Officer's Dad Recalls His Love of the Outdoors, Love of Life

From the age of 2, Elmhurst Police Officer Kyle Dieling was at home in a fishing boat. He began hunting at 11, and by the time he was 14, he was a certified fly casting instructor.

"He was a passionate outdoorsperson," said Kyle's dad, David Dieling, who was the No. 1 influence in Kyle's young life when it came to outdoor activities.

"I took him everywhere I went," David said. "I've got pictures of him sleeping in the boat, taking naps, changing his diapers. He would not let me go anywhere without taking him with."

The 27-year-old was on his way to spend a few hours goose hunting before his shift with the Elmhurst Police Department last Saturday. He was going to hunt on some land of a friend in unincorporated Will County. But on the way, he lost control of his truck on an icy stretch of Route 6 and was killed.

"He left here at 8:30 (in the morning)," his dad said Tuesday, from his Elmhurst home. "He called back to the house and said, 'I think I left my coffee mug on the driveway, would you go get it?' I found it on the bumper of my truck. That was the last time I ever talked to him.

"He wasn't just my son. He was my best friend. We did everything together."

David, and Kyle's mom, Valerie, were understandably worried about the inherent dangers of police work when Kyle took a job with the Elmhurst Police Department  about a year ago.

"Every day he left for work, in the back of my mind I had that thought, 'I hope he comes home tonight,' " David said.

And they worried about him when bought a Harley-Davidson motorcycle last summer.

"We weren't real happy about it, but he embraced the whole experience. He loved riding his motorcycle," David said.

But they never considered they would lose their son on that icy patch of roadway in Homer Glen. The family was just coming off of a wonderful holiday, his dad said. On Dec. 26, Kyle and his girlfriend of six years, Amanda Biggs, his sister, Emily, Emily's fiancé and his father, and David all attended a Blackhawks game together.

"We had a great time that night," David said. "Kyle was a big fan of the Blackhawks. This past summer, he actually got to go to a Stanley Cup party at Brent Sopel's house in Hinsdale. I've got pictures of him drinking from the Stanley Cup."

David said Kyle lived life "100 percent."

"He squeezed every ounce of everything out of this world that he could in the short time he was here," David said.

In addition to being a certified fly casting instructor, Kyle was involved with competitive bass fishing. At the age of 17, Kyle drove a camera boat for ESPN for four days during the Bassmaster's Classic in Chicago.

"He was on cloud nine that week that he was able to hang out with all the professionals and be a part of such a big event like that," David said.

When he was in college studying criminology at Murray State University in Kentucky, he also was a founding member of the Murray State Bass Club. He led the team to the first collegiate bass national championships, where they finished in fifth place.

"I have a DVD somewhere from when he was on ESPN fishing competitively for Murray State," his dad said.

He also was an accomplished archer.

"He bow-hunted for 19 consecutive days, from sunrise to sunset, in late October to mid-November (last year)," he said.

And his police work earned him the respect and admiration of his fellow officers, who mourned his passing this week with black arm bands and a police station flag at half-mast. Flags also were flown at half-mast Monday and Tuesday at Emerson Elementary School, Churchville Middle School and York High School, all schools Kyle attended.

Visitation for Kyle will be held from 3 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 5, and from 8:15 to 9:15 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 6, at Gibbons Funeral Home, 134 S. York Road. A funeral service will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday at Mary Queen of Heaven Catholic Church, 426 N. West Ave.