ForeverMissed
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Kyle was bigger than life in every way. His infectious smile, intelligence, voice mimicry, and generous spirit made him friends wherever he went. He loved sports, firearms, dogs, good food, travel, adventures, his family and friends, and his wonderful wife.

As his friend Nate said, he was sweet and funny, honest and unapologetically himself.

Please feel free to use the Story Section if you'd like to add photos, music, or videos associated with your story. It is a neat feature.
April 6, 2022
April 6, 2022
Kyle,

It's been a whole year, we miss you and we will never forget you. I always see the 1-800-Got-Junk trunk around town. Every time I see it I picture you behind the wheel. We think of you often and the good times that we shared. Thanks for being there whenever we needed you. Rest easy my son.
May 8, 2021
May 8, 2021
Kyle always wanted me to succeed and supported me during tough times when we worked together.

When I was newer to teaching, I was having a hard time. I felt discouraged. So, I vented to Kyle about it, and he gave me this book called Tools for the Teacher, and it helped me out. He sincerely talked me off the ledge. I still have that book.

It meant a lot to me that Kyle cared enough for me to do well that he gave me the right tools to succeed. Kyle always believed I could do good.
May 8, 2021
May 8, 2021
It was in November of 2015 that I first met Kyle. I had gone into our previous place of employment for a job interview. When he walked into the room to ask me some interview questions, he was quite the intimidating presence. With an impressive and massive beard, this man, dressed all in black, towering over me, sat down and asked me questions with the most stoic face. I somehow survived that interview, with my only game plan being to match his stoicism. When I started working at our previous place of employment, I had an impression that he would be a hard person to work under...I was immediately proven to be so incorrect. He immediately showed so much care for not only my training but to me as a person.

There was one instance where I had someone quit on me, and I decided to stay. Kyle could tell I was not too happy but wanted to show his appreciation for me. As I was stuck manning my department by myself, he walked up to me before leaving and asked me if he could buy and bring me dinner. I requested Thai food, he was more than willing to do that, but he asked me if there was anything else I needed. It is embarrassing to admit, but I am a cigarette smoker; I was all out of cigarettes, and I knew I would be pretty angry by the end of the shift. Knowing that may be a tall order, I gave him opportunities to say no. I was embarrassed. He looked at me and said, "It would be an honor. This will be the first time in my life I will ever buy cigarettes. I want to see how it feels." He followed through and came back with both Thai food and cigarettes for me. He was the most solid and friendly person I worked with who loved a good laugh and could see the comedy in chaos which brings me to my favorite memory. 

To raise money for a fundraiser, our previous employer had a hot dog barbecue in the front parking lot. After the barbecue was over, I sat at my desk and then got up to stretch my legs. While I walked around the building, I looked out to the parking lot to see a billow of smoke coming from the dumpster. Kyle and a couple of our other colleagues were throwing buckets of water on it. Someone had taken the burning charcoal and put it in a bucket of water; when the bucket of water did not put it out, it started melting, which eventually led to someone putting it in the dumpster. After seeing the smoke, I went and grabbed the fire extinguisher (which I was surprised no one else had thought of) and put it out. Kyle stood by me, watching me putting it out, and the look on his face was that of pride. He thought the situation was hilarious. The only downside is I felt he was disappointed that he did not think to grab the extinguisher himself. 

Fast forward a couple of weeks. I am sitting at my desk with my office door open, and I smell smoke coming from the back of the building. I open the backdoor to see a trashcan on fire with Kyle putting it out with an extinguisher. As I stand at the top of the stairs, he looked up at me, "You want in on this?" he said with a smile. I replied by nodding my head impishly yes. "Get down here!" he replied while waving his hand in a welcoming gesture. 

