Kyle Gregory Smarslok

Every parent wonders whether the perception they have of their child is accurate. Deep down we know how hard it is to be objective in that respect. What I’ve found out since the tragedy of his passing is that Kyle was even more than I could have imagined. I knew he was kind, humble, and served as an inspiration to many people. But, as I went through his personal effects and spoke with so many people who loved him — it became clear that even my lofty expectations as a parent didn’t come close to who he was as a man and what he meant to the people in his life.

Kyle Gregory Smarslok was born June 27, 1991 and Weighed 8 lbs. 4 oz. He had shoulders like a linebacker and not an ounce of fat on him. In addition to Kyle’s chiseled physique, he had thick beautiful hair and the largest, deepest blue eyes you’ve ever seen. It’s true that all parents think their kids are adorable; but Kyle could seriously have been the Gerber baby.

Kyle took his first steps at eight months old and by nine months old he was running full speed ahead. For the next six months, he had perpetual scabs on his knees, hands, and nose and if he was able to talk he would’ve blamed it on not having his cleats.

Even as a child, Kyle had an infectious smile and laugh that would light up a room. He rarely cried, never pitched a fit, and was as close to perfect as you could be. Kyle truly had every quality in a son that a father could dream of. He made it easy for me to get through a hard day of work as I looked forward to getting home every night and spending time with him until he would typically fall asleep on my chest.

A year and a half after Kyle was born, his brother Jesse came along and Kyle immediately embraced being the big brother. He insisted on helping with Jesse in every way he could. That pattern continued after the birth of his sister Amanda a year and a half later. Kyle was the big brother and never shucked those responsibilities, even at an early age. Skip ahead several years and I would get home from work to the news that Kyle had taught both Jesse and Amanda to ride a two-wheeler or tie their shoes or some other task that was typical for a parent to teach their child. When the family grew his big brother arms wrapped around Halley & Bryce lovingly.

In addition to Kyle having a deep love for his brother’s and sisters he never had a shortage of love for anyone he met; from his grandparents to his great grand parents to his cousins aunts and uncles and friends, he was consistently selfless in all his actions and rarely took a day off from those behaviors.

Over the past few days, and in talking to the many, many people Kyle touched in his life - the message was the same - it took Kyle 10 minutes or less to have a meaningful and lasting relationship with anyone and everyone. Reflecting back now at the last 30 years, Kyle is the best person I have ever known. I think that God needed him more in his kingdom than we needed him here on earth and as the song goes “only the good die young.”

Kyle was a passionate fan of the NFL and NBA and was a Baltimore Ravens fan through and through. For those of us who were closest to him, it was a weekly challenge to come up with some stat that Kyle may not have known. It never happened. From 10 years old on, he never missed an NFL draft and in his early years would have his two bags of cool Ranch Doritos and a jug of Gatorade along with his favorite chair and would barely get up to go to the bathroom for fear of missing one of the draft picks.

In closing, Kyle made everyone feel like the most important person in his life. He always had some uplifting words to say, encouraging you to live your best life. He celebrated his family and friends’ every victory and never asked anything in return. As his father I couldn’t be more proud of the man he became and will do my best to live the life he wanted me too. All this time I thought I was teaching him; but he was the one teaching all of us.

Kyle you were so loved and will be missed by all of us!

A celebration of life for Kyle will be held Wednesday, January 12, 2022 at 6:00 PM at Hardage-Giddens Funeral Home, 11801 San Jose Blvd, Jacksonville, FL 32223.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.hgmandarin.com for the Smarslok family.