband Tom. He is predeceased by his grandparents, Paul R. and Patricia Dunn and Blanka and Svante Prochazka. 

Alexander’s Celebration of Life, which took place on 11/8/25, can now be viewed at this link for those who were not able to join the gathering. The service begins about 55 minutes into the recording. https://grain.com/share/recording/243ff9b1-bb58-4d86-aa51-891d223d486c/NhICle0FQguxBq5qXJNPNbf3JBLHFdBP23NtCtbl 

Early Days

Born in Madison, WI, Alexander attended elementary and middle school in Columbus, OH and high school in Indianapolis, IN. From early childhood, Alexander was a gifted athlete, excelling in soccer and basketball, and a natural leader with a deep sensitivity to others’ feelings.

He developed both talents at one of his favorite places on earth, Camp Kawanhee, a wilderness summer camp for boys in northern Maine, where he served as a camp counselor through his teenage years. As a counselor at Kawanhee, he deliberately sought to make younger kids feel included. A friend remembers that despite Alexander being “a tall, athletic, meaningfully cool 11-year-old,” he treated the younger kid “like I belonged there. Alex made me feel like I was an important person in camp. What I’m realizing now is how healing that was for me.” 

Even as a little boy, Alexander loved animals and stood up for the environment and what he believed in, even if it got him in trouble or went against societal expectations. At about age 7, he incurred the wrath of a neighbor in Maine by (repeatedly) sneaking into the neighbor’s yard and releasing the birds and squirrels the neighbor trapped there for extermination. Multiple generations of birds and squirrels still frolic around Drake’s Island thanks to Alexander’s bravery.

Over the course of his life, Alexander adopted three gentle and loving rescue dogs, after finding them in an animal shelter, a public park, and the desert of California, respectively. Each of them lived out long and happy lives and loved nothing more than a long cuddle on the couch with Alexander. 

Time in Los Angeles

Alexander found his passion for music and hip hop while he lived in Los Angeles, CA.   In his early 20s he discovered his voice as a hip hop artist. Alex developed his flow, music production skills, and creative community. 

Alexander began working in the caring professions while in Los Angeles where he worked with emotionally challenged children and as a case manager for a sober living and recovery program. At times he was able to combine his love of music and with his work as when he taught songwriting in addition to offering his clients a caring, funny, and empathetic listening ear.

On a visit home to Indianapolis in 2013, Alexander was re-introduced by a mutual friend (Stevie Dowd) Christine Rebholz, a high school classmate, and their romance began. After dating long distance for several years, Alexander proposed to Christine in 2017. After the birth of Christine and Alexander’s first son Augustus in 2020, Christine and Alexander quickly moved to Saint Petersburg where Christine’s large and loving family resided.  Peter and Zora also moved to Florida to be near Alexander, Christine and their beautiful children.

A New Home in Saint Petersburg

In St. Pete, Alexander threw himself into rebuilding a thriving creative community in his new home. He cultivated a steady fan base (under the stage name of “Dephree”), wrote and recorded music, performed locally, and collaborated with artists from around the world. Alexander gathered his friends for elaborate video shoots that were memorable and joyful events in and of themselves. His friends fondly remember staging a beauty pageant for guys with “Dad Bods,” turning an empty warehouse into the Batcave and hosting an ecstatic rave in a (very accepting) church. As of today, his videos and songs have been streamed over a half million times by listeners in over 40 countries. 

Alexander was always learning and growing as a person and as a musician. This journey was a source of inspiration for his lyrics and a source of wisdom he shared with his friends. He is remembered with great love as an encouraging force for his collaborators, supporting his friends to believe in their own worth and to pursue ambitious new creative goals. Many have successfully done so.

Alexander was not only an inspiring presence in the local music scene, but also within his friendships. Alexander’s best friend of 20 years, Brian, says that in their friendship, Alexander “was on a constant tear of communication, love speech, and empowerment.” After he experienced a devastating personal loss, Brian credits Alexander with “really [helping me] find my true form again … Alex single handedly helped bring me back to earth and just calm my mind to focus and continue forth. He was a really powerful man for me, the best of friends. A brother.”  

Alexander’s work outside of the music industry focused on creating inclusion, dignity, and fun for some of the city’s most vulnerable citizens. He supported foster children by managing a day shelter and teaching sailing.  He also served as case manager for adults with intellectual disabilities. The latter job introduced Alexander to amateur professional wrestling, an art form beloved by many of his clients and which he reveled in sharing with his older son Augustus. 

At the time of his death, Alexander was finishing his BA at St. Petersburg Community College. He was on track to graduate in the spring/summer. He also planned to attend business school to continue to develop his skills in communications and marketing.  He intended to combine his love of music and social media to support and manage programs with social impact (such as progressive sober living facilities.)

Proud and Wonderful Father

Alexander’s proudest achievement, bar none, was being the best dad in the world to his two sons. Alexander could always light up a room, but when he was with his kids, his smile could illuminate the whole sky. After the birth of Augustus, Alex built his world around teaching his kids to be kind and joyful and to be themselves.

When arriving at the playground with Gus, Alexander would say, “Look, all your friends are here!” even if Gus didn’t know any of the kids yet. Alexander loved nothing more than seeing Gus run onto the playground and immediately enroll a gaggle of kids, some twice his age, into his imaginative games. 

Alexander also took great joy in spending time with his younger son Thaddeus. They often played for hours together in the pool.  A few days before he passed away, Alex shared with his sister that he was so proud of raising two boys who feel confident and deeply loved. 

In Recovery

Alexander spoke openly about his long-term journey with substance use and recovery. This journey led him on an unconventional life path and sharpened his superpowers: empathy, insight, caring, and impatience with anything fake, and the ability to inspire and encourage every person with whom he spent time.

His efforts to maintain sobriety redoubled after the births of his sons. In the last few years, with the support of his long-time therapist Nathan Wright, Alexander understood his recovery as a quest to unconditionally accept himself and others, as-is.

He invested in understanding and healing his relationship with himself, his family and friends, in ways that rippled out and changed all our lives. At the time of his death, Alexander had recently accumulated his longest continuous sober time in years. 

A Light for Each Person He Knew

As we carry his memory forward, our family is grateful for his courageous healing work. He worked hard to understand and better himself. And he also challenged each of us to become the best versions of ourselves. He was a source of insight, inspiration and personal growth for each of us. He was deeply loving and connected with each member of his immediate and extended family.

Alexander’s life burned brightly and more briefly than we all wanted. And the light and love that he radiated is still within each of us who had the privilege to know him. He loved his children, wife and extended family beyond what words will express.

That love is now deeply within each of us and will resonate for generations to come. He was a passionate, collaborative, creative soul who loved making music with others. His zest for life, and encouragement of others is still within each person who made music with him and listened to his music. The time he spent in the caring professions across roles as varied as camp counselor, sober living case manager, foster care counselor, advisor for challenged adults – changed lives that will never be the same because of his caring, compassionate ways. And much more.

It is through us, and the people we touch, that the warmth and light Alexander brought into our lives will radiate forward.

Celebration of Life

Alexander’s Celebration of Life is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025, in St. Petersburg Florida. The event will be held in Saint Petersburg at St. Petersburg College Gibbs Campus from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM EST in the SU Student Success Center (SU-236).  The room is on the Second Floor of the Student Success Center.  The room overlooks the lake and the parking lot that you enter from.  Signs will be posted from the parking lot to show the way to the event.