Kyle Duvall Hammers

If you ever leave your house without a roll of duct tape, you might want to reconsider that decision. Kyle Duvall Hammers was born June 8, 1951, and passed away January 18, 2015. Before he shook off this mortal coil, he did manage to leave several lessons behind for his surviving family; his wife of 40 years, Paula, his two quirky but loving children, Brad (Sandra) and Ashley; and grandbabies, Conner, Elijah, and Rhys. Lesson #1: If it can't be fixed with duct tape, it can't be fixed.

Lesson #2: If you can't impress them with facts, dazzle them with B.S. This he learned through personal experience. Much to his mother and father's relief and amazement, Kyle graduated from Madisonville North Hopkins High School in 1969. Following this miraculous slight-of-hand, he proceeded to attend the University of Kentucky, where he achieved a Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering. This he used in a lifelong career as an engineer, where he honed the use of duct tape to a fine art. More importantly, while in Lexington he met the love of his life and sprouted a love of Wildcat Basketball that would last forever.

Lesson # 3: If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Of course, if it's so broken that the fixing takes years, then that's fun. At least that must be what Kyle meant, because he spent years working in his custom built garage to restore his 1968 Camaro to his specifications. Or maybe that was just because he loved classic cars, Chevy was his preference, Camaro was his ultimate prize.

Kyle loved a lot of things- no memoir of him would be complete without mentioning, too, his love of St. Louis Cardinals baseball. But no few paragraphs will capture all of the lessons left behind by the man of vast and pragmatic intelligence, sparkling humor, and steadfast love.

If you would like to share any lessons the Kyle might have taught you, or just listen in, come to Gracepointe Baptist Church, 2339 West Parrish Avenue, Saturday, January 24 at 10:30 am for a memorial service. We'll see you there.

Expressions of sympathy may take the form of donations to Gracepointe Baptist Church

Condolence may be left for the family at www.glennfuneralhome.com