The People’s Tribune

Kaleo Ka’Zhan Dade

Kaleo Ka’Zhan Dade, 18, of Bowling Green died Friday, March 22, 2019, after suffering injuries in a motor vehicle collision on a two-lane highway near Frankford.
Funeral services will be held at 5 p.m., Friday at Bowling Green High School Gymnasium. Burial will be held at Fairview Cemetery in Ashley.
Visitation will be Friday from 3-5 p.m.
Attendees are encouraged to wear a combination of red and black or Bowling Green High School Bobcat apparel in honor of Kaleo’s love for high school and the Bowling Green community. Conducting the funeral service will be Chris Duerr, a sportscaster with KHQA television station and someone who Kaleo admired greatly.
Delivering eulogies for Kaleo will be his coaches, Stu Parnell, Kevin Krietemeyer, Joe Chinn, and Brandon McCann.
Following the burial, there will be a catered meal hosted by the MommaCatz organization in the school cafeteria for Kaleo’s family and friends.
Kaleo was born at Hannibal Regional Hospital on Dec. 31, 2000, and he was the last baby born in that hospital prior to the New Year. He was the son of Tiffany Coleman-Dade of Bowling Green, and Marlin Dade, Sr., of Columbia.
Following his birth, Kaleo lived with his family in Columbia. He would attend elementary school at Ulysses S. Grant Elementary School.
While living there, Kaleo began to develop his love for the game of football as a member of the Columbia Football Youth League, of which he was an active participant and player beginning in the second grade.
Kaleo and his family continued to live in Columbia until the fifth grade when his family relocated to Pike County.
Together with his mother and his older brother, Marlin Dade, Jr., the family resided in Frankford for one year prior to moving to Bowling Green, where they would make their home on West Church Street.
After settling in Bowling Green, Kaleo continued to play football joining the local peewee football program. As his mother describes it, Kaleo’s first love and his most passionate love was his love for the game of football.
Kaleo excelled in the sport and played football for Bowling Green Middle School and Bowling Green High School.
During his years on the varsity football team, Kaleo played running back and linebacker. He ended his senior season as the football program’s all-time tackling leader, amassing a record of 422 tackles.
This statistic also placed Kaleo in the Missouri State High School Activities Association’s record book, where he ranks eighth in the state in terms of number of tackles.
Kaleo’s time on the football field saw the revitalization of the football program, which won back-to-back Commissioner Cup games against Clopton-Elsberry and won the inaugural Wagon Wheel Trophy game against Van-Far his senior year. His personal accolades include numerous all-conference and all-district athletic honors.
His family and his friends say they will likely continue to feel his presence each time the Bobcats run out onto the football field prior to a game.
In February, Kaleo had signed his national letter of intent to continue his playing career at Quincy University. He was very much looking forward to playing football at the collegiate level.
Off of the field, Kaleo was an unapologetic promoter and booster for the City of Bowling Green, the Bowling Green R-I School District, the athletic programs at Bowling Green High School and his fellow students.
His friends have described Kaleo as someone who “was a constant encourager,” the epitome of a teammate,” and “a bright light in the community.”
When he was not playing football, Kaleo competed on the high school’s basketball team and as a shot put and discuss thrower for the school’s track and field team.
Prior to his death, Kaleo said his most favorite memory was defeating the defending state champions, Van-Far Indians, in the championship game of the 93rd Annual Bowling Green High School Invitational Tournament.
As a testament to Kaleo’s prowess as a basketball player, he was named as the Most Valuable Player at Montgomery County and Bowling Green High School tournaments during his senior year. He was also recently named as the basketball team’s Danny Feldman Award for Sportsmanship honoree.
Sports were not the only thing that enriched Kaleo’s life at Bowling Green High School. Kaleo was also active in several student organizations including FFA, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and the school’s diversity exchange program known as “Give Respect, Get Respect.”
The hallways of BGHS were a hallowed place for Kaleo, who hoped to use his education from BGHS to fulfill his dreams of pursuing higher education, studying Criminal Justice at Quincy University, and one day working as a United States Marshal in Arizona — a state that always fascinated Kaleo and that he hoped to visit for the first time later this summer.
Kaleo had made lots of plans for life after Bowling Green High School, including traveling to see his favorite country music singer, Luke Combs, perform in concert. Having seen Combs perform in concert once before, Kaleo had been inspired to ask his mother for a guitar as a graduation present. He hoped to learn how to play the guitar.
His love of country music was likely fueled and nurtured by his employment as a farmhand at Mahar Farms, of Curryville. His fellow employees say that Kaleo was known to have been caught singing along with the radio while he rode along in the tractor or as he worked at collecting bales of hay.
Outside of school and work, Kaleo was a collector of fashionable footwear and took a great deal of pride in having a well-groomed and stylish appearance. He was known to stay up until the early hours of the morning talking with friends, playing various electronic games such as Madden NFL, Fortnite, and NBA.
His love of sports was not limited to just electronic games; Kaleo was a devout MU Tigers fan and a loyal Miami Dolphins football fan even during the lean years.
He also loved to go hunting, fishing and frequently borrowed his mother’s canoe to go enjoy the ponds and lakes surrounding the Bowling Green community.
Kaleo loved his friends and many friends are left to mourn his passing. Kaleo especially loved being at Southside Bar and Grille in Bowling Green, where he would play pool with his friends. He also enjoyed Courtney Niemeyer’s brownies.
Among those Kaleo considered to be his closest friends were: Dylan Henderson, Noah Pafford, Ben Walker, Jevean Brown, Kaylyn McKee, Olivia “Liv” Niemeyer, Derek Richards, Kyle Horner, William Henderson III, and “The Cousins” Adam Coleman, Daylan Coleman, TeNeil Stevenson.
He also enjoyed his involvement with the Youth Basketball League of the Twin Pike Family YMCA for two seasons, where as an assistant coach he was able to share his passion for basketball and competitive spirit.
Kaleo was also a firm believer in Jesus Christ and he accepted him as his personal savior many years ago. Kaleo was baptized in a baptismal service conducted by the Rev. Faye Vaughn at New London’s Second Christian (Disciples of Christ) Church during his youth.

