Noah John Charles Kuefler

Please take a moment to think of a memory of Noah's kindness and generosity.

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His kindness and generosity were legendary. He was a true gift-giver, generous with both his resources of time and money and his heart. Gifts of kindness like trips to Sephora with his sister or the Panda memes for his mom are among the many he gave as a way of showing love to those around him. He wanted people to feel special, feel loved with the gifts of time, talent, and treasure. The minute he found out someone needed something, he'd start scheming how to make it happen. Without getting too cliche, he'd give you the shirt off his back, even if that shirt cost $700, like some of the Supreme or Super-dry hoodies told me about when he was in high school. Noah enjoyed fine things and he had his treasures, like a gray and green SR hat he got signed at a memorable concert, and he loved his favorite brands of Cadillac and Chevy, Nike, Canada Goose, Wrangler, and of course Gucci, but even more he loved sharing them with the people around him.

Please take a moment to remember Noah's dedication.

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Noah was industrious with a keen sense of responsibility. These gifts were fostered and developed in the sports and activities he participated in. The Edmonton Youth Pipe Band was a huge part of his family's life for many years. Noah, being Noah, chose the biggest, baddest instrument they had, taking on the challenge of the bagpipes. You can make whatever joke you want about him being full of hot air at times, but that instrument is no joke and is a challenge even for the best. One time, he shared a quote with his brother in the form of a sticky note to the forehead, "if you wish to be the king of the jungle... there can be no doubt." Noah had swagger, maybe even bit of an ego, but he put his heart and soul into earning it.

Saying football was a significant chapter in Noah's life is a bit of an understatement. He wanted to run the fastest, hit the hardest, and see everyone on his team achieve the level of success he dreamed for them. Countless hours were spent on the field where Noah practiced with his teammates and earned the rewards of strength and community forged from hard work and dedication. That dedication was inherited from both parents, and was exemplified by his mom, brother and sister in the many hours and frozen backsides that come with watching game after game. His family was always there for support. One of the biggest joys that came from those many hours is to see someone you love progress, grow, and achieve success through the hard work they put out; and one of the biggest joys for Noah that came from the many hours he spent on the field is that he got to spend them with his dad, the coach. In the moment, it kinda sucks when your coach is critiquing your technique or making you guts it out with one more drill, but it's certainly a different feeling when you're hoisting a championship trophy and getting to do so with your dad. Both on and off the field, Noah was all heart. He loved football, the game, the drama, and dreamed of becoming a pro fullback before life made other plans for him. Still, his love for the game, and his favorite team, the Dallas Cowboys, never diminished.

Noah’s love for sport wasn't restricted to football. When he was playing pee-wee, he had a coach that introduced him to rugby, which he played for four years. Noah loved the constant movement rugby offered, more chances to hit, tackle and carry the ball; he played hard, often going to head-to-head and from that I'm sure getting a true appreciation for the football helmet. Whether it was rugby or football, there was only 100% for Noah, he left it all out on the field, as is evident by numerous championships he contributed to in both sports throughout the years.

Pivoting from football, he grew in his love for weightlifting. He always got a boost from a new PB, though he still had a way to go to catch up to dad. He loved working out with his dad, brother, and friends; more time shared with those he loved. He loved seeing the people around him get stronger, not for the sake of strength as end to itself, but because what of what strength can do. Noah valued strength, it was the ability to do what’s necessary to support the ones you love, to protect, to hustle, to build, and to provide. Exercise meant balance, health, and prosperity. During a difficult time in world history, he saw that lack of physical exercise was creating problems for himself and all his friends, and when Noah saw a problem, he created a solution. So, the Kuefler Athletic Training group was created, and, anyone that wanted to keep their minds, right received a free membership. The gym was open early, closed late and came with a trainer that worked out beside you. You weren’t alone, and when you struggled with a lift, in full Ronnie Coleman style, he yelled “LIGHT WEEEEIGHT!!” until you powered through, assuming you weren’t laughing so hard you choked yourself out on the bar.

Some of my most important memories are going for coffee with him and the late-night conversations we occasionally had. Something that happens at that time of night; your mind and heart open and can we really connect with other people. We would talk about the future, and he would tell me about his friends and how, as a team, they were going to take over the world. I was privileged to hear how he was leveraging things he learned from earlier in life, like the value of a team and community, for his next chapter. I was proud of him for taking positive things like that forward because he did it not just to benefit himself, but to teach and support the entire team around him.