Kyle was a wonderful man with who I intended to interact with for years. He was so excited to take me to a Colombian restaurant to have arepas (my father is from Colombian, so he was delighted to see my opinion of his favorite Colombian restaurant) before we went to Ari Shaffir's, Renamed Storyteller Show. Kyle loved a good laugh. As fun as the times were that we had, I will remember him for his humor and his love, advocacy, and support. He will always be the guy who gave me an old Smith Corona to fix up and sell because he knew I had an interest. You see, I never got around to selling the typewriter he gave me, and now, I never will. It is now what I will keep; commemorating Kyle's goodness.
April 28, 2021
April 28, 2021
We hired Kyle at Deluxe to be on a sales team when he was just a pup. He and I grew to have a wonderful bond. He was one of my favorites. He had the gift of gab and so enjoyed conversation. He would pop into my office frequently just to say hi. We would start chatting and I would have to remind him, and myself, to have him get on back to his desk before his manager came looking for him although truthfully I didn't want the conversation to end. 

The fascinating part of this story is association. I belonged to a choir downtown called Soli Deo Gloria. I became friends with a gal that sat next to me in the alto section. Our friendship grew and during a conversation I believe Tina asked me where I worked. To my surprise she said her son worked there also. Small world it is as it was Kyle. I would not have known as they had different last names.

Kyle, thank you for the wonderful conversation, your bright smile and infectious laugh. You will always have a place in my heart. You loved life and it loved you right back!  
April 23, 2021
April 23, 2021
We were fortunate enough to live on Pine Bluff Road at the same time Tina, Kyle and Austin lived here. Our boys played together a lot! Kyle was always a joy to be around. Sweet, kind, polite.

This is one of my favorite stories to tell about just Kyle and myself.

One day years ago, when Kyle who was about 14 years old, he came to the door.  I told him the boys weren’t home, but he stepped in and visited with me for a while. I stepped into the kitchen to get a cup of coffee and Kyle hollered out “Well I need to go”. I heard the front door close.

When I stepped back into the living room, I could see Kyle walking slowly down the street, repeatedly glancing back at the house. Then I looked down and saw a snake slithering across the living room floor! I ran, in a panic, to the front porch and started screaming for Kyle to “Get back here right now!” He turned and looked at me with his wonderful smile. He did not ask why or seem even a little surprised by my screaming. He came back to the house, came in, got the snake, and left.

I returned to the living room and watched him walking down the street again. This time he was not glancing back, he was laughing! And in spite of myself I found myself laughing too.

Ornery little rascal.
April 21, 2021
April 21, 2021
I have known Kyle for a long time. I don't think I ever saw him not smiling. Looking back I can't believe some of the crazy things he talked me into. There is a video somewhere of him slapping me in the face with a phone book, or when I lost a bet and had to go sing karaoke at a bar. I think it is so fitting of Kyle that the last text I got from him was on my birthday and he told me to celebrate by buying a Colorado Avalanche banana hammock and rocking it.
April 13, 2021
April 13, 2021
Kyle was on my sales team at Deluxe. He was so much fun and always made us laugh! He was quick with a kind word and always had my back. We jokingly called him my 'toady' - a nickname he gave himself - since I would jokingly threaten to get Kyle to take care of those on the team that were misbehaving. Although he could look menacing, we all knew that inside he was an incredibly sweet and sensitive guy who would do anything for you if you needed him. One day, I declared an official 'Kyle Spiller Day' at work and decorated his desk and had everyone bow and/or salute him, including the managers of the other teams. We sometimes played volleyball for our team meetings at Kyle's request and he was always just a great guy to be around. I know that the team loved him. Kyle was absolutely one of my very favorite people in the world, and I loved that we reconnected on FB and stayed friends. It was so great to see the love that he had for his dear wife Charlotte and how happy he was with her. I will miss my 'toady' every day and am so very thankful that I had the great pleasure of meeting him and having him in my life. Some people are just destined to impact how you see the world, and the world through Kyle's eyes was nothing less than spectacular. Thank you, my dear friend for all of the laughter and joy you brought into my life. I love you dearly and forever.
April 13, 2021
April 13, 2021
I played church volleyball with Kyle. It was always important to get there early enough so that we could be on the same team. With us both being fiercely competitive, we needed to be together to have any fun :) if we weren’t on the same team you bet he was just as hard on me as he could be and wasn’t shy about trash talking. I’ve never seen such a big guy move so fast! His smile and laugh were infectious.
April 13, 2021
April 13, 2021
What has stayed with me from my time with Kyle as a student is a presence of great warmth, together with a fair share of clear-eyed discernment. The outcome was trust. In the confusion and complication of the high school classroom, with Kyle there I felt safe. He was steady. And around him there was always the chance of some humor, even if only in the form of a twinkle that lightened up the day. I hope the very, very best for his good journey on.
April 10, 2021
April 10, 2021
Kyle was my "Brute Squad", he was always helpful when there was heavy lifting to be done.

