On Thursday, January 26, 2023, a new angel earned his wings. Kyle Gordon Amadon, age 65, passed away unexpectedly and peacefully from complications from bladder cancer. Kyle was a kind, smart, loving, gentle person, who amassed heartfelt friendships wherever he went. He will be tremendously missed by all who knew him.
Kyle was born to Helen Gale and Stan Amadon on June 24, 1957, in the beautiful Northeast Kingdom of Vermont in Lyndon Center. Kyle was very proud of his Vermont roots. He enjoyed an active lifestyle throughout his life that began in the majestic hills of the Green Mountain State.
The Amadons truly valued family and raised their boys to be kind, considerate, caring men, with a strong work ethic, who loved their family. Kyle’s mother was one of 13 siblings. Kyle’s father was one of three brothers. The Gale and Amadon family of siblings gave Kyle and his brother, Clark, a large extended family of wonderful cousins. They spent many summers together at Gale family reunions in northern Vermont along Lake Averill, swimming, fishing, cooking, hiking, laughing and telling tall tales. All the cousins remain closely connected today and continue to gather as often as possible. They are a fun-loving bunch of people and Kyle cherished and loved those relationships deeply.
Kyle and Clark appreciated spending time together and were active young men from playing baseball, soccer, running, participating in Boy Scouts, to skiing and fishing. In the spring, Kyle enjoyed making fresh maple syrup and throughout his entire life only ate maple syrup made in Vermont. But Kyle’s true sports love was golf. He began golfing at the young age of 12 and eventually turned his passion for golf into a career. He was thrilled to be able to travel to Augusta, GA, and witness the Masters Golf Tournament in person, and was a volunteer at many PGA events in Texas and California.
Kyle graduated from Harwood Union High School in Waterbury, VT, in 1975. After graduating from high school, he attended Lyndon State College in Lyndonville, Vermont, where he received a BS in Recreation in 1979.
While at LSC, Kyle’s primary sport commitment was as a member of the ski team from 1975 to 1979, serving as co-captain his senior year. The team had the distinction of winning the Division II championships two of the four years. As a Nordic-combined skier, Kyle placed in the top 10 at the 1979 Division I ski meet and was named to the All-East Division II Ski Team during his senior year. Kyle was also a skillful ski jumper during his time on the team. Kyle played soccer from 1977 to 1979, serving as co-captain his senior year. He was also a member of the club volleyball team for two years and the golf team for one year. In 2008, Kyle was inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame at Lyndon State College and later served on the alumni board for several years. This coming fall 2023, his team will be recognized for their 1977-1978 LSC Ski Team Division II Championships during Lyndon State College-now Northern Vermont University-Lyndon homecoming weekend.
After graduating from LSC, Kyle moved to Texas, where he began his career in the health club industry. He held positions as front desk employee, salesperson, racquetball instructor, personal trainer, and general manager. Kyle spent a short time in El Paso and was subsequently offered a transfer to Austin, Texas, where he opened and became general manager of Supreme Court Racquet Clubs. Kyle quickly developed a rich community of friends, many who remained very close friends throughout his life. Kyle’s career had been devoted to assisting others in achieving a healthier quality of life. In 1996, he received his personal training certification from the prestigious American College of Sports Medicine. Kyle kept this certification active in order to best serve his personal training clients, which included assisting one of his clients in preparing and successfully qualifying for the Boston Marathon.
In 1987, Kyle met the woman who would become his devoted life partner, in sickness and in health, for the next 36 years. Kyle met Theresa Amaya at Supreme Court Racquet Club in Austin, TX, while Kyle was giving racquetball lessons and managing the women’s racquetball league. Kyle would love to tell the story that Theresa picked him up in a health club. And that is how their love story began. Kyle and Theresa were married in 1989 and began a life of adventure, moving 25 times, living in three different states, and in six different cities during their life together.
They found their common love of dogs and were the very proud and loving parents of Sierra, Graci and Crosby. Sierra and Graci have crossed over to the rainbow bridge and are with Kyle now. Crosby is currently Theresa’s sweet four-legged companion and support buddy since Kyle’s passing. Throughout their life together, Kyle and Theresa enjoyed an active life, traveling, running half marathons, Kyle ran five full marathons, including a special 60th birthday marathon race accompanied by his brother in Seattle. Kyle enjoyed watching the Giants win, was an avid UT Longhorns fan, and of course, loved everything golf. He was becoming an accomplished fly fisherman, under the tutelage of his brother, Clark, during their annual brothers’ trips. Kyle enjoyed a good dirty martini from time to time, along with an occasional sweet-smelling cigar. And he never met a whoopie pie or a red velvet funnel cake he didn’t love.
In 1995, Kyle and Theresa moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, where Kyle took another step in his career and joined New Mexico Sports and Wellness, becoming general manager at four of the five clubs while in Albuquerque. In 2001, Kyle transferred to San Antonio, TX, to run the premiere health club in San Antonio, Concord Athletic Club. He continued his career as general manager for Spectrum Athletics until 2010, when he and Theresa moved to California. Kyle remained in the health club business, mainly as a consultant, working with clubs in California. Kyle and Theresa moved back to Austin in 2012 and in 2017, Kyle obtained his real estate license and started building his real estate business.
In 2019, Kyle and Theresa moved to San Diego, CA, where they most currently resided. Kyle worked for Santaluz Club, a private neighborhood golf club, as a golf marshal and starter, where he was generously loved and cared for throughout his time there. Kyle and Theresa enjoyed the beautiful southern California weather, hiking, sunset dinners on the beach, became Padres fans, enjoyed seeking out new speakeasy bars with their friends, enjoyed trips up the coast of California, and generally embraced their California lifestyle.
Throughout his life, Kyle served with many nonprofit organizations, primarily focusing on fitness and wellness for others. As a member of the board of directors for Special Olympics New Mexico, Kyle was actively involved in the state and regional games, including holding the distinct honor of being the race starter for all running events at summer games. Kyle was moved by the Special Olympics oath, “Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.” The smiles on the faces of the athletes as they came across the finish line, whether finishing first or last, brought great joy to Kyle. Not surprisingly, Special Olympics honored him with the award of Board Member of the Year in 2001.
Kyle had been very active in Rotary and was proud to share in the commitment that his father, Stan, had displayed as a 55-plus year Rotarian. He was humbled by the work he did as a Rotarian, primarily building playgrounds in under-served neighborhoods throughout San Antonio, TX. Kyle served on the board of directors for the Texas Health and Racquet Sports Association, volunteered as a member of the Hospitality Committee for the San Antonio Sports Foundation, and served as a volunteer for many other community groups over the past 40 years.
Kyle is survived by his loving wife of 33 years, Theresa Amaya; his mother, Helen Gale Amadon; his brother, Clark Amadon and wife, Jeb Bouchard; niece, Sara Amadon and her daughters, Solenne and Annika Anderson; and niece, Caitlin Amadon; Theresa’s family to include her sisters, Maria Amaya and husband, Pete Garza, Lydia Amaya, Chris Gilchrist, Yola Ruhstorfer and husband, Mark Ruhstorfer, Eva Amaya, brother, John Amaya and wife, Sheila Amaya, nieces and nephews Andrea DeLong Amaya and husband, David Mahler, Jonathan Amaya, Lisa Amaya, Kerry Bell, Staci Gilchrist, Austin Ruhstorfer, Mason Amaya, Jenny Amaya Gless and husband, Jason Gless; several great nieces, nephews and his beloved extended family of Gale and Amadon cousins and many loving friends. Kyle was preceded in death by his father, Stan Amadon, his infant brother, Kirk, Theresa’s parents, Juan and Socorro Amaya, his buddy and brother-in-law, Gary Gilchrist, and great niece, Jocelyn Bell.
Kyle’s family would like to express their tremendous gratitude to Scripps MD Anderson Center and particularly Dr. Munveer Banghoo and his staff for their remarkable care, compassion and concern during Kyle’s 15-month cancer journey.
Theresa would also like to share her heartfelt appreciation to Kyle’s employer, Santaluz Club and its members, for all they have done for them over the past three years, specifically during Kyle’s difficult health journey. This San Diego family tremendously enhanced Kyle’s life through all the love and caring they have shown him and Theresa and she is eternally grateful to them.
A private Remembrance of Kyle will be held in Austin, Texas, in April. There will be a public Remembrance of Kyle at Blush Hill Country Club, 141 Lonesome Trail, Waterbury, Vermont 05676 on Saturday, June 24, 2023, at 2 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Waterbury Rotary Club, P.O. Box 586, Waterbury, VT 05676 in honor of Kyle’s father’s 55 years of service; Scripps MD Anderson Cancer Center, donate.scripps.org/giving/scrippshealth, select MD Anderson Greatest Needs; Northern Vermont University-Lyndon, Institutional Advancement, PO Box 919, Lyndonville, VT 05851-0919, or any animal shelter/humane society of choice.