Noah had a keen sense of duty which came from a place of compassion and provision. We talked about how he was going to become a CFO and take care of his brother and sister and buy his parents a house. He had big dreams and I would always ask him what the plan is to get there, and so he turned his big dreams turned into big plans. I was always impressed by both his drive to take what he saw in his head and in his heart and make it a reality, and in his humility in seeking the skills and opportunities that he needed to accomplish this from those that had them and could impart them. We would talk about how even something simple like working hard separates you from the rest of the pack at times, that if you take just ten percent of the time spent on things like Call of Duty, you can grow in yourself something that can change the world. He saw the deeper layer of truth in that conversation, that this something you grow is more than a skill or set of skills; it's love, and changing the world happens by impacting the world of the people around you - in, through, and for love. We would also talk about how you can work out like a madman, but recovery is just as important for gains as the reps, so I would always ask him how much time he was putting toward recovery, hoping he was taking this meaning to more places than weightlifting. Still, there are few people I know that worked and loved harder than Noah.

During junior high and high school, he honed his private entrepreneurial skills at school, finding opportunities to sell hoodies and other high-end products to the perfect buyer, and began working at Boston Pizza at 14. He continued building teamwork and relationship skills but now practiced them in a professional setting. Quickly appreciating the power of a paycheck, honing the diligence and responsibility he so greatly prized, he moved up, became a manager, and continued to build on that legendary work ethic. He demanded a lot from himself and from his team, always trying to draw out their best. When his cousins started working at BPs, and before they knew Noah was their cousin, some of the waitresses warned them to watch out for this one manager – that he's a bit of a hardass as a boss, but he's actually a really great guy.

After high school, he chose to pursue a Bachelor of Commerce degree at Grant MacEwan - those dreams of becoming a CFO had become a very real plan, and he continued leveraging the knowledge he gained at school to benefit his friends and family. During this part of the journey, he earned an intern position at W. Dale Somerville and his plans became the start of a very real career. In his winning way, he treasured professional relationships and building a network of connections. That internship turned into a part-time job there last September, solidifying a promising career path. During this time, we would speak about investing and building a family trust for the kids in his generation, but more importantly, for the next generation, seeking to begin to build wealth the kind of which benefits a family for generations to come. Because that was Noah, he reminds us that it's not enough to build something for yourself, we need to leverage what we have to build for others too.

Please take a moment to think of a memory where you saw his passion and sensitivity.

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He was very aware of the people around him. When someone was struggling, he listened with his whole heart. He had an amazing ability to read the room, and with his sensitive empathy and heartfelt compassion, he responded to those people that were silently hurting. Noah loved his family, and all the family dogs that enriched their days. He had a special connection with Bella, their Burmese mountain dog, who had a heart as big as his.

Noah was a defender, even from an early age, and particularly about his family and the friends that became family; and when you were in with Noah, you were in for life. There’s a reason it was tattooed on his arm. Whether it was standing up for his cousin when Noah was still so young or telling an aggressor that if they wanted to fight a classmate, they would have to fight him first, he was there to protect without hesitation. And that’s the kind of thing that turns a classmate into a friend into family. He had big feelings, big hurts, big joys. As a kid, he enjoyed food so much it always ended up everywhere, and I want to ask his friends if that ever changed. The Noah I remember loved life and lived love. Also, during those late conversations we had, we talked about associations and relationships, that a large part of who we are comes from the people we choose to hold closest to us. That Noah was so outstanding says a lot about the people around him. Now, we'll keep things family friendly, so let's just say Noah's friends have shared more than a few experiences living out that love of life to the fullest with him on the weekends and after hours. I know how incredibly treasured these times are, and so to Noah's friends, I thank you for watching out for him, especially in the craziest of hypothetical house parties. Whether it was enjoying some Hennessey with Hennessey the rapper or just chilling out with some cigars, the times he shared with friends were some of the most special memories he had.

So many experiences shape the people we become. The people we know, we know only in part because we only see them from one perspective. I knew him as a nephew and a godson, but I didn't know him as a friend, a boss, or a teammate, but all the stories I’ve heard tell me he was the same guy – authentic and amazing. If you want to know something as simple as an object, you need to see it from the top, bottom, left, right, front, and back - six different perspectives. Since the people we know are so much more unbelievably complex than any object, it takes so, so many more perspectives to truly know someone. The reason I asked you all as a group to bring forward a memory at certain times is that, when we all bring forward our experiences and perspectives together at the same time for the same reason, someone special is built: community. Please, take a moment to look to the people to your left and right.

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Community, the love that takes so many different forms in so many different relationships, is Noah's legacy. He brought people together and found true wealth in the relationships he had, and he invested all his love into them. More than anything, I imagine Noah wants us to celebrate his life. I am certain in the coming days, months, and years we will all honour this amazing individual in our individual ways, but please do so while being inspired by this legacy of love. So, from my heart, thank you to everyone, family, friends, and colleagues, that helped to make Noah the gentleman he was, and thank you so much for being here today.