Kyle King

Kyle was born on the stormy night of September 14, 1979. He started walking at 10 months of age and didn't sit still much after that. He didn't have the patience to listen to a story but he loved to look at the Sears catalog, point to pictures and learn the words. Soon, he was doing the same thing with letters and learned them all by the age of 2. He also loved to do jigsaw puzzles. Kyle attended Hutchinson Elementary School. It was important to him to be a good student and get good grades. Through some of his school activities and mostly thanks to his 4th grade teacher, Jeff Belf, he developed a wonderful and often warped sense of humor. He eventually earned himself the nickname of ""Gorilla"". Dunstan Middle School was Kyle's next stop. Middle school had it's ups and downs as it often does. But by the last few months of 8th grade it was clear that Kyle was having more than the usual early teen issues. Early in the fall of his freshman year, at the age of 15, Kyle was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Life became a struggle to find the medications in the right combination that would control the mood swings that, for Kyle, occurred in three-week intervals. He enrolled at Green Mountain High School, but his attendance was sporadic. He withdrew from school during the second semester. He made a brief attempt at home schooling the next fall but it was too boring. During this time he met a couple of kids who told him about Jefferson County Open School (JCOS). He went to an open house with a friend and came home and said that was where he was going to school. He applied to JCOS and was accepted for the next fall. He began at JCOS as a 17 year-old freshman. He still had many struggles but the schools program that includes individual encouragement and support got him through. Thanks to his friends and teachers Kurt Belknap and Roberta Page he finished the class work in three years and graduated in 1999. Kyle tried college several times but the stresses of college life were too much for him. Maintaining employment was also difficult. In 2004 Kyle moved to Ft. Collins to try college one last time. School lasted 1½ semesters, but he stayed in Ft. Collins. He worked at the music store, The Finest. It was his longest employment thanks to Mark Cheatham, his boss. Kyle's biggest love was music of all kinds. He started listening to oldies (his parents' music) when he was very young and it grew from there eventually encompassing everything from the Beatles and the Rolling Stones to Punk Rock and Heavy Metal. As time progressed Kyle became very involved in the music scene in Ft. Collins. In recent years he also got interested in photography. He took many pictures of local bands, thus combining his two favorite things. You can see hundreds of his photos at www.flickr.com/photos/kyleking79. Throughout his life, Kyle avoided the pitfalls of self-medicating with drugs or alcohol. He was a great friend to many people and a thoughtful and loving son and brother. And now his struggles are over and he is at peace. We wish to thank all of his many friends who helped him deal with his problems and lifted his spirits. We especially want to thank his current roommate Ben, and former roommate Netanya for everything they have done. If you would like to make a memorial contribution in Kyle's name, we recommend : The National Institute of Mental Health Gift Fund 6001 Executive Boulevard Room 8104, MSC 9655 Bethesda, MD 20892-9655 Include a note including Kyle's name and our name and address as they will send acknowledgments. Cletus & Richena King 13398 W. Wesley Avenue Lakewood, CO 80228