Kyle Stephen Kane Brayer

Kyle Brayer, a loving son, brother, uncle and friend, a veteran of the United States Marine Corps, a visionary entrepreneur and a much-respected fire captain with the Tempe Fire Medical Rescue Department, died Sunday morning in Scottsdale. Kyle was only 34 years old – and yet he packed more quality relationships, success and adventures into his time on Earth than most people would if they lived for 100 years.

Born in Ocala, Florida to Arthur Brayer and Gloria Kane Brayer, Kyle learned young the three core values that would shape his life: to put family first before all else – in the words of his father, “Pops,” to “We take care of our own” – to love and honor the country he would one day serve as a Marine, and to work as hard as he could for as long as he could, because, as Kyle learned from Pops, “in life anything is possible, if you are willing to pay the price.”

Kyle’s love of sports and fitness began in childhood and would never leave him. As a high school student , Kyle excelled in ice hockey and roller hockey, finding ice time and workout time before sunrise, and taking home a gold medal with the USA Junior Olympic Roller Hockey team in 2001,being the high scoring player in the tournament in the Junior Olympics. As a fitness entrepreneur, Kyle founded Epic Fitness in 2004 in San Diego, before moving the thriving personal training and wellness business to Tempe in 2006.

Kyle’s sense of patriotism and love of country also marked him from a young age. The grandson of a decorated veteran of World War II, Kyle joined the U.S. Marine Corps in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. He served as a sergeant during his four years in the Marines, deploying with the Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 16 in Al Anbar, Iraq and delivering humanitarian aid in the Philippines. Kyle’s other stations included Okinawa, Thailand, Korea and Miramar, California. Appointed Director of the squadron’s Fitness Program, Kyle developed and implemented challenging exercise regimes for his fellow Marines and earned credentials from the International Sports Science Association and the American Council on Exercise. He also mentored fellow Marines transitioning out of military service through his volunteer work with the “Marine For Life” program.

After leaving the Corps, Kyle joined the City of Tempe Fire Medical Rescue Department. From his first days as a firefighter paramedic, Kyle stood out for his work ethic, his calmness in emergencies, his professional expertise and his complete commitment to his public safety family. A leader in the firehouse, Kyle’s accomplishments as a fire fighter included ranking first in his academy graduating class, ascending to the rank of captain with unprecedented speed, working as a leader with the Tempe cadet program, serving as a firefighter fitness instructor at Mesa Community College, playing hockey in the 2011 World Police & Fire Games, and, in 2016, helping to launch the city’s Veterans Telemedicine Program. Together with the Phoenix Veterans Administration Hospital, Tempe’s VTMP initiative provides house calls and medical care to high-risk veterans across the city.

In the footsteps of his father, Kyle attended Arizona State University – while balancing a 56-hour-a-week job as a firefighter and building his fitness business. As a working student, Kyle still found time to play hockey at the collegiate level and to pursue twin majors in Wellness and Public Administration Management.

An avid hiker, climber and snowboarder, Kyle’s passion for travel took him all over the world – to nearly 50 countries, including summiting Mount Kilimanjaro in 2011, a trip to the 2014 Sochi, Russia Winter Olympics, and journeys to Machu Picchu, Icelandic glaciers, the summit of Mount Rainier, the Eiffel Tower, Havasupai Falls, and walking the “plank road” along China’s Mount Huashan. Kyle’s companion on many of these trips was his beloved sister, Brooke Brayer, along with his lifelong friends and his firefighter family.

Kyle’s death came because of a senseless act of violence – a fact that only serves to reaffirm the value of Kyle’s life, his sense of community service, and his ability to make everyone who knew him better and happier for having been inspired by his attitude, leadership, sense of heroism and loving kindness. Kyle is survived by his father, Art; Art’s wife, Bobbie Logan; his mother, Gloria; and his sister, Brooke. He also is survived by three brothers, Brent and Bo Brayer and Chase Logan, and a sister, Brooke Logan. Additionally, Kyle will live forever in the hearts of the men and women of Ladder Company 276 and Fire Station 6 on Ash Street in Tempe, and with his public safety brothers and sisters in Tempe and in the United Phoenix Fire Fighters Local 493, Tempe Chapter.

Funeral services for Capt. Brayer will be Friday, February 9, 2018, beginning at 10 a.m. at Scottsdale Bible Church, 7601 E. Shea Boulevard. In lieu of flowers, his family asks that you instead make a donation in Kyle’s memory to the United Phoenix Fire Fighters Charities.