Happy Birthday Knox

September is Knox’s birthday month. To celebrate, we asked the people who loved him to share their memories.

We sent a few questions to Knox’s friends, family, and the Kindness Krew, and watched the memories pour in on Facebook too. What came back was not a sad goodbye. It was a birthday party on paper, full of chocolate milkshakes, pudding fights, midnight buffet trays, and one very memorable Viking hat.

This is Knox, in their words.

The memories that still make everyone smile

Nobody could pick just one. Aunt Dana went to the beginning: “one of my favorites was when he was younger he would get up in the morning and pick his outfit out for the day and get ready just like a little man.”

Kristin Thrasher painted a whole vacation: “picturing he, Gavin, and Finley on the big lounge swing in Turks without a care in the world… I also loved watching them jump off the roof of the boat in the middle of the ocean over and over. Pure carefree joy!”

His best friend Mason R remembered pure mischief: “The time when knox put pudding on his mouth and all over his face and chased us around the house for 15 minutes straight.” Milo N remembered a night on the ranch: “he came into the room acting like a spider or some sort of creature, then jumped on Ben. It was hilarious.”

Gracie Thomas got chased down a beach: “getting chased by Knox on the beach in Turks and Caicos. He was trying to throw seaweed in my hair.” And Skylar Vitorino remembered the ordinary afternoons that mattered most: “riding around in chapel creek with Bentley and Trent on the scooters.”

Knox’s dad, Kevin Dydalewicz, shared one too, from a family trip to Pelican Hill: “Knox loved golf, always had a smile, and a beautiful sparkle in his eye. I miss his voice and face so much. I love you Knoxy Bear.”

And his big brother, Kaden, his Bobo, remembers all of it at once: “Shooting baskets, fun at farm, nanny’s lake house, golf trips, scaring you, watching you play basketball, and all the memories we would have made. I miss you boo boo bear. So much. My little bro. Love you.”

The one thing they all agree on: he was funny

Knox could make anybody laugh. Milo N still cracks up over a catchphrase: “When he first introduced his ‘chicken chicken’ catchphrase, I couldn’t stop laughing.” And by all accounts, chocolate milkshakes in a hot tub were a recurring adventure. As Mike Thomas put it, “Knox, hot tubs and chocolate milkshakes are not a good combo.” Gracie Thomas confirmed it: “When he spilled his chocolate milkshake in the hotel hot tub.”

He made sure nobody sat alone

This is the part that made Knox who he was. He noticed the person on the outside and pulled them in.

Kristin Thrasher saw it at dinner: “sitting with little Sadie and eating Mac & Cheese… he wasn’t concerned that she was younger than him or a girl. He was just a sweet kid and fun to be around, no matter the age group!” Milo N felt it himself: “He always included me in basketball games on the playground, even when I was smaller and less athletic than the other kids. He would always choose to have me on his team.”

Atlas S watched him do it for someone else: “he helped Carlisle Mutter get more engaged with the rest of the group.” For Skylar Vitorino, that welcome changed everything: “Those were the only times in sixth grade where I felt like I had true friends to count on.”

Living each day a 10 out of 10

Knox rated every day a 10 out of 10. We asked what that means to the people who love him.

Kristin Thrasher: “Live each day to the fullest and don’t sweat the small stuff!” Milo N: “Positivity is a choice, and you can make every day a 10 out of 10 by choosing to.” Atlas S: “Always remember that tomorrow isn’t guaranteed, and never get down on yourself after a bad day.” And Mike Thomas said it the way Knox would have: “You only get one shot at today. Try to make it an 10 out of 10.”

The Kindness Krew keeps him going

Knox’s spirit turned into a whole crew building beds, delivering bears, and showing up for their community in his name. Aunt Dana loves “Delivering Knoxy Bears to Children’s Hospital.” Gracie Thomas points to “the LLKF x Sleep in Heavenly Peace bed build.” Atlas S helps run “the knox tournament every year.” As Ann Marie Thomas said, it “reminds everybody to always be kind and inclusive, just like Knox.”

Happy birthday, Knox. From everybody.

Milo N: “Happy birthday brother! What shoes did you get this time?”

Mason R, only the way a best friend could: “Happy birthday, if you were here I’d give you the biggest birthday slap in the face.”

Atlas S: “Happy birthday knox, you were one of the best people i ever met.”

Gracie Thomas: “You were such a light in this world… We all miss you so much and think about you everyday! Love you Knoxy.”

Kristin Thrasher: “You made your Mom & Dad so very proud and happy… Happy birthday wishes, Knoxy. Drink lots of chocolate milkshakes!!!”

And from Kim, his mom: “Happy Birthday my Precious Knoxy Bear. Your light shines so bright… the days you know I need it the most, I can feel your warmth. I miss you every second of every day. I love you my handsome, silly, adventurous, kind, and most perfect Knoxy Bear.”

Who Knox was

Ask anyone to describe him and the same words come up: kind, funny, inclusive. “He had Superman hair,” said Aunt Dana. “He had the brightest smile, dreamy eyes, and biggest laugh,” said Kristin Thrasher. Mason R kept it plain: “He was the nicest kid you’ll ever meet.” Milo N could not pick one thing: “Always inclusive, always kind, and a goofball too.”

Skylar Vitorino, who first knew him only as “the nice kid” in fifth grade, said it best: “Everyone talks about kindness and how simple it is, but truly it’s not; he shows the real meaning of kindness.”

Shane Howard still remembers when they met: “He was my first friend when I moved to Texas at Primrose.” And his grandmother, Sandra Parker, remembers the Viking hat: “he put on Grandpa’s Viking hat. It was so cute. He wore the thing the whole time.”

Because of Knox

Maybe the best birthday gift is what he left in all of us. We asked people to finish the sentence, “Because of Knox, I…”

Mason R “realized how special time with loved ones is.” Gracie Thomas makes “sure to include the kids who are feeling like outsiders.” Atlas S is “a kinder person” who works “to include everyone.” And Milo N is “becoming the man I always wanted to be. Knox set the foundation for me by being a positive influence, and now I can carry on his legacy and be as kind as he was.”

Happy birthday, Knoxy Bear. You would have been fifteen this month. The best way we know to celebrate you is the way you lived: include someone, make somebody laugh, and treat an ordinary day like it’s a 10 out of 10. So that’s what we’ll keep doing, in your name, all year long.