Kyle Frank Piasecki

Kyle Frank Piasecki (aka “Pi” pronounced “pie” and FUNcle Kyle) forever will be the living embodiment of the “Live Like You Were Dying.”

He made his debut March 20, 1981, upstaging his older brother’s special day by being born on the same date, just three years afterwards. His older sister thought a doll came to life just for her, and Kyle basically grew up with 1.5 heavily involved moms. Thankfully, he relished all the affection.

Kyle’s father immediately noticed his own father’s brilliant blue eyes. Other Grandpa Piasecki traits emerged over the years including a high IQ, appreciation for the outdoors, and a kind, easy-going disposition that everyone could get along with.

Kyle instinctively knew to command attention without being a brat, was dazzled by sugar in all forms and ate up his role as the “adorable, charming” baby of the family. Stuffed animals were as prized as pets from the get-go, as live animals were strictly forbidden.

Cunning observational and negotiation skills emerged as the perfect complement to his ability to land one-liners. Always curious and a tad naïve, he navigated his way out of any tough spot through by his masterful use of humor coupled with emphatic facial expressions and vocal delivery.

As a teen, hitting homeruns became so predictable, he was quickly assigned to fourth batter. Effectively ambidextrous lightening on the tennis court, his coach identified him as “scholarship material at least!”Alas, but no, Kyle decided he wanted to “play” football with his friends instead of a sport better built for his skinny, height-lacking frame. Upon being warned of just how warm he’d make the bench, Kyle countered that bonding time with his buddies was the greater priority. Plus, he was “happy to spend as much time on the bench as possible” so he wouldn’t “get beat up like the rest of them.”

Fishing then became “the thing” – and it was far more than a pastime. It was spiritual, as it offered moments for Kyle to have heart-to-hearts with God. He asked for the Lord’s feedback via size and quantity of his catches. Days when none or only tiny ones bit were met with reflection and a desire to self-improve.

Despite being quite bright, ADHD made focusing hard when it came to school. While he graduated college with a degree in business, his true major appeared to be fraternity life and adding more lifelong buddies to his roster.

Then he met Maria. Clearly smitten with each other from the start, Maria recalls falling for him on their first date. Dinner went well, and Kyle offered to serenade her with a romantic song on the guitar back at his place. He proceeded to belt out “La Cucaracha” at the top of his lungs because it was the only song he knew how to play in Spanish. On their second date, he spelled his rather complex last name for her three times, asking her to learn it “because one day it will be your name, too.”

Laughter and love would be a common denominator for the rest of their days – as would total devotion to their daughter, Melanie. Kyle credited the best 10 years of his life to every moment he got to spend with his precious “Mel, Mel.”

Melanie wrote “The way I will always remember, MY dad, is the best dad on this earth. The best FUNcle, brother, husband, and mostly, his kid at heart. He always was A kid at heart, no matter how old or ill he got. We were so hooked with playing together, any game if I am being honest. Just together. Our bond was inseparable. He will always be in my heart, Melanie Piasecki, his 10 year old daughter, whose job is to make him proud.”

Having a child meant the eternal kid at heart knew it was time to become a stable provider. Kyle had earned his nursing degree by the time the baby arrived; he just needed to pass a rather challenging licensing exam. It took a zillion note cards, heavy-duty assistance from Mom, and quitting sugar to pass, but by the fourth time, he succeeded and never looked back.

He worked as a nurse at Baptist Medical Center in various roles, quickly receiving promotions and raises, until cancer became advanced enough, he was no longer able meet the physical demands of the job. It was lung cancer in a young, non-smoker – something that’s on the rise, though docs don’t know why.

After rounds and rounds of chemo, radiation, immunotherapy and surgeries, he got to ring the “cancer free” bell at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston…

But the first set of scans after that showed it roared back worse than ever.

No one continued to fight harder and longer with his level of sickness for the sake of how much he loved his family and enjoyed life. An experimental gene therapy drug, Tagrisso, added a truly miraculous 2.5 decent years.

Already the living embodiment of the classic Tim McGraw song, Kyle literally went skydiving when the Big C returned. He took vacations at every opportunity. He made and won an epic sports bet in Vegas with his buddies, predicting Kansas City would win the Super Bowl a year in advance – and insisted they return in person to claim his $1,500 prize.

But most of his final days were spent doing whatever he could to contribute to household chores and spending quality time with his wife and daughter.

Kyle packed no less than 103 years into the 43 he got, passing on December 7, 2024. He survived by: his dutiful wife of 15 years, Maria Reyna Piasecki; the eternal apple of his eye, daughter Melanie Piasecki (10 years old); parents Frank Piasecki (with partner Robert Tauber) and Cynthia Jackson; siblings Mary Alice Kaspar (with husband Travis Kaspar and daughter Arielle Kaspar) and Brian Piasecki (with wife Mia Ljung and daughters Alice Ljung and Ruth Ljung); a bunch of aunts, uncles and cousins; and tons of friends he valued as much as family.

A celebration of his life will be held on December 20 at 12:00 pm at St. Anthony Mary Claret Catholic Church (6150 Roft Road, San Antonio TX, 78253).

While cancer may have claimed Kyle’s life, we know it’s incapable of claiming his spirit, soul or legacy. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and urges others to heed the words Kyle shared upon ringing the bell: “take the vacation…be kind to people and please enjoy your life!”

ROSARYFRIDAY, DECEMBER 20, 202411:15 A.M.ST. ANTHONY MARY CLARET CATHOLIC CHURCH(6150 ROFT RD. SAN ANTONIO, TX. 78253)

MASSFRIDAY, DECEMBER 20, 202412:00 P.M.ST. ANTHONY MARY CLARET CATHOLIC CHURCH(6150 ROFT RD. SAN ANTONIO, TX. 78253)