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Kyle Davidson and staff in the Intensive Skills Classroom. Davidson’s teacher Kayla Fantz-Sands describes Kyle as a bubbly, determined and talkative person. Courtesy of Laura Davidson

Freshman Kyle Benjamin Davidson died surrounded by family on Sept. 8 from heart failure due to complications from cerebral palsy. Kyle loved music, family and his community at Lincoln. He was fourteen.

Kyle’s mom, Laura Davidson, describes Kyle as an empathetic, special kid.

“He was just very loving, and he was also compassionate. I took him to so many appointments, and when we would sit in the waiting room if he heard a baby crying, he would start crying,” she said. 

Kyle’s mother also said her son was strong throughout his life. 

“He was a fighter his whole life,” she said. “He tolerated so much pain from surgeries and all the appointments, and he had so many seizures, but sometimes he would smile through it all.”

Davidson said that her son enjoyed many things in his life. 

“He would always get excited when somebody came home, like my husband from work or his brothers from school,” said Davidson. “He liked shiny red wrapping paper, bubble wrap, [and] these little popping sockets…. He liked musical instruments because his brothers could play the piano.” 

Kyle’s teacher, Kayla Fantz-Sands, works in Lincoln’s Intensive Skills Classroom (ISC). She describes Kyle as a bubbly, determined and talkative person. 

Fantz-Sands vividly remembers Kyle’s first day of high school on Aug. 27. 

“His first day was so, so magical. Nothing really from my end as a teacher went as planned, but that’s kind of the joy of the day. We all got together with Kyle, and we took a picture for his first day of high school,” said Fantz-Sands. 

A big part of Kyle Davidson’s life, his mom said, was his family. 

“He really likes when people sing songs to him,” said Davidson. “So everybody sang to him. I would sing to him, and then his grandma Nancy would sing to him over the phone because they didn’t live in the same state…. My mom would tell him [the story of] Goldilocks and the Three Bears over the phone, and then my dad did a train whistle over the phone to him.” 

Laura Davidson said that her son’s favorite songs were “Blessing” by Carrie Joby and “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.” 

She says she remembers many moments in Kyle’s life when she would sing to him. 

“When I would sing to him or tell him a story, and he would smile at me and try to talk back to me, he’d be like, ‘Ah.’ We tried to get him his whole life to try and say Mom or Dad or Jacob or Nathan, but he couldn’t, but he could say ‘Ah.’ So you knew that was this way of saying, I love you. When he would say that back to us, that was special,” Davidson said.

Fantz-Sands remembers Kyle’s love for music. She says that he was the most responsive during music time in the classroom. 

 “We would sing instructions to him and he would light up with smiles,” Fantz-Sands said.

Kyle’s mother also said that her son loved attending school and participating in the community.

“[At school] he liked seeing everything, and he loved being around other people and just watching the other kids, and then he just loved listening to other people talk and have a conversation,” said Davidson.

A memorial service for Kyle was held Oct. 5 at Calvary Chapel Worship Center. At the memorial Kyle’s family and friends shared memories of him as well as photos and videos that had been taken throughout his life. 

The Davidson family wants to thank the entire community of people who helped Kyle throughout the years. Kyle’s mother is also thankful for her faith, which she says has helped them find hope and strength. 

“A big part of our life is going to church, and we feel God has sustained us and helped us with being able to take care of Kyle, and hope and strength from God is what kept us sustained all these years,” Davidson said.