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IN MEMORY OF KYLE

Kyle's brother's tribute

It's very difficult to write a tribute to my brother. How can I
describe in a few paragraphs the complex spirit that existed within
his physical body?

By now you know that Kyle died on September 8, 2009 as a result of
suicide. His untimely death came at a period when he was at the peak
of his life. He has an amazing son, whose dry humor and love for fun

About Kyle
Music
Cool Clips
Photos Album
Artists and Shows
Link to Artists
Others Links
 
Vic Firth
 
Attack drumheads
 
Contact Visuel
Past home page
June, 17 - July, 14 2007
Superbowl
Aug ust 2007
June, 17 - July, 14 2007
Quebec city
June - July 2007
May 2007
AChild's Gift
June, 1 - 16 2007
May 2007
Don Rickles
May 2007
April 24th to May 4th, 2007
In Memoriam
Phil Bonanno
April 25th 2007
March - April 2007
Opening
March - April 2007
    mirrors his father's. His career was at it's Zenith. Between tours and
shows with Deana Carter and Dennis Deyoung, his extended engagement in
Chicago with Jersey Boys and his collaboration with other artists
(Hank Horton, Tommy Djiala and Dan McGuiness to name a few), Kyle was
doing exactly what he had dreamed of since he was four year old:
making a living as a professional percusionist. He had many friends
who loved him with all their heart.

My family has always believed that Kyle was an old soul trapped in a
young body. He was an all confernce defensive back in high school. He
graduated in the top ten of his class. He did everything well,
including making thousands of people happy with his music. He lived
to entertain and give others joy, and from the hundreds of email
messages I have received since he died, he did that exceedingly well.

But like many old souls, Kyle fought a lifelong battle with
depression. It sometimes felt to me as if it was induced by his
profound struggle for equity, fairness, and love. Because of this, all
his energy was extended to others; he was selfless beyond belief. He
bought baked goods for the mentally ill and homeless in the streets of
Chicago everyday for years; I actually saw him literally give someone
the shirt off his back one time.

Unfortunately the love for others was not often internalized. Kyle
rarely felt that he was good enough or worthy of attention. In March
he said, " You know, I go out on stage every night and I never feel
that I'm good enough to be there."

Kyle's life may have been cut short by his depression; or it may, as I
choose to believe, been time for his old soul to ascend to another
dimension. His time in this one was short, but I know that on some
plane he continues to watch over all of us.

Kyle's favorite Dennis Deyoung/Styx song, and one that he and I
learned when we played together in our junior high garage band has a
line that goes:
"...A gathering of Angels appeared above my head. They sang to me this
song of hope, and this is what they said...

Come sail away..."

May Kyle's spirit and the love he shared with all he touched, allow us
all smooth sailing through life's rocky passages.

One Love-

Kirk Woodring
Derrfield, Massachusetts
September 13, 2009

   
   
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