‘K-Mo’ always put his family, friends first

On Aug. 27, more than 275 people packed Coeur d’Alene’s Yates Funeral Home. Thubten Chodron, a Buddhist nun, spoke, as did many teens, through tears. A video made by friends and family celebrated a brief but meaningful life.

That life belonged to Kevin Thomas Moore, whose vivid blue eyes and infectious smile captured the hearts of all who knew and loved him.

On Aug. 5, on a beautiful Caribbean beach in Negril, Jamaica, Kevin, 18, died of a sudden illness. He had traveled to Jamaica many times with his family, who had numerous friends there. Kevin’s goal was to fill his passport by age 25, like his uncle, Alex King, had.

It was Kevin’s first solo trip to Jamaica.

Kevin, known as “K-Mo” to friends, was born May 23, 1987, in Burbank, Calif. His family returned home to Coeur d’Alene in 1989. From 1994 to 1999, the family lived in Boise, where Kevin attended Owyhee and Washington elementary schools. Returning to Coeur d’Alene Kevin attended Bryan Elementary and Canfield Middle School. He was in the class of 2005 at Coeur d’Alene High School.

Raised by his mother, Katherine Brockhoff, Kevin was also raised since age 11 by his stepfather, Michael Brockhoff, who taught Kevin to hunt and fish.

Ted Moore, Kevin’s father, resides in Montana.

Kevin was close to his brother Ryan Moore, 22, and stepbrother, Rocky Brockhoff, 9.

Nancy King, Kevin’s great-grandmother, says Kevin helped others.

“Kevin would say, ‘Anytime you need me, just call.’ We had lots of heart-to-heart talks, and he’d bring his friends over.”

Those friends were plentiful, Katherine says.

“Ten kids would probably say they’re Kevin’s best friend – and they’d be right. On any given day, Kevin would have 30 to 35 phone messages awaiting him.”

Close friend Dustin Mattes, 18, says he and Kevin had known each other since eighth grade.

“Our dads took us hunting, and the last time, Kevin and I separated from them. They were worried we’d get lost but my dad, Lane, was the one who got lost. We gave my dad a hard time about that.”

Justin Minert, 18, was another close friend.

“Kevin put family first, then friends; he had good priorities. What I’ll remember most were talks we had together.”

While in Jamaica, Kevin bought earrings for his girlfriend, Jennifer Correia, 17.

“Kevin wasn’t like other teenage boys – he was more mature, always trying to help people. We had fun with friends,” Jennifer said.

The Brockhoff home’s downstairs area was Kevin and his friends’ hangout, with pool and foosball tables, a TV and stereo with a seating area. A table is made from part of a bowling lane; Kevin went to the State tournament for bowling.

“Kevin was good at everything he tried,” Katherine says. “He’d always stick with things and master them.”

Besides bowling, Kevin enjoyed saxophone, soccer, wrestling, hunting, archery, fishing, camping, snowboarding, snowmobiling, all water sports and was an expert pool player, once beating 30 adults at the game.

Kevin worked hard, and helped garden at Sravasti Abbey near Newport, Wash. He started mowing lawns at age 11, saving money for his first car. Just before turning 16 Kevin purchased a 1987 black Toyota pickup.

Coeur d’Alene High School English teacher Jill Carlson knew Kevin’s love of cars.

“He wrote a paper on overhauling his car’s engine and the automotive terminology could be difficult to decipher,” she said. “He was the kind of student you just loved to have.”

Brenda Woodward, a science teacher at Coeur d’Alene High, recalls Kevin.

“When I think back on our four years together at the high school, I remember a kind boy in ninth grade who wrote me a thank-you note at the end of the school year. He was a fun-loving young man, who would pop by my classroom after school to share how things were going, or to show me the latest improvements on his car, as we’re both car buffs. He was a fine young adult who worked hard and had the unrelenting loyalty of his friends. Kevin was the kind of person who makes teaching worthwhile.”

And he wanted happiness for others.

“Kevin wanted everyone around him to be happy,” his mother said. “Kevin wrote a ‘To-Do,’ list, and one entry was, ‘Make Nick happy.’ He was another friend Kevin really cared about.”

Kevin’s suitcase sits on the bed in his room. On the walls, among photos, Led Zeppelin posters and Raiders’ T-shirts, there’s an article his mother wrote. .

Touching her son’s suitcase, his mother says softly, “I don’t have the heart to put his things away.”

Some of the suitcase’s contents are Jamaican history books and Elmore Leonard’s novel, “Be Cool.” Kevin’s favorite author was Terry Brooks and he owned all the Harry Potter series’ first editions.

“Kevin would listen to his favorite song over and over,” she said. That song was Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven.”

“Kevin was a gift to all family and friends,” said his stepdad. “He touched many lives with great profoundness and depth. Without exception, the other person’s well-being came before his own. Kevin will always be in our hearts and minds, because he was loved by all, just as he loved them.”

His friend Dustin has a tattoo, saying, “In Loving Memory of K-Mo.” Many friends plan to follow suit, in remembrance of their dearly loved “best friend,” Kevin Thomas Moore.