Kyle B. Yates

I knew Kyle from back in the 787 days. I admired him way before I got to know him. When I got to know him....Well to know Kyle is to love Kyle. His integrity in every thing he did was unmatched. For example when his neibors kid was selling girl scout cookies he talked me (who was on a diet) to buy almost a hundred $ worth. He talked passionately about his family making his wife, children and grandchildren come to life as I felt I was part of that family. When everyone around me seemed so distracted with their promotions and lives Kyle would pour himself into mine. Who does that nowadays....Kyle. You are missed and the world is darker you not being in it for sure.

Kyle was a great friend of mine and would help me and teach me about writing and updating my resume. He was a good person to talk to. He was my Boeing buddy!! RIP Kyle and fly with the angels!! I will miss you.

Kyle had a thirst for life and adventure that was undeniable. I met Kyle about 2 years ago when I started my engineering career at Boeing and we were fast friends. He had a personality you couldn’t ignore and was genuinely interested in life in a way I’ve rarely seen in all my years. He never failed to voice his grievances when he knew something was wrong or unjust, which was one of my favorite parts of his personality. He fought for what was right!! He loved his wife, children and grandchildren very much and was eager to talk about them any chance he got. Whether it was passing out FULL SIZE candy bars with them for Halloween or just spending time playing some good ol’ boardgames, he expressed his love for his family with the stories he shared and I consider myself lucky I got to know them through him. Mary was obviously the love and light of his life and he let me know how lucky he was to have met her on multiple occasions, as if he couldn’t believe it himself. He knew he had a blessed life with his family and you could see the love in his eyes whenever he talked about them. A close second was his love for aviation and for flying. He recounted so many stories it was hard to keep track of them all but it was obvious that was his passion and he considered himself a lucky man indeed to be able to fulfill that lifelong desire to soar through the clouds. It wasn’t long ago that he was sending me articles about 3I Atlas (a bit of news we were both thoroughly interested in). I will miss him greatly. My heart goes out to his family and loved ones. Thank you all for sharing your stories, it definitely makes me feel a little closer to him.

I feel very fortunate to have known Kyle. I first met him and his wife, Mary, find their home, and what began as a professional introduction quickly turned into a friendship that meant a great deal to me.

I will always treasure the evenings spent around their dining table sharing laughter, stories, and friendship. Kyle was truly a special man, and he will be deeply missed by all who had the priviledge of knowing him. His memory will live on through family he loved so dearly.

Our fondest memories of Kyle are from the summertime, when he would come over to pick Italian plums for Mary. He loved sharing that his wife Mary is Italian, which is why she loved this fruit so much. My husband would often joke that he and Kyle were brothers from different parents since they shared the same birthday, just one year apart. We will greatly miss his visits.

As my neighbor of 6 years I will miss him very much Kyle was the first person to contact me when my wife passed away to offer any help or assistance. That was the type of guy he was.

I meant Kyle in elementary school, the biggest kid in elementary school ,a gentle giant. Very quiet and reserved grew up in Glendora California.R.I.P

Kyle and Mary have been our next door neighbors for years and it has been a joy to have them. He and Bill shared a love for RED Pickups!! They immediately became good friends. Our familys became good friends and I think they washed the trucks so they looked pretty all the time! Kyle was always ready to help out in any way after I lost Bill--and I am going to miss him!!

Kyle was on my team at work that I have only been on for about 8 months now. It's a very large team and we just crossed paths for the first time about a week ago. The Lord God works in very mysterious ways however, and this story is no exception to that rule.

Kyle noticed a aviation calendar I've had on my desk for about the last 10 years depicting a historical Boeing aircraft, the B-17. The reason I have it always showing on my desk is that it is in my opinion the single most important aircraft in history. Without it, and incredible bravery and commitment of the Boeing engineers and craftsmen that created it and the air crews that flew it in WW2 the world we all live in would be a very different place today. I leave it there to remind myself and anyone who asks what our company accomplished once upon a time when the world needed us and the honor legacy we are all obligated to uphold.

Last week, Kyle was the first person in 10 years to ever ask me about it out-of-the-blue. He told me about all the current restoration efforts going-on all over the world with the examples that remain, many things I didn't know. I shared with him that I have a deep background in aviation in my family and asked him if he had ever heard of a man named Bob Hoover. He of course said he had as Bob is a legend in the community. I let Kyle know that my dad was Bob's defacto "crew chief" in Washington State when Bob would come here to do his airshow stunts in the 1980's and 1990's and that I have a picture of Bob holding me when I was about 5 years old at the Tacoma Narrows Airport.