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Recent Tributes
April 6, 2022
April 6, 2022
Kyle,

It's been a whole year, we miss you and we will never forget you. I always see the 1-800-Got-Junk trunk around town. Every time I see it I picture you behind the wheel. We think of you often and the good times that we shared. Thanks for being there whenever we needed you. Rest easy my son.
May 8, 2021
May 8, 2021
Kyle always wanted me to succeed and supported me during tough times when we worked together.

When I was newer to teaching, I was having a hard time. I felt discouraged. So, I vented to Kyle about it, and he gave me this book called Tools for the Teacher, and it helped me out. He sincerely talked me off the ledge. I still have that book.

It meant a lot to me that Kyle cared enough for me to do well that he gave me the right tools to succeed. Kyle always believed I could do good.
May 8, 2021
May 8, 2021
It was in November of 2015 that I first met Kyle. I had gone into our previous place of employment for a job interview. When he walked into the room to ask me some interview questions, he was quite the intimidating presence. With an impressive and massive beard, this man, dressed all in black, towering over me, sat down and asked me questions with the most stoic face. I somehow survived that interview, with my only game plan being to match his stoicism. When I started working at our previous place of employment, I had an impression that he would be a hard person to work under...I was immediately proven to be so incorrect. He immediately showed so much care for not only my training but to me as a person.

There was one instance where I had someone quit on me, and I decided to stay. Kyle could tell I was not too happy but wanted to show his appreciation for me. As I was stuck manning my department by myself, he walked up to me before leaving and asked me if he could buy and bring me dinner. I requested Thai food, he was more than willing to do that, but he asked me if there was anything else I needed. It is embarrassing to admit, but I am a cigarette smoker; I was all out of cigarettes, and I knew I would be pretty angry by the end of the shift. Knowing that may be a tall order, I gave him opportunities to say no. I was embarrassed. He looked at me and said, "It would be an honor. This will be the first time in my life I will ever buy cigarettes. I want to see how it feels." He followed through and came back with both Thai food and cigarettes for me. He was the most solid and friendly person I worked with who loved a good laugh and could see the comedy in chaos which brings me to my favorite memory. 

To raise money for a fundraiser, our previous employer had a hot dog barbecue in the front parking lot. After the barbecue was over, I sat at my desk and then got up to stretch my legs. While I walked around the building, I looked out to the parking lot to see a billow of smoke coming from the dumpster. Kyle and a couple of our other colleagues were throwing buckets of water on it. Someone had taken the burning charcoal and put it in a bucket of water; when the bucket of water did not put it out, it started melting, which eventually led to someone putting it in the dumpster. After seeing the smoke, I went and grabbed the fire extinguisher (which I was surprised no one else had thought of) and put it out. Kyle stood by me, watching me putting it out, and the look on his face was that of pride. He thought the situation was hilarious. The only downside is I felt he was disappointed that he did not think to grab the extinguisher himself. 

Fast forward a couple of weeks. I am sitting at my desk with my office door open, and I smell smoke coming from the back of the building. I open the backdoor to see a trashcan on fire with Kyle putting it out with an extinguisher. As I stand at the top of the stairs, he looked up at me, "You want in on this?" he said with a smile. I replied by nodding my head impishly yes. "Get down here!" he replied while waving his hand in a welcoming gesture. 

Kyle was a wonderful man with who I intended to interact with for years. He was so excited to take me to a Colombian restaurant to have arepas (my father is from Colombian, so he was delighted to see my opinion of his favorite Colombian restaurant) before we went to Ari Shaffir's, Renamed Storyteller Show. Kyle loved a good laugh. As fun as the times were that we had, I will remember him for his humor and his love, advocacy, and support. He will always be the guy who gave me an old Smith Corona to fix up and sell because he knew I had an interest. You see, I never got around to selling the typewriter he gave me, and now, I never will. It is now what I will keep; commemorating Kyle's goodness.
Recent stories

Garter Snakes

May 10, 2021
Kyle was a collector of garter snakes. Unfortunately, he didn't realize what was needed to keep them corralled. The first 2 or 3 he attempted to house in buckets or waste baskets with no lids. Those were the ones I knew about.

