Memories

Kade “got his answer” while Aunt Amy was staying with the kids during general conference time.

We are from the Hereford Ward. My husband Cole is the priest quorum advisor and was Kade’s Scout Master when the Nelson’s lived in Sierra vista. Cole had all the kids on his class write memories of Kade. I scanned them all and attached them. 

Prayers and love to Jason and Camilee, and the family. I remember that sweet, funny boy who brightened up the Bisbee Ward when he was little. He’ll brighten up heaven too.
Dorothy Pederson

I’ve always admlred Kade in sacrament. His love was full. Kade was a  Christlike example for our youths in Thatcher. We miss you in church and school BUT we will see you again soon.  We love you Kade!!!
-Michelle Irving

For Kade’s Mother: 
Before I say anything I want to say how truly sorry I am for your loss. I didn’t get to know Kade for very long but he time I had changed how I will see life forever. My family is praying for you and everyone and I want to let you know that the Lord loves you and Kade. 
How I met Kade:
I have only ever met Kade one time and it is something I will always remember. I was a the Thatcher Tennis tournament playing for Benson when I got the privilege of playing against Kade. Even though I think me and doubles partner were beating them, Kade never ceased to bring smiles to everyone’s faces.
Throughout the match he and I continued to have conversations and make jokes about all sorts of things. My friend Emy was in the stands watching both of us and saw how I believed tennis was meant to be played. Sometimes you get an opponent who is upset or silent and you don’t have much joy in the game but occasionally you get someone special. For myself, Kade was the special opponent everybody always wants. 
Never before have I played a person who always has a smile on his face. I have never seen someone who seemed to be as happy as Kade always was. Every single picture or story I have ever heard about him has always shown his love and appreciation for life and those around him. Today people get caught up with all the bad things. In tennis people get caught up with losing or not performing very well. Kade didn’t do this. 
I remember leaving that night to head back home to Benson and thinking about how fun it was. As I prayed that night I got the feeling that there was more to it. I never realized until now that the example Kade left for me is to be a better person. He showed me that always looking at the good in any situation will bring forth happiness. Through his contagious personality I have learned that love and happiness and the keys to living the best life. 
I know the situation that has been presented is difficult but through his legacy we can all live like Kade. I don’t believe there is anyone who will ever truly match the personality of him but we can all now try and live our lives like him. Live by the standards that God blesses him with and learn to find happiness, even in the darkest of times. I will leave you with a verse from the New Testament: John 10:11. Just as Christ loved humanity, so did Kade. The Lord is always there for you. 

-Camden Waite

I first met Kade when his family moved into our ward in Sierra Vista, AZ. I was the primary chorister and he was in the boys Valiant 9/10/11 class. Our primary program was approaching so I would try to come up with games each Sunday to keep the kids interested in singing the songs for our program over and over again. One Sunday, just shortly after the Nelson’s had joined our ward, I thought of doing a game called “Would You Rather…?” When a child was called up they would choose a note that would read, “Would you rather…” and then they would be given the option to choose between the whole primary singing one of our program songs or they alone doing something that was embarrassing! The goal was for it to be too embarrassing so that the kids wouldn’t want to do it and would choose to sing a program song (but only after we all had a good laugh at hearing what their second option was). I had props and everything, it was going to be fun! Most kids, of course, chose to have the group sing the program song, and then Kade came up. You could tell he was ready to make people have a good laugh. He picked a paper from my bag and I read it to him. “Would you rather have the primary sing I Am a Child of God OR dress yourself up like a bride and sing I Love to See the Temple?” I thought, ‘there is NO WAY this big, tough boy is going to choose to put on a dress!’ BUT HE DID!!!! The room was hysterical as he pulled the white dress I had brought (which happened to be just the right size!) over his church clothes and held a bouquet of flowers. I felt guilty having him sing the song all by himself, after everything else I felt I was putting him through, so I sang I Love to See the Temple with him. Everyone was red with laughter and we all got to see right away what a fun boy he was. He made friends in the ward fast and was kind to everyone. In other interactions I had with him there were a couple of times I witnessed a look of sadness in his face when he saw someone being unkind to someone else. He didn’t understand how a person could treat others that way and it impressed me that he cared so much. He was just such a good boy. I will never forget him. I feel truly blessed to have known Kade and the rest of the Nelson family.My most sincere love and sympathy,Sally Talbot

We are all heartbroken for your family’s loss.