Kyle then asked me if my dad knew a guy named Ben Olson. I smiled and said, "yeah he does; my dad is Ben Olson". Kyle looked at me in disbelief and said "no kidding" with what I imagine was a signature grin. At that point Kyle let me know that he and my dad had been working together at the Historic Flight Foundation museum in Mukilteo for years until the museum moved to Spokane.

My dad called me yesterday to let me know of Kyle's passing. He was notified by the shared contacts of the museum community.

I hope this story can bring your family some comfort in knowing that much like my father. The time that Kyle spent working on historic aircraft, talking about them, flying them, hanging out with other aircraft enthusiasts was all part of Gods mysterious plan and was more important and necessary than any of us can possibly understand. Without these connections to history that people like Kyle and my dad make real through their work there would be no picture of a B-17 on my desk and no knowledge of why that aircraft matters to the world: then, now, and forever.

God bless Kyle, his spirit, and all of you at this time.

Derek Olson
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High Flight, John Gillespie Magee Jr.

Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
of sun-split clouds,—and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of—wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there,
I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air ....

Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue
I've topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace
Where never lark, or even eagle flew—
And, while with silent lifting mind I've trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.

Although I only get to know Kyle for a brief two months, he has made quite a big impression on me. I really enjoyed his passion on aviation and his attention to detail to make sure jobs are done right. Kyle will be thoroughly missed by the Boeing team.

I'm sorry to hear about Kyle's passing. He and I worked together on the 777X Wing, standing up the Composite Wing Center and I was lucky enough to work with him again on the 777-8F freighter. We shared many conversations talking about cars, photography and airplanes. One thing I always appreciated about Kyle is that he was curious. He genuinely wanted to know how you were, what your interests were and what you were doing. Better yet he remembered those tidbits of information and would check in with you about those things. He was a good mana and a fine colleague he has been and will continue to be missed.

Mary and family - I was so sorry to hear about the loss of Kyle. I offer you and your family my sincere condolences during this most difficult time. Feel free to reach out anytime, even just to talk. I am happy to help in whatever way I can.

I primarily knew Kyle professionally. He was kind and easy-going, and a joy to work with. What I appreciated about him was how he was always soft-spoken and willing help out wherever required. Kyle was a good dude, and will be missed.

I’ve been fortunate enough to have known Kyle for many years from visits both to California and to Washington. He was always helping the ‘Jersey’ girl by putting gas in the rental car. I didn’t learn how until I moved to Florida. He made sure he knew where Mary and I would be going during the day, then, he would be there with us for dinner. Kyle was kind, humorous, and faithful. He valued family. He always made me feel welcome. If I had an issue and was texting Mary about it, later I would get an additional text with his thoughts in case I needed more help. I have many happy memories of family time in summer, holidays and for Birthdays. After I moved to Florida, Mary and Kyle came for a visit. Kyle spent plenty of time at the Sun ‘n Fun Aerospace Expo in Lakeland. He loved airplanes. He bought excellent seats for the air show the day the 3 of us attended. It was such fun. He knew all the planes and added interesting commentary about them. Recently I saw some unusual planes at the Avon Park Airport. I snapped a photo, sent it to him, and within minutes, his reply came back with the plane name, what it was used for and where the company that makes them is located. I will miss him very much.

Kyle was a funny easy going guy. Super easy to talk to and genuinely cared about what was going on in other people's lives.
He loved sharing his interest in planes and flying and was open to answering any question we threw at him about it.
He talked alot about Mary and his love for her and even though my husband and I never had the privilege of meeting her it felt like we knew her through Kyle.
Days will never be the same without the little facebook reels Kyle sent every day to bring a smile. He will be greatly missed!

Kyle’s love for his family was very apparent and admirable. He always asked about our son. He joked they both had a love of Costco. May he rest in peace.

We Loved Kyle from day one when he and Mary moved into the neighborhood. He was a happy and serious guy. He was gifted beyond words. His interests were deep and His love for his wife, Mary, was so evident as he doted on her, with a smirk and and a smile and always there to care for and encourage her. We always enjoyed his humor and kind ways and count him and a bright light in our lives.
We contributed to Hope Unlimited, the fire police chaplaincy in his Memorry.

I cherish the years we were friends in Smyrna, GA. I especially recal how Kyle helped us move into our home in Bent Tree.

From Chicken & Ribs to driving lessons to welding to strawberry daiquiris to scratchers to checking the air in the tires to "just one more game", our fun and memories will always be with me. I couldn't have asked for a better Bapa for my kiddos. I love you, Kyle.