I just received news last night that my long-lost cousin, Kyle Smith, passed away. He was only 30 years old. We were connected through my Wheeler family line, and he was considered my 3rd Cousin 1x removed. We got in contact through genealogy research. He had a huge passion for research, which is what led us to get in contact. He was just a wealth of information about our family. We had hoped to meet up one day in person, but unfortunately, that won't be the case.
I don't know what happened. Last I heard, he was taking care of his mom, my 3rd cousin. Her health wasn't doing so well. She was in and out of the hospital quite a bit. Poor Kyle was the sole provider and caregiver. I do know that Kyle struggled with depression hardcore. I think he was diagnosed with bipolar, but I can't remember. There were nights spent praying for him and his family and trying to encourage him through the rough times. I know one thing he really struggled with was the loss of his brother, Chris. That hit him so hard. Being that I am not close with the family, I may never know what exactly happened with Kyle, but that's okay. I just know that I will miss him greatly.
How We Are Related
I got in contact with Kyle years ago when I first began my research. He had uploaded many documents and photos of the family that helped me make connections. Our common ancestors were John William Enoch Wheeler and his wife Mary Elizabeth Ware. My great-grandfather was James Benjamin Francis Wheeler, son of John & Mary. Kyle's ancestor was James' brother, George Ezra Daniel Wheeler.
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| Family Tree of John William Enoch Wheeler Ancestry.com |
Thanks to Kyle, I got copies of pages from the Wheeler Family Bible that contain Births, Marriages, and Deaths. That led me to locate documents to back up this information. He also tagged me in a photo that helped me connect a missing piece that was in my grandma's collection.
This was one of my most exciting finds because that is my Great-Grandma. She died when my grandpa was just a baby, so I didn't have any pictures of her. Or so I thought. If he wouldn't have tagged me in that full photo, I wouldn't have figured out who this was. So as you can see, thanks to Kyle, I was able to connect more pieces and trace my family back further.
Grief comes in many different ways. And right now I'm grieving what would have been along with missing him. Please pray for Kyle's family as they process this difficult time. I'm grateful for the short time I knew Kyle. One day I know I will eventually see him.
Here is Kyle's obituary: https://www.luffbowen.com/obituaries/kyle-smith
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| Kyle Austin Smith April 21, 1993 - November 4, 2023 |
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