Obits for All: Kyle Robert Adams

Kyle Robert Adams died May 21, 2021 at the age of 39.

Written by Kyle’s friends and colleagues; his brother-in-law; his younger sister, Lauren Ellis; and his mother, Juli.

If you’d like to share a memory about Kyle, you can do so here: Obits for All

Photos of Kyle Robert Adams

What’s your earliest memory of him? 

“The happiest day of my life — when he was born. He was a beautiful baby, with thick, dark eyelashes and eyes. He always cuddled so close and would bounce up and down when you held him. He stole my heart. As he grew, he became my hero.” — his mom

“When he was responding to fires and would always smile and wave when I was a teenager hanging out on my front porch, before we even knew each other.” — his friend Justin Haas

“Kyle running a background check on me when I started dating his sister.” — his brother-in-law

“When I was two years old and our pool was being dug, the two of us were playing in the giant dirt hole. He picked up a rock and launched it at my head. This required a trip to the ER and multiple stitches. The reason I remember this is because the ER doc tried to calm me by blowing up a glove and demonstrating the sutures, thus popping the glove. I, in turn, thought my brother was going to cause not only my split forehead but my popping!” — his sister

If you made a playlist of songs that remind you of him, what’s one song that would be on it?

“Anything by Dropkick Murphys.” — his sister

“‘The River,’ by Garth Brooks. He helped select it for his eighth-grade graduation song at St. Gabriel. He would play that CD in his pick-up truck all the time.” — his mom

“‘Give Heaven Some Hell,’ by HARDY.” — Haas

What was your favorite thing to do together?

“Talking in the driveway.” — his brother-in-law

“He grew up on five acres, and I loved watching him play when he was little or working in the garden or yard. He had many adventures in his little log cabin fort that he and his best friend, Adam, would play in. I’ll always remember trips to Disney — he could stay there all day and never wear out. When he was a teen, we vacationed at ranches in Colorado and Wyoming. We would ride horses for hours and shared lots of conversations.” — his mom

“Talk politics 🤣.” — his sister

What did he look like? 

“More than husky, handlebar mustache, always smiling.” — Haas

“His big, strong arms and broad chest would wrap around you and happiness just poured out. I miss those hugs so much.” — his mom

What were his nicknames?

“Fluffy.” — Haas

What story about him do you find yourself remembering?

“Lighting off fireworks on the Fourth of July.” — his brother-in-law

“We would just randomly call each other for no reason and talk for way too long about nothing. When he would plow snow in the winter, he could keep you on the phone for hours at night.” — Haas

“I absolutely loathe yard work. I am allergic to grass and will do anything to avoid it. My husband had just had shoulder surgery, so I called Kyle to ask him to come tend to the lawn. He came over, did his thing, and then he dipped. I called him and told him to get his butt back so I could pay him. ‘Naw, girl, I got you.’” — his friend

“Working nights at Baptist Health for 46 years, I have a huge work family and know many people. Kyle always would say, ‘I wish I knew as many people as you do.’ But at his funeral, I saw that he knew way more people than I ever have and touched more lives than I ever will. The outpouring of the community gives me hope on my darkest days

“After his Grandpa Frank passed, his Grandma Janie would call him with little things she needed help with. One in particular was she always messed up the TV with the remote. I could not begin to count the calls he received, and if he could not explain how to correct it over the phone, he would drive over to her house and fix it, no matter what time. She would always tell him he was her favorite, and he would grin from ear to ear. The whole family knew that he was her favorite.” — his mom

What details about him will you always remember? 

