GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Family and friends of the 31-year-old Saranac man who died in a crash near Lowell are honoring his memory.

Kyle DeDonado was killed in a head-on crash Monday afternoon in Vergennes Township.

DeDonado was by all accounts a beloved husband and father of two young girls. He was important to many in the community, including members of the Michigan Disc Golf Empire, who are rallying behind DeDonado’s family during this tragic time. 

CJ Teuscher, a friend of DeDonado’s, described DeDonado as a “very good family man.”

“His two daughters and his wife, he cared a lot about them. And he just cared about each individual he came across,” Teuscher said. “If you were having a bad time, he would reach out and make sure you were doing okay. He’s done that for me personally.”

An undated courtesy photo of Kyle DeDonado.
An undated courtesy photo of Kyle DeDonado.

The two had been friends for around 4 years. Teuscher said he met DeDonado through the MDGE.

“We’ve done several league things like that together, league parties. The club is more of a family than a sporting thing, so we all support each other,” Teuscher said.

He shared one of his favorite memories of DeDonado.

A photo of Kyle DeDonado on his wedding day. (Courtesy)

“We were playing disc golf during a round, and we were both just throwing them into trees a bunch and not having the best round. And he kind of quoted ‘South Park’ because his name is Kyle,” Teuscher said. “And he would be like, ‘Dang it Kyle.’ And it would be like a funny ‘South Park’ reenacting voice of it. And that was just something that he always did and we always just laughed about.”

DeDonado’s family, friends and teammates will miss him dearly. 

“He was a beloved husband, a great father. I know he was very much a part of his family’s lives,” Teuscher said. “With the Michigan Disc Golf Empire, he was every bit of a family member to us.”

DeDonado’s team members are collecting donations to support his wife and two daughters.

“It just would be nice to show his wife and his daughters, even when they are old enough to understand everything a little bit better, that people are able to come together,” Teuscher said. “Lowell is not a huge area, but the more we can do, the better at just being able to show his wife and his kids for the future how great that her husband and their dad was … would just mean a lot to everybody.”

To DeDonado, Teuscher had a message.

“We all miss you and we hope that we see you on the other side, and we’ll all be keeping you in our hearts,” he said.

The DeDonado family is accepting support through GoFundMe. 

The Michigan Disc Golf Empire will hold a doubles tournament and benefit on Oct. 14 at 9 a.m. at Fallasburg Park Disc Golf Course to raise money for the DeDonado family.