Eulogy for a Best Friend
Born Kelly Switser, he was a person of many names to different people. As a young adult he changed his name to Kele Kravelin - Kele is the Hopi Indian word for Kestrel, a small bird of prey and Kravelin a name to honor his Romani Gypsy heritage. Most of his friends knew him as G’razel, a fantasy persona which represented an ideal version of himself. To me he was often just affectionately known as ‘cat’.
In the over 20 years I’ve known Kele, he’s been many things to me: boyfriend, co-worker, roommate, lover, business partner, collaborator - but most importantly he was my best friend. Many powerful words describe his character: loyal, honest, quiet, friendly, dependable, humble, thoughtful, creative, capable, playful, stoic. When he was in college he marched and protested for gay rights all over the east coast and was a constant supporter of human decency and civil rights throughout his life. He loved animals and people as equals and was truly compassionate and concerned for their well-being and enrichment in life - Kele often sacrificed his own comfort and security for that of others.
I met Kele when I was 20 years old and we were both struggling and living far from home. His kindness and honesty were instantly endearing and it wasn’t long before we fell in love and were living and working together in Louisville, Kentucky. He was there for me when my mother died not long after and never wavered as a true friend. We shared many of our best times and our worst times, and we would wind up going separate ways over the years, but always finding our way back to each other as friends, roommates, co-workers and partners in business and creative endeavors because we knew each other and trusted one another so deeply.
Kele was born with a rare form of the genetic condition called Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, which is often fatal by the age of 30. But a groundbreaking new surgery he had when he was still a teenager, coupled with new synthetic hormone treatments, gave him hope to beat the odds and defeat the fatal condition. Sadly, it’s likely that the remnants of his thyroid are what led to his recent bout with cancer which he fought valiantly through. I’d just like to take a moment to say something many of his friends have said over the last couple years: fuck cancer.
Despite the recent battle with his own body, I want to emphasize just how much life Kele had in him. He was one of the few people in this world who never let not knowing how to do something stop him from doing it. If he didn’t know, he would learn and do on his own or with help from others. Even as disease was trying to hold him back, he was going back to school to study and learn amazing new skills and technology.
In his career he was thoughtful and unflinching; no matter the job he would perform it to the best of his ability without complaint no matter how tedious or unsavory. He had no trouble picking up new skills and finding more efficient ways to get work done. He was reliable and talented and you could always trust that he would either accomplish the tasks he set out to do or communicate where he needed assistance or guidance. He never shirked duties or shrank away from challenges, instead always rising to the occasion quietly and humbly.
He was a creative and thoughtful spirit as well, creating new fantasy worlds and characters to inhabit them, and exploring the worlds and characters crafted by others - he was enchanted by exploring the creative space of possibilities. Much of his time and many of the people he touched were through his creations and the creations of others both online and in games played with others. Sharing those experiences was one of the greatest joys to Kele.
I looked forward to many more years of trust and work and friendship with Kele - sadly we don’t choose our time to leave this world. But I will never forget what an amazing person he has been and how knowing him has made me better. It has been a sincere honor to know and be known by such an amazing and genuine model of trust, compassion and friendship as Kele. His spirit and friendship will always remain as constant a companion as he had ever been.
In the over 20 years I’ve known Kele, he’s been many things to me: boyfriend, co-worker, roommate, lover, business partner, collaborator - but most importantly he was my best friend. Many powerful words describe his character: loyal, honest, quiet, friendly, dependable, humble, thoughtful, creative, capable, playful, stoic. When he was in college he marched and protested for gay rights all over the east coast and was a constant supporter of human decency and civil rights throughout his life. He loved animals and people as equals and was truly compassionate and concerned for their well-being and enrichment in life - Kele often sacrificed his own comfort and security for that of others.
I met Kele when I was 20 years old and we were both struggling and living far from home. His kindness and honesty were instantly endearing and it wasn’t long before we fell in love and were living and working together in Louisville, Kentucky. He was there for me when my mother died not long after and never wavered as a true friend. We shared many of our best times and our worst times, and we would wind up going separate ways over the years, but always finding our way back to each other as friends, roommates, co-workers and partners in business and creative endeavors because we knew each other and trusted one another so deeply.
Kele was born with a rare form of the genetic condition called Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, which is often fatal by the age of 30. But a groundbreaking new surgery he had when he was still a teenager, coupled with new synthetic hormone treatments, gave him hope to beat the odds and defeat the fatal condition. Sadly, it’s likely that the remnants of his thyroid are what led to his recent bout with cancer which he fought valiantly through. I’d just like to take a moment to say something many of his friends have said over the last couple years: fuck cancer.
Despite the recent battle with his own body, I want to emphasize just how much life Kele had in him. He was one of the few people in this world who never let not knowing how to do something stop him from doing it. If he didn’t know, he would learn and do on his own or with help from others. Even as disease was trying to hold him back, he was going back to school to study and learn amazing new skills and technology.
In his career he was thoughtful and unflinching; no matter the job he would perform it to the best of his ability without complaint no matter how tedious or unsavory. He had no trouble picking up new skills and finding more efficient ways to get work done. He was reliable and talented and you could always trust that he would either accomplish the tasks he set out to do or communicate where he needed assistance or guidance. He never shirked duties or shrank away from challenges, instead always rising to the occasion quietly and humbly.
He was a creative and thoughtful spirit as well, creating new fantasy worlds and characters to inhabit them, and exploring the worlds and characters crafted by others - he was enchanted by exploring the creative space of possibilities. Much of his time and many of the people he touched were through his creations and the creations of others both online and in games played with others. Sharing those experiences was one of the greatest joys to Kele.
I looked forward to many more years of trust and work and friendship with Kele - sadly we don’t choose our time to leave this world. But I will never forget what an amazing person he has been and how knowing him has made me better. It has been a sincere honor to know and be known by such an amazing and genuine model of trust, compassion and friendship as Kele. His spirit and friendship will always remain as constant a companion as he had ever been.