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‘Keep their memory alive, keep talking about them’

KT Humble Hearts gather in Allison Park

By Amy Zents & Clay Schuldt 7 min read

SLEEPY EYE - Dozens gathered in Sleepy Eye's Allison Park Sunday to remember loved ones as part of the annual KT Remembrance Walk.

This was the third annual Sleepy Eye KT Remembrance Walk. Two weeks earlier, Alexandria, MN, hosted its sixth annual remembrance walk.

The KT Remembrance Walks are hosted by the KT Humble Hearts Foundation, which was started by Deb Hadley. The KT Humble Hearts Foundation formally began in 2024, but Hadley and her family first began hosting KT Remembrance Walks in Sleepy Eye in 2014 following the death of Hadley's daughter Kaylee Hadley and son Tyler Hadley.

In 2013, Kaylee Hadley died suddenly at age 24 from a nocturnal epileptic seizure. Devastated by the loss, her family organized a 5K memorial run, scheduled for June 7, 2014, to raise awareness for epilepsy and establish scholarship funds for Martin County West High School.

Three months before the inaugural race, her 20-year-old brother, Tyler Hadley, died in a car accident on an icy road alongside three other young men.

Before his death, Tyler Hadley discussed his sister’s legacy with his mother, saying, "I don’t think Kaylee would want her legacy to be like I hate epilepsy."

He instead suggested using his sister’s initials, KH, he created the motto: “Be kind, give more, stay humble”.

Deb Hadley said the phrase became a way of life rather than a slogan.

Following Kaylee Hadley’s death, a purple petunia grew in Deb Hadley’s yard. Purple was Kaylee Hadley’s wedding color and the color associated with epilepsy awareness.

After Tyler Hadley died, white and purple petunias bloomed in the same area. A friend sent Deb Hadley the scripture Acts 20:24, which reads: “My only aim is to complete the race and finish the task.”

The numbers in the verse aligned with the ages of Tyler Hadley, 20, and Kaylee Hadley, 24, at the time of their deaths.

Later, a friend wrote a song inspired by the verse and their lives. During the presentation, organizers played the song over the speakers so everyone in attendance could listen to it together.

The inaugural memorial run gathered over 1,000 runners.

The Hadley family later moved to Alexandria, Minnesota, expanding the foundation’s events to Brophy Park. In 2024, during the 10th anniversary of the first KT Remembrance event, the Hadley family returned to Sleepy Eye to hold a Remembrance Walk and have continue to hold the walk in Sleepy Eye for three years.

In 2024, Deb Hadley left her full-time job to establish a physical location and board of directors for the KT Humble Hearts Foundation.

Her sister-in-law, Denise Hadley, joined the organization to assist with operations. Both women previously worked in hospice care and completed specialized training.

“And actually, we’re very fortunate through our hospice,” Denise Hadley said. “We were trained under Dr. Alan Wolfelt in the Compassionate Method of Death and Grief. Dr. Alan Wolfelt is from Colorado. And he is really up there in that. And so we trained under him, and we were actually certified in Death and Grief. And so when all this transition happened, the prep work had happened, and we didn’t even understand at the time why we were being prepared for it.”

They utilize the companioning model, which emphasizes supporting individuals through grief without attempting to fix their pain.

The KT Humble Hearts Foundation operates as a faith-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit. The organization does not charge fees for grief support services, removing financial barriers for participants.

The foundation provides support for death, as well as loss related to divorce, medical diagnoses, estrangement, addiction, and suicide.

“Grief is much more than just death,” Denise Hadley said. “Grief happens to you, and when grief happens to you, it could be divorce, it could be a diagnosis, it could be estrangement, it could be addiction.”

Denise Hadley said the foundation’s model focuses on presence rather than instruction.

“We companion people,” Denise Hadley said. “We provide the safe place. We don’t teach you anything. Your own grief teaches you. We want people to know you’re not alone. You don’t have to be stuck in this. You have your grief, but it will lighten.”

Deb Hadley said holding space for grieving individuals remains her central focus.

“To be able to hold people’s hands and to be able to feel their hearts and hold space for grief and show love and help people come to Jesus,” Deb Hadley said. “There’s nothing more rewarding in my whole life than to do that.”

The foundation funds its operations through community donations, event sponsorships, and viewers of Deb Hadley’s daily “Morning God Boost” videos. Deb Hadley records the morning devotionals from home, which led to the publication of “The Morning God Boost” book and an accompanying journal.

Deb Hadley said maintaining connections and records is essential for those who are grieving.

“Keep their memory alive, keep talking about them, keep taking pictures of them,” Deb Hadley said.

During the annual Remembrance Walk at Allison Park in Sleepy Eye, family members gathered to honor, remember, and celebrate the lives of the loved ones they had lost. Inside the park shelter, the program centered around a tribute slideshow that displayed names and photos of individuals spanning every stage of life, from infants to nonagenarians.

At 1 p.m., those who attendance gathered to participate in a two-mile walk on the Sleepy Eye Lake trail. Along the walk were memorial signs honoring loved ones and signs displaying Bible verses and words of hope.

Following the walk, the memorial signs were collected from the trail and placed in Allison Park.

Denise Hadley said event attendance varies, but the outcome reflects the organization’s purpose.

“We always feel whoever here is supposed to be here,” Denise Hadley said. “So, if there’s 50 or 500, it’s the Lord bringing people that need healing.”

Attendees use the event to connect with others facing similar struggles.

“It’s a beautiful way to remember those that have passed,” event attendee Pam Braulick said. “And people that understand what you’re going through, absolutely. Feel truly blessed to have support.”

Lorie Hoffmann took part in the remembrance walk in memory of her son Brandon Hoffmann, who died last year and her nephew Nick Hoffmann, who died earlier this month.

Lorie Hoffmann attended last year's remembrance walk after Brandon's death. She said that first year she was in a haze but Deb Hadley helped her through it.

"The walk does help," she said. "It helps people get the grief counseling they need. You meet so many people who are going through it."

Lorie Hoffmann said grief is something that never really goes away, so it is best to work through it with others.

Deb Hadley said that is a benefit of the remembrance walks. By bringing together multiple people experiencing grief, it can help by sharing and inspiring hope.

Deb Hadley believes that the thing people are most afraid of when they are grieving someone is that they will