Story Title: My Friend Kyle
By: Mark Overstreet
Kyle died peacefully at home in the bedroom he used to share with his younger brother, Kevin, who passed away in Seattle in October 2009. They were both good friends of mine, as you may know. Kevin went to Purdue and was a freshman when I was a senior, both of us majored in Mechanical Engineering. Kevin moved to Seattle after graduation in 1983 and we enjoyed many hiking and camping trips, notable to the Hoh Rain Forest in the Olympic National Forest.

Kyle was brave and strong in his fight to the end with bone cancer that was originally diagnosed in April this year. You would be proud of him as I am. While IGÇÖm not sure of the exact details, IGÇÖm pretty sure he passed away while sleeping. The last time I talked to him was Sunday Nov 14th, when I went over for a short visit. I was in Indy over Thanksgiving, but his Mom said spending the day at his brotherGÇÖs house pretty much wiped him out. I know it was extremely painful for him to get in and out and ride in a car. I was also in town the next weekend, but Kyle wasn’t up to having visitors. Of course, had I or any of us known the end was so soon, I may have just shown up at the door and spent some time by his bedside. But Kyle was also a very private and proud guy, and I had to respect that. I’m sure he thought he might rally and feel better in the next weekend or two and that we might be able to spend some time together over the Christmas holidays. I was looking forward to that, but sometimes in life we don’t always get everything we want. I am glad for Kyle that his suffering here on earth is over. I will miss him greatly. He was one of my best friends for over 40 years, most of our lives. We were really good friends our senior year in high school and I think the people that you happen to be closest to then are the ones you stay in touch with thereafter.

In April, Kyle was having a lot of back pain and went to the doctor, where they noticed on X-rays that his spine had numerous small fractures. He also was having quite a bit of pain in his right hip area. They believe the cancer started in his lungs, but his lungs were actually pretty clear ~ no big masses or tumors or anything. He was never on oxygen as many people are (like my Mom, who died from lung cancer). He still smoked until the bitter end. He loved his Kools, Miller High Life and Reggae music. And the Beatles of course, along with Pink Floyd, Leon Redbone, Jerry Jeff Walker and many others. He also loved his two cats- a Siamese and a part lynx. Not long after he moved back to Indy, he lost his first cat, Espiritu (Spanish for GÇ£spiritGÇ¥) and that was very hard on him emotionally.

About July/August, he had to move out of his apartment and back in with his folks there on Vauxhall. From there, he pretty much just hung in there for as long as he could. I remember in April he said if he made Christmas it would be a miracle, and I think he was trying to make it but just ran out of energy. He was a very determined guy.

During his life after college, Kyle worked for a while in Davenport, Iowa. He later then worked in Merrilville, IN where I got to visit with him while on my way back to Indy from a business trip to Chicago. Naturally, we went to a close by bar and drank and told jokes. He had a million jokes and could really tell them. The more he drank, the more jokes he remembered. A great sense of humor. And obviously one of the better wrestlers IGÇÖve ever seen. IGÇÖm not sure what his exact record was, but I remember at Belzer his nickname was GÇ£Killer Klotz.GÇ¥ Practically from the first whistle, the crowd would be chanting GÇ£Pin! Pin! Pin!GÇ¥. Often, it didnGÇÖt take long. Unless Kyle wanted to torture the poor opponent in the Grapevine, or GÇ£put in the legsGÇ¥. He would just chin the poor guy to death. Had a very sharp chin. His favorite take-down move from behind his opponent was to GÇ£tight-waistGÇ¥ the guy and drive his floating rib upward, then pick the guy up and slam him to the mat. He was a great wrestler.
Kyle also worked and lived in Florida for a while, and I know he loved the warm weather. He used to keep his apartment in Indy so warm that in the winter I would bring over a pair of shorts to wear while hanging out w/him. Back in the day, Kyle loved to make long distance phone calls and used to run up some pretty good bills staying in touch. We enjoyed many such calls over the years. Kyle was also one of the best pool players I’ve ever seen. We used to have great times hanging out in his basement, playing pool and listening to music. Those were some happy times that I will always remember. I hope that Kyle’s soul has found a home in heaven, for he was truly a good man and a good friend. I know he believed in Jesus, although he had some issues with the hand that God dealt him occasionally. We both surfed the aisle in the bus on a 30 hr bus ride to Colorado with Young Life before our senior year at LC. These are some of my favorite memories of Kyle that wil remain with me always. Love, Mark Overstreet