Obituary: Kyle Bradly McKinney

November 8, 2008 – September 13, 2026

Kyle Bradly McKinney died unexpectedly, Sept. 13, 2026, at age 17. He was born Nov. 8, 2008, in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. Kyle was a fourth-generation Coloradan, always a child with a free spirit, a love of the outdoors and a follower of his own path.

He did typical kids things, however, with a spice of life that attracted many friends, young and old. By the end of his short lifetime, he had friends everywhere we went. Kyle grew up next door to an assisted living home owned by his parents. As a child, he would run through the doorways engulfing all the residents with his spirit, a hug and his huge smile.

He spent his formative years attending Camp Timanous on Panther Pond in Maine over several summers. After camp, he went on to spend every chance possible on the small island of North Haven, Maine, with his parents, brother, sister and many close friends.

At 15, Kyle attended a summer photography school through National Geographic and traveled to the Galápagos Islands and Ecuador where he met some incredible people from his group. He was planning to participate in a language and culture program next year, abroad for nine months, traveling to Rome; Tamarindo, Costa Rica; Tokyo; and Barcelona.

He always loved his family, kind people, animals, music, art, philosophy and political science. His favorite pastimes included hiking, “camping” with his friends, skiing, rafting and driving his “cute” blue Forrester all over the valley, putting over 30,000 miles on it in the first year! He had numerous friends and several besties he hung out with daily. Kyle worked at the Colorado Brew Pub and Dominos his last summers, but his most important job was being a friend to everyone, with important duties such as celebrating birthdays, saying goodbyes, airport pickups, work, a rescue from a bad party or a ride home to anyone who needed one.

Kyle never shied away from making someone feel like the most important person in the world. He would embrace you with a big hug, tell you thank you and I love you many times a day. He embodied a spirit too large for this world and left an impact that will forever change our lives.

Kyle followed his own compass, and was always about finding unity and love. He once said, “When you are triggered, you are incapable of finding unity and thus become a victim.” Creating unity through his unique gifts was his life’s mission. He said we should not be afraid now and that fear operates on the same frequency as excitement. He told us these are exciting times, and we are all lucky to be alive today – a gift that is better than winning any lottery.

Kyle had friends across the globe, loved his “girl friends,” music, EDM, outdoor concerts, walking hallways at school, reaching out to friends in need, the family dogs Chewie and Vader, and his cat Bart.

Kyle is survived by his parents, Leo and Patty McKinney, older brother, Luke McKinney, his older sister and twin flame, Sierra McKinney, both born at 11:42 a.m.; his grandparents, Cindi and Rick Finken of Arizona; dozens of aunts, uncles, cousins and vast amounts of friends.

A celebration of life will be held at Glenwood Canyon Resort in No Name at 1 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 18. All are welcome.