Jesse Lee Kalal , February 06, 1998 — March 01, 2019

Jesse Kalal of Overland Park, KS and Marble Canyon, AZ died on March 1st. He was 21 years old. Jesse is the son of Rick Kalal and Kathy Kovach; brother of Amber and Levi Kalal and a memorable friend to most of you.

He was loved by his Grandmother Joan Kalal and a host of Aunts, Uncles and Cousins spread across the country. After graduating from Blue Valley Northwest High School in Overland Park, he completed the Wilderness EMT program at NOLS (The National Outdoor Leadership School) in Lander, Wyoming. Jesse spent his summers working for Hatch River Expeditions in Grand Canyon National Park and returned home during the winters, where on occasion he would attempt to raise the act of bussing tables to an art form.

While he was a typical 21-year-old, enjoying video games, beers with friends and anticipating the next episodes of Game of Thrones; he also listened to Jazz and Bob Marley. He stayed up late to gaze at the night sky, loved all things served on a tortilla, and was a loyal fan of the St. Louis Blues. He didn’t read much but was known to quote Edward Abbey.

Jesse loved the outdoors, hiking the California coast and climbing the red rock canyons of the desert Southwest. He was a member of the climbing communities in Kansas City and Flagstaff where the shared common experience was his time at NOLS. There is no sense to be made of his death at this young age and in an attempt to foster something good from it, in lieu of flowers, the family is encouraging donations to the NOLS Scholarship Fund.

Please donate nols. edu/donate and by adding “In Memory of Jesse Kalal” on the comment line, the funds will be designated for a NOLS Wilderness Medicine student.

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