“How he always took care of his little sister, Lauren, when they were kids. He would always give her the last cookie, piece of candy — whatever he had, he would always save some for her. Also, his love for animals. He brought home way too many strays, and they seemed to live forever. Kyle loved to draw. He was so proud of the sign he created for his Fern Creek Lawn Care business — showing a little creek and then a fern flowing over it. Kyle always ended any conversations with us with, ‘I love you, bye,’ and we would always respond back with, ‘Love you, too.’ I would never say bye, and I never will.” — his mom

“Even if that phone call involved telling you how angry he was at you or how much you had previously screwed something up, before that call ended, he was sure you heard, 

‘I love you, bye.’” — his sister

“How he’d say, ‘God love her.’ The way he said brother when addressing you.” — Haas

“He hardly ever wore long pants or a shirt with full sleeves. His wardrobe mainly consisted of fluorescent-green sleeveless tees bearing his lawn care company logo.” — his sister

“And Crocs. Pretty sure he dressed like that year-round.” — his brother-in-law

“He wore the same hair style since he was 16, a buzz cut not many could pull off, but he most definitely could. His arms were the size of tree trunks, both with tattoos depicting what he loved: firefighting and his best friend.” — his sister

Can you think of a time he did or said something that had an impact on you? 

“When he was growing up, I would always ask, ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ He always replied, ‘I want to be just like Daddy. I want to be a fireman.’” — his mom

“Talking about retirement — about how much he had missed out on and how much he was looking forward to getting that time back with his family.” — Haas

“He was only eight shifts away from retirement prior to his passing.” — his sister

“I met Kyle through work. He was a fireman, and I am a paramedic. His dad used to be my boss. I have so much respect for Robbie, Kyle’s dad, that I couldn’t help but feel the same for Kyle. We became fast friends, mostly because we had the same sick sense of humor. A few years ago, I had a dream, out of nowhere, that Kyle had died. I woke up crying. I had to call him to make sure he was OK. He was, and he laughed at me for years over that silly dream. When I got the real call, I was driving down the road. I kept asking the person who called me to tell me they were lying, that this was just another bad dream of mine. When they told me that they weren’t lying, I burst into tears. I was less than three miles from my house, but I had to pull over because I was crying so hard that I couldn’t see.” — his friend

Who would you pick to play him in a movie?

“The stand-up comedian Gabriel Iglesias.” — Haas

“Kevin Heffernan, who played Officer Farva in Super Troopers.” — his sister

Where’d he eat in Louisville? 

“Roosters in Fern Creek. If ever you couldn’t find Kyle, chances are he was at Roosters eating wings. Now you can enjoy a meal at his table under a plaque in his honor.” — his sister

Where’d he take visitors?

“Fern Creek. Anywhere in Fern Creek.” — Haas

What’s something you did together in Louisville that you’ll never forget?

“Collecting for the WHAS Crusade for Children in the pouring rain.” — Haas

“Crusade for Children at our uncle’s roadblock for as long as I can remember. Kevin’s Pumper has been a staple in Fern Creek on Bardstown Road for years, and Kyle was so proud to be able to restore that firetruck to its former glory.” — his sister

“Taking our boys to a monster truck show at the Yum! Center.” — his brother-in-law

“Watch him have his house built. He was so excited and wanted everything perfect for his family. He only lived in it for 14 months before his death.” — his mom

What made him cuss?

“Democrats.” — Haas

“My liberal beliefs.” — his sister

“LOL, everything.” — his brother-in-law

What sports teams did he root for?

“Trinity High School. He was so proud of his high school, and of his children, Justin and Ella. The week before his death, he took Justin to tour Trinity. When Justin came home and called me, he said, ‘Grammy, I think I have found my place.’ I only pray he attends next fall and makes his daddy proud.” — his mom

What’s something only those closest to him would know?

“I’ll take that to the grave.” — Haas

“I would fuss at him all the time when his clients were late paying the grass-cutting bills. But he would tell me, ‘They didn’t have the money this week,’ or, ‘They lost their spouse and couldn’t’ afford it.’” — his mom

When you close your eyes and picture him, how do you see him?

“Sitting in our driveway in the F-250 waiting for me to come out and talk.” — his brother-in-law

“Smiling, earbuds in, talking on the phone.” — Haas“Sitting back in the Fern Creek Fire Department truck or on his lawn mower with his quirky big smile, grinning from ear to ear, no-sleeve T-shirt, tattoos on each arm showing. He knew how I felt about tattoos, but how I would give anything to see them again.” — his mom