OBITUARY Donald (Don) Gene Kyzer June 26, 1945 – November 30, 2018 Donald “Don” Gene Kyzer, age 73, of Tuscaloosa, Ala. , passed away November 30, 2018 at DCH Regional Medical Center. Celebration of Life service will be 11 a.m. Saturday, December 8, 2018, at Valley View Baptist Church.
Heritage Chapel Funeral Home & Cremations, a Dignity Memorial Provider, is directing. Visitation will be 9:30 a.m. – 11 a.m. Saturday at the church. He was the son of John Allen Kyzer, Jr. and Marie Christenberry Kyzer.
Survivors include his sisters, Ethelyn K. Stuhr of Tuscaloosa and Susan K. White (Joe) of Ball Ground, Ga. ; twin brother, Ronald Dene Kyzer (Nancy) of Tellico Plains, Tenn. ; four nieces, three nephews, and a large extended family.
Don was born June 26, 1945 in Tuscaloosa, attended Tuscaloosa City public schools, graduated from Tuscaloosa High School in 1963 and received a BA in Political Science from the University of Alabama in 1967. He left this world leaving a tremendous earthly legacy. For 35 years he served in positions which allowed him to help high school students develop their leadership potential.
He impacted many lives as a teacher, both at Tuscaloosa High School and at Choctawhatchee High School in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, where he also served as a leadership administrator. While teaching, he was involved with the high school’s “Hi-Y’ program which led to his career with the YMCA. He served the YMCAs of Florida by providing local and state high school leadership development programs.
He moved to Chicago in 1991 to join the staff of the national YMCA as the National Teen Leadership Director for all 2,400 local YMCAs in the U.S. and then as the National Director of the Y’s Character Development programs. He was responsible for the rollout of the YMCA’s character values of Caring, Honesty, Respect and Responsibility that are now recognized and used around the world. He rubbed shoulders with Presidents, Senators, Congressmen, Cabinet Members and Supreme Court Justices and introduced them to some of the most talented young people from around the country through the YMCA Youth Governors’ Conferences in Washington, D.C.
He modeled those character values every day of his life. In retirement, Don served his church as Pastor for Administration and Senior Adults. His servant leadership, humility, generosity, and true charity were apparent to everyone who knew him.
He did exactly what he always encouraged others to do – he left things better than he found them. His smile, quick wit, great sense of humor and intellect will be missed. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Valley View Baptist Church, c/o Don Kyzer Memorial Fund, 8820 Hwy 69 South, Tuscaloosa, AL 35405.
Condolences may be offered at www. HeritageChapelTuscaloosa.com. FAMILY Survivors include his sisters, Ethelyn K. Stuhr of Tuscaloosa and Susan K. White (Joe) of Ball Ground, Ga.
; twin brother, Ronald Dene Kyzer (Nancy) of Tellico Plains, Tenn. ; four nieces, three nephews, and a large extended family.
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