JOSHUA KYLE HYDEN

1985 to 2021

Protective, lively, and relentlessly loyal

Kyle and his Nicole.

Joshua Kyle Hyden—a protective, lively, and relentlessly loyal young man whose premature death left his family shocked and devastated—passed away at North Florida Regional Medical Center in Gainesville, FL, on December 3^rd, 2021, his wife Nicole, parents Joy and Rodney, and Aunt Karen at his side.

Kyle with his “Papa Jack”.

The oldest of two children, Kyle, as he preferred to be known, was born April 4, 1985, in Gainesville, FL to Joy and Rodney Hyden, owner of BHB Builders, a construction company. As a child, he adored his grandfather, Jackson “Jack” Hyden, or Papa Jack, as he called him.

Kyle grew up fishing and hunting with his father. He spent summers at the local springs in Central Florida, swimming and barbecuing with friends and family and stalking game and fishing with his maternal grandfather, Ted H. Mathis, known as Epa. He attended Gainesville High School and learned carpentry from Papa Jack. There was nothing Kyle couldn’t build, operate or repair, something that also bonded him with his dad, Rodney, who taught his son the construction business—from operating heavy equipment to concrete masonry.

Kyle’s dedication and loyalty to his father was unwavering. But he considered his mom his best friend and confidant and talked to her daily. He also often visited her in Baker, FL.

Family and children were everything

Nicole and Kyle with Emerson and Keenan.

Kyle with two of his kids, Gracie Bug, as he called his daughter, and son Landen.

At 5-foot-10, with a ravishing smile and wry sense of humor, Kyle favored Carhartt Jeans, Under Armour shirts, Redwing boots, and his cherished Costas sunglasses. There were the tattoos: two doves and an Aries Ram honoring Nicole’s birthday, April 3.

Said his beloved wife of two years Nicole “Bean” Hyden: “His smile will be remembered for eternity.”

Kyle came up with the nickname Bean after he first met Nicole in his living room in Archer, FL in June of 2019. The name, which so reflected his brand of humor, referred to the many cups of coffee she consumes each day. He welcomed her twins, Keenan and Emerson, as his own. Kyle was equally devoted to his own brood, Hailey, Gracie, and son Landen.

Outspoken and blunt, he had “a heart as true as heaven,” his wife said. “He loved like no other, but you always knew where he stood.” He enjoyed aggravating loved ones at times, however, raising their blood pressure to make them mad, all the time joking and laughing.

Rodney Hyden is pictured on a poster advertising his documentary.

On the plus side, he never ceased thinking of ways to help, solve problems, demonstrate how much he cared. And he had dreams for the future. He hoped one day to own a fishing tacklebox shop and buy an airboat. He watched fishing shows and became a huge fan of Yellowstone.

With daughter Hailey.

One thing he liked to tease his dad about—not to mention watch over and over—was a documentary, The Legend of Cocaine Island. The 2018 film ran on Netflix and recounted the hilarious, ill-fated attempt of how Rodney, “a family man with no drug-running experience searches the island of Culebra for a lost stash of cocaine said to be worth at least $2 million.” Although Rodney and his ragtag bunch came up empty-handed, it awarded the Hydens a certain movie gravitas.

“You go where I go.”

Kyle was a Christian and attended Summit Church, in Crestview, FL. He often quoted Philippians 4:13—”I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” To Nicole, he always said, “You go where I go.”

His heart, from the time he was a little boy till he left this world, belonged to his “Papa Jack.” There is no doubt his Papa was waiting for him. But his children, Hailey, Grace, and Landen were always in his thoughts. He adored his daughters, especially Gracie Bug; and even though he hadn’t seen Hailey in ten years, his love for her never changed.

Mom Joy with her son.

Kyle and his “Bean”.

During Kyle’s final time in the hospital, Nicole said “I held his hand until the end”–December 3^rd–when life-support was removed. Despite some rough times, Nicole never wavered in her devotion to her husband. “Beautiful crazy love cannot be described,” she said.

She couldn’t help but recall a note that Kyle had left for her a year ago. “Don’t stop being you,” he wrote. “Continue to laugh and know I’ll be with you in spirit. I don’t believe us being apart stops our souls from being together.”

“My rock as she was Kyle’s”

Kyle and Gracie a week before his passing.

Nicole expressed enormous gratitude to Kyle’s mom Joy for being “my rock as she was Kyle’s.”

Joshua Kyle Hyden is survived by his wife, Nicole Hyden, stepsons Emerson and Keenan of Trenton, FL; his father Rodney Hyden (Jamie) of Alachua, FL; his mother Kathryn Joy Mathis of Baker, FL; sisters Landis Mathis Booker of Alaska and Emily Hyden of Alachua, FL; Kyle’s children Hailey Savannah Hyden of North Carolina, Jackson Landen Hyden of West Palm Beach, FL, and Enea Grace Hyden of Baker, FL, and Grace’s half-sister, Faith Mcvay. Kyle was predeceased by his paternal grandparents, Jackson Hyden and Enea Hyden, and his maternal grandparents, Ted H. Mathis and Joyce H. Mathis, known as Ema.

A Celebration of Kyle’s life will be held in April at a place where he and his father went fishing, as was his wish. Details will be announced at a later date.

Faith with Kyle.