He later would attend youth group meetings at the Church of the Nazarene in Bowling Green.

Kaleo is survived by his parents, Tiffany Coleman-Dade, of Bowling Green, and Marlin Dade, Sr. (Tylisha), of Columbia. He is also survived by his siblings: Marlin Dade, Jr., of the home; Marlisha Washington, of Columbia; Christian Dade, of LaBelle, Mo.; Daniel Dade, of Columbia.
Kaleo is also survived by his high school sweetheart and classmate, who he described as the “girl of his dreams,” Sarah Harness.
Also surviving the deceased are his maternal grandparents: Paula Stevenson, of Bowling Green; Robert Stevenson, of New London; Gus Burse of Louisiana; his paternal grandparents, Reva and Randy Holder, of LaGrange, Mo.
Others left to mourn his passing are his maternal great-grandmothers: Gloria Borndes, of Bowling Green; Everlina Burse, of Louisiana; and Barbara “Barb” McPike, of Troy.
Other survivors include: Tanika Coleman, of Atlanta, Ga.; Michaela Burse, of Louisiana; Teneil Stevenson, of St. Louis; Marcia Dade, of Columbia; Matthew Dade, of Palmyra; Lorenza Abbey, of Liberty, Mo, and many cousins.
Preceding Kaleo in death were his maternal grandfathers, Tate McPike and Ben Burse, Sr.; his paternal grandfather, Walter Abbey; his paternal great-grandmother, Mary Dade; and uncle Jeff Coleman.
Serving as pallbearers for the funeral service will be the following: Isaac King, Derek Richards, Jevan Brown, Kobe McPike, Marlin Dade, Jr., Christian Dade, Kyle Horner, Colton Robb, Jax Chinn, Zane Parnell, Dylan Henderson, Qudrey Coleman and William Henderson III.
Serving as honorary pallbearers will be Kaleo’s teammates from the football and basketball teams.
Those wishing to honor Kaleo’s life with monetary memorials are asked to make donations to the family of Kaleo. The family hopes to establish an endowed scholarship in honor Kaleo that will benefit other student athletes at BGHS who are pursuing secondary education.
Gifts of flowers and plants are appreciated by the family at this time.

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