KYLE JUSTIN YORLETS (from his mother) --

From a very young age, Kyle had the ability to completely entertain anyone he met, both young
and old alike, and to engage them in conversation often to their great delight. Everyone loved
the way he made them feel. People were drawn to him, and he was drawn to them. He was so
kind, so genuinely interested in knowing each and every person he encountered. As he got
older, he seemed to always be looking for ways to help them as well. He understood the power
of a touch, a smile, a kind word and listening ear to turn a person’s life around.
He was very outgoing in school and befriended many, particularly during his high school and
college years, often seeking out those who seemed alone or out of place to make sure they felt
included. Several of his friends, in both high school and college, have conveyed stories of how
he truly saved their lives with his continued concern and constant checking up to make sure
they were okay. So many, many people came to pay their respects in both Nashville and
Carlisle, including most of his teachers. He was someone who you did not easily forget, having
such a positive impact on everyone he met.
Kyle was an exceptional light and inspiration in our family. He was blessed with extraordinary
talent to match his good natured personality. Along with his passion and drive to succeed in
music, he was living his dream and we all marveled at his ability to make it happen. Despite
living far from home, he was constantly in touch, sharing what was happening with his band, his
work and social life, and his girlfriend Faith. While he loved pursuing his dream, he also missed
his family and home and we all missed him as well, always looking forward to his trips home,
when he would make sure to catch up with as many family members and friends as possible.
He was always so excited to share new music and anxious to get our opinions. He wanted so
very much to make us proud and we could not have been more honored to have him as our
son.
Kyle was a door for God’s love to walk through; he did not conform to the ways of this world.
He was someone who made others see the world differently. His way of life was truly an
example of the golden rule – “do unto others as you would have them do unto you”. I can think
of one perfect memory related to this. When we surprised him in Nashville at the release party
for his band’s EP, he ran out to the street to greet us. While we stood and talked, a homeless
gentleman rode up on a bicycle with a basket on the front containing numerous pictures that
he had drawn. We were a little skeptical, but Kyle immediately engaged him in conversation
about his inspiration for the pictures and looked through them to select one he liked. After
several minutes and more conversation, he selected one and handed $20.00 to the very
grateful man. This was a pretty large gesture because in truth, Kyle was very much a starving
artist, primarily living paycheck to paycheck and putting anything extra into his band.
Several months after Kyle’s death, we began looking through the belongings that we had
brought home from Nashville. His grandmother had taken an old trunk and refinished it for
home a few Christmases ago and he kept it at the foot of his bed. As we looked through the

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trunk, we realized that he kept many of the things most dear to him, such as his high school
yearbook, in this trunk. Buried about halfway through, we found the picture that he purchased
that day, a memory of his altruistic spirit and desire to make others’ lives more bearable.
He is incredibly missed by our entire family and by so many members of our community. Often
friends and neighbors share with us how they constantly think of him and want to do whatever
they can to honor his memory. We have received many letters from complete strangers who
have been inspired by his story. In his honor, we have started a scholarship from the many
donations we have received so that he can continue to inspire young musicians from his high
school, another self-sacrificing legacy that he had mentioned he wanted to be able to do
someday.
Our lives will never, ever be the same. There is unimaginable pain. It is true torture to go
through the holidays without him. Healing will take a very long time and we must now learn to
adjust to a new normal. Kyle never got the chance to marry Faith, the girl of his dreams and
love of his life, never got the chance to have children he would have adored, or to write music
to astound the world. All he wanted to do, his one passion, was to write music that would help
others deal with the struggles of this world and know they were not alone. That is the
wonderful spirit and promising future that was taken from us all on February 7, 2019.