When he was 35 or so, he told me that, all together, there were probably 15-20 snakes that came to live in our house. None of them remained in their confinement. But we did have a warm rock room that was part of an early solar heat storage system that my dad had installed. I think they somehow made it to the rock room, and then made their escape through a tiny hole which later admitted mice.

When he finally fessed up to the actual number he had brought in, I was relieved that I hadn't known about it at the time. Sometimes ignorance really is bliss.

Looking Out of Place in the Neonatal ICU

May 9, 2021
Kyle's entry into the world of humans was a stressful one. He was delivered by c-section after experiencing fetal distress. He had something called meconium staining, which is when the baby is so stressed that he passes the first stool while still in utero, it mixes with the amniotic fluid, and he inhales it. Kyle had to be suctioned three times below the larynx before he breathed on his own.

His Apgar scores at one and five minutes after birth were 1 and 3 (on a scale of 10). He was an almost 9 lb. baby with a full head of long, dark hair in a bassinet next to preemies in the neonatal intensive care unit. It would not be the last time his size set him apart from his peers.

Despite this rather rocky start, he hit the ground running and never looked back! My dad said he had never known someone who lived so much in the moment as Kyle did when he was a kid.
May 8, 2021
Over the past few weeks I have found myself replaying many memories of Kyle. I find myself reminded of him throughout the day. Looking out my window and seeing my dog reminds me of the time Kyle willingly wore a bite sleeve and let our Belgium Malinois bite him for the fun of it. Out to dinner with my family remembering that he worked at Olive Garden at some point and his favorite dish there was the chicken Alfredo. Thinking about the birthday parties he attended for my kids. I always thought it was great that he took time to come to my kids birthdays.

The way Kyle and I became friends was unusual. I was eating lunch in the break room and he overheard a conversation I was having with my Mom. I told my mom that we got “Jewed”. Kyle being Kyle decided to take the opportunity to let me know he was Jewish. Luckily we both laughed and became fast friends. 

Kyle was my lunch buddy, we shared many meals and of course many talks. Anyone who knew Kyle knows that he enjoyed being smart and “winning” any verbal sparring match. I am very competitive and Kyle and I enjoyed communicating in this fashion. I am notorious for saying funny words and Kyle once made a dictionary with all the funny words I say. One of my fondest memories was when we were debating something and he said “you can do anything I can do and do it better” instead of saying “I can do anything you can do and do it better.” He rarely slipped up and this was one of those times, we laughed so hard and it became a running joke.

Kyle and I loved to binge watch drunk history and laugh so hard we cried. Kyle always thought of me, he was so kind....he made note of my favorite things and I would show up to work and he would leave a tea or breakfast at my desk. He always tried to make me feel better or make me laugh when I was having a rough day. He was the brother I never had.
Sometimes we would get so frustrated with each other and the next minute we would be sharing a laugh.

We went on quite a few work trips together. On one such occasion we went to Disneyland. The whole time we were there he was trying to find an alligator to wrestle. On the day we were supposed to go to the park instead we had to take a student to the hospital. He was excited that he finally saw an alligator near the hospital. We eventually made it to the park about an hour before close. Kyle and I raced through the park to find any rides still open. We managed to get on the Pirates ride and had a blast. He was good at making the most of any situation. 

One of my favorite memories of Charlotte and Kyle was when they met our family for dinner at Pizza Ranch. My son out of nowhere made the statement that he didn’t like Germans. I looked at him and reminded him he is part German. I had to explain to that my son plays a lot of Call of Duty. Charlotte was a great sport about it and we laughed for days about it. 

The things I will remember most is the laughs, we laughed about everything and relentlessly teased and picked on each other. Kyle will forever be in my family’s hearts. He will forever be our dear friend. 



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