Noah Boler-Kyle: Faith, Joy, and a Lasting Legacy

The family of Noah Boler-Kyle is grieving the loss of their beloved son, who passed away on Friday following a severe medical emergency. Noah was a vital part of Decatur Heritage’s historic 2019 boys’ basketball team, which made history by winning the program’s first Class 1A State Championship. He was named MVP for the championship game and later received the Class 1A Player of the Year award before continuing his basketball journey at Lee University.

Noah’s parents, Heather and Tommy Kyle, shared that he had been dealing with respiratory issues for several months after returning home from Lee University last year. The family recently took a trip to Colorado together before Noah returned to Cleveland, Tennessee, to reconnect with friends from college.

According to the family, Noah arrived home around 1:00 a.m., and Heather Kyle mentioned that he was in distress when he woke up at a rental house he shared with her daughter. The house was located about five streets away from Heather’s parents’ home.

“What we know is that he drove to their house at 4:30 in the morning, and he called 911 before he got there,” Heather said. “He told them he couldn’t breathe and made it into my parents’ house, where he collapsed on their den floor.”

Noah was rushed to the hospital and later transferred to UAB Hospital, where doctors discovered swelling in his brain. He was declared dead at 6:30 p.m. on Friday.

Heather and Tommy Kyle emphasized that Noah’s greatest legacy was not his achievements on the basketball court, but the way he lived out his faith and brought people together.

“When he became comfortable in his skin because he came to know Jesus,” Tommy said. “It’s what we’ve heard from his friends and everyone around him, and it’s what we’re going to miss. It’s what his brothers and sisters are going to miss.”

Noah had a strong bond with his siblings, making the phone calls to inform them of his passing particularly difficult for the family.

“Our children and our home have many different backgrounds and situations, but he bonded every one of them so sweetly,” Heather said. “The hardest thing was making the phone calls to them, and every one of them came here. We were able to surround his bed, play worship music, pray over him, and laugh because Noah is one of the funniest, most fun kids I’ve ever met.”

While basketball became Noah’s second home, his parents said music was always his true passion.

“No matter what music was playing, that was always his happy place,” Heather said.

“His first love and his therapy will always be music. But a round orange ball filled with air took him a long way,” Tommy added.

As the community remembers the athlete who helped make school history, Noah’s parents hope he will be remembered most for the way he lived out his faith and brought light to those around him.

“Noah’s assignment was pretty simple. You’re 6’9, people are going to look at you, and you get a chance every day. You can choose to be light or darkness. You can choose to light up a world or not, and he chose to light up the world,” Tommy said.

They hope his story continues to inspire others.

“We want to honor him, and the best way to do that is to share his story, because he was amazing,” Heather said.

The family shared that Noah’s organs were donated, allowing others to receive the gift of life. A celebration of life service is scheduled for Saturday, July 18th, at the Church of the Highlands in Madison.