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Brooke Rhoton related this story to her Aunt Nyla (Kade’s Grandma):

When her daughter Calla heard about Kade she said “he’s the including cousin.” Brooke asked her what she meant and she said that at the last Clouse reunion she wanted to play a game with the kids and some of them told her that they already had enough people. Kade who was standing by said, “She can play. She’s part of our family, too!.”

“I am so glad you are doing this!  I woke up this morning with Camilee, Jason and the kids heavy on my mind and heart.  I knew I had pictures somewhere of Madison, Kade and our daughter Dalynn from our Flagstaff and Tucson days.  We lived by Camilee and Jason in family housing on NAU’s campus. Kade would come play with me while Camilee did Pre-school with Madison and Dalynn. We all graduated at the same time and both ended up moving to Tucson.  We continued to get together often to let the kids play. Madison and Kade stayed with us when Camilee went to the hospital to have Lathan. Kade was all boy all of the time! Full of energy! I remember in Tucson he would always get into the refrigerator and make a mess.  Camilee ended up putting a lock on the fridge to solve the problem! I can still hear his little boy laugh and see his handsome smile, both of which were very contagious! Camilee, Jason and all of their children are some of the very best people we know. We treasure their friendship.  We love them!”

-Kim and Scott Shellenberger

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Kade was born when I was living with Camilee and Jason in Flagstaff for a summer to earn money working. I held him and cuddled him a lot and enjoyed every second of it. He was a sweet little baby and so cute. It was every teenager’s dream.

As he grew, it was obvious that Kade was an exceptionally determined little boy. He learned how to ride a bike without training wheels at a very young age and was very mechanically inclined. He was always a very rough and tumble kid. Nothing could keep that kid down or make that kid stop.

When he was really really little (and I was single) they spent Christmas with us (the Payne side of the family). I had gotten gum in my stocking, and Kade stole it. When his mom asked him about it, he told her that he had bought it at the Conoco (a gas station close to my parent’s house in Duncan). When she asked him where he got the money, he told her that he had money. He was only 3 or so and so it was very funny.

Later, the Nelson family visited Jereld and me at our home in Mesa soon after we got married. While they were at our house, Kade and one of his brothers stole a Costco package of gum from our pantry. We didn’t know until I got a phone call from Camilee after they had left for home (and been gone for about 30 minutes). She told me they had smelled a minty smell and had figured out what had happened. Jason and Camilee turned around (adding an extra hour to their trip) to bring the boys back to apologize to us. I told them it wasn’t necessary, but that’s the kind of parents Camilee and Jason are (always teaching their children good values). The boys were afraid we would be mad and were very embarrassed, but it obviously had an amazing impact on their lives. And I learned that, for some reason, Kade really liked my gum. I wish I could give him a Costco pack of it right now.

I loved visiting his family when they lived in Tucson, and then Bisbee, and then Sierra Vista. In Bisbee, I loved going on Jeep rides with Jason, Madison, and the boys behind their house. Kade was always up for those kind of adventures. My husband, Jereld, and I spent our first married Christmas with the Nelson family and the kids bought us gifts. They gave Jereld a clown nose and silly glasses. They gave us both little raincoats for the puppies we had just gotten before Christmas.

We loved taking vacations to go visit the Nelsons in Sierra Vista (and usually went there so Jereld could hunt). Kade went with Jereld and Jason on hunting excursions many many times. In fact, Jereld remembers Kade getting his first deer and how proud he was and how proud Jason was of him.

One time in Sierra Vista, Kade kept coming inside the house to get a drink, and instead of getting a cup, he would use the kitchen sprayer and put it right in his mouth (even though it was grossing me and his mom out and we told him to stop). As a joke, we had Madison smear some dish soap on the sprayer for the next time he tried it. Not long after, Kade came inside to take another drink and filled his mouth completely full from the sprayer before realizing it tasted funny. He spit it out real quick. We all had a good laugh.

Kade was always so nice to our kids when we were together. Recently, I gave Kade a ride from here in Show Low down to the valley to welcome home his Payne grandparents from their mission. He spent the night at our house the night before we travelled and then we left early in the morning. His broken phone is still funny to my kids (and me and Jereld for that matter). On the trip we talked about his aspirations to be a mechanic and how much he loved fixing and tinkering with things. He had a solid plan for his career and his Uncle Jereld and I gave him advice for his future.

Several times during the drive he teased me (just like his dad would) that I had said something that would allow Jereld to purchase a new gun scope. I rolled my eyes at him and told him he was just like his dad.

While he was with us, I teased him about the mole on his ear looking like an earring. He joked that he was sure it was cancerous and needed to be removed immediately. He really did not like his mole, and it still brings a smile to my face.

-Allison Brewer