Unread postby science geek » Mon Jan 08, 2007 2:45 pm
I gave Kyle's Eulogy on Saturday. He was a fun kid to be around, I enjoyed the opportunity to get to know him. There were about 500 people at his memorial service. If you want to read the whole thing it is copied and pasted below.
I am John Hubbard, a former teacher and coach at Cedarcrest High School. I have the honor today of remembering Kyle’s life, and hopefully as we move through the service today you will find something that relates to how he affected your life as well.
The first time that I met Kyle was in the spring of his sixth grade year at Tolt. He had decided to turn out for the track team and I was the head coach at that time. He didn’t stick out at practice because he was barely visible on the other side of the track he was so small. His time on the track team was short lived though, he ran in one meet, where he broke three school records and then quit because that meet had conflicted with a baseball game later that day.
To my surprise he turned out for the track team once he arrived at Cedarcrest. I was shocked since I knew he played baseball and was serious about it in middle school. Over the three years that he competed at the high school I got to know him quite well. Here are some of the things I found out during that time.
Kyle was a very special kid who enjoyed motorized objects. He enjoyed his motorcycle quite a bit. Whether it was riding around the dunes or jumping it in the woods around his house he liked going fast and his motorcycle definitely helped with that. He also enjoyed his first car. A Chevy Blazer that he got from his family. He always talked about what needed to be fixed on that thing, and there was always something, but he also enjoyed beating that thing into the ground, which eventually happened. I remember one day after practice he was telling me a story about starting his car. He had taken it to get the oil changed and he was mad because the people that had to drive his car into the bay couldn’t get it started. I asked him why they couldn’t start the car. His response was that it wasn’t that hard, you only had to do four different things in order to make it start, one of which involved pulling on the steering column. But I think the most interesting motorized vehicle story was the riding lawn mower that he and Johnny worked on. For a month I heard about this cheap mower that they bought and all the modifications they made to it. They added headlights, a stereo system, they even tried to beef up the motor some. In the end they just destroyed it. Kyle really enjoyed anything that could go faster than he could run.
Kyle also had friends that were very dear to his heart. He had more friends than I can list, so please realize I only heard about some of them. Johnny, he enjoyed all the times that you two spent in the woods, just goofing around and all the time you spent fishing at the lake. He always enjoyed going fishing with you on opening day at midnight. He also loved it when you practiced pole vaulting with him across the river in the woods, and just hanging out. Justin, Kyle really looked up to you as someone who accomplished a lot in life with hard work. You were a role model for him. When he and I talked about the future, your name was always one that came up as someone who was successful in their career. Anton, you made Kyle laugh all the time. Every time he talked about what you two were up to there was a smile on his face and he had to stop and laugh at whatever he was talking about. Samantha, you had a very special place in Kyle’s heart. He always talked about you being his second sister, and he was always concerned about your well being. Whether it was heading to pole vault practice at the UW or getting chow mien at Safeway, Kyle enjoyed being with you. Kyle had many friends, he loved all of you and held each one of you close to his heart in different ways.
Kyle’s family was important and he cared about all of them. In English class this year Kyle had to write a story about a made up super hero. Kyle didn’t really make one up, he just chose his dad and added some special effects. In the story his dad had excellent skills with a rifle and night vision that were given to him by aliens in a corn field. Daleferd as he is called, is his dad, you were a hero to him. He loved you and looked up to you. He was proud of Jenni for continuing her education. He enjoyed the time that he came to visit you and was always happy when you came back at the end of the year. Kyle was never good at listening when people were telling him to be cautious or reasonable. He understood that you were concerned out of a mother’s love for her son, Carol. Although he wasn’t necessarily good at showing it, he did appreciate your efforts.
Sports played a big role in Kyle’s life from the time he was in grade school until present day. He participated in many different sports throughout his life. He enjoyed sports because they gave him a sense of excitement, something he was looking for in everything he did. While in grade school he played soccer, football, baseball, wrestled and raced bmx bicycles. Kyle was always a hyperactive child, so in baseball he was the only player that was allowed to stand while they were given pre game or practice directions because trying to make him sit only made things worse. He was also a state bmx champion in 1999 and 2001, something that he liked to point out if you asked him about his accomplishments. In middle school baseball, wrestling and football became the top priorities. He enjoyed football because he got to hit people, especially on defense. He liked collisions in baseball as the catcher, the pads made the collisions easier on him than his opponent. Wrestling might have been the best sport for Kyle because it requires the most energy. He was a successful wrestler, having an undefeated season. Once he got to High School he participated in Football, wrestling and Track and Field. He played football as a defensive back and running back his freshman and sophomore years. He also wrestled during the same time frame. Track is where I met and got to know Kyle. Pole vault fit well with Kyle’s lifestyle because it was exciting. Kyle spent a lot of time trying to be the best athlete he could be, in my case it was watching him pole vault. The event requires the use of many different poles. Most of the time this is an uneventful change, there was one day he tried a new pole and that wasn’t the case. The first an only time he used this pole it gave him a bruise that went from his right knee to his left shoulder because one of his hands slipped off the pole when it was bent. It snapped back toward him and left a bruise that lasted a couple of days, he nicknamed the pole the widow maker. Most of the times that I will remember have little to do with the event. I remember one day last year that he was bored waiting his turn to jump, so he found an empty water bottle and caught as many live bees as he could by their wings and then put them in the bottle. Occasionally for fun he would shake up the bottle and watch what they did. Frog hunting was one of Kyle’s favorite pre practice or pre meet activities. Everyday we have to uncover the pits, on occasion we would find frogs while doing this. Once he heard this there was no point in talking to him because he wouldn’t stop trying to catch it until he knew it was gone, or he had released it outside of the fence. One time he got to chase a rabbit instead. He spent ten or so minutes with Josh trying to catch that thing, even though he knew there wasn’t a chance that this would happen. The two of them were yelling at each other across the patch of weeds trying to make sure they kept it in between them. The last story comes from practice at the end of his sophomore year. It was early June and Kyle wanted to get his football helmet and pads before practice. I didn’t think that would be a problem, but after 45 minutes I was wondering what was going on. It turns out that he had to try on something like 10 helmets to find one that fit his small head. These are the stories that I will remember most and cause me to miss him more than anything.
As his teacher and coach I only got to see him at school. So yesterday I went over to his house to try and find some additional inspiration, and realized just how special he was. For example, during the power outage from the windstorm Kyle chose to stay at home for eight days without power to help the people in his community clear out their yards. He even drove to the gas station to get gas for other people’s generators instead of leaving. He could have gone and stayed somewhere else with power, but he chose to stay and help his neighbors. He really likes pez, with his umpteen dispensers in his room and throughout the rest of the house. Kyle was also an organ donor, a decision that he made on his own two years ago. By doing this it is evident that he still wanted to help others after he died. Apparently he enjoyed making latch hook rugs in his down time.
Kyle was only on this earth for a very short period of time. He enjoyed living and always tried to find the path that was most exciting. As his teacher and coach I was always trying to show him the quickest shortest path from one place to another. Kyle was always looking for the way that was the most fun. I know that he is looking down on us today with a smile, knowing that we all are here to celebrate his life.
Prayer:
Most of this prayer comes from “The book of Uncommon Prayerâ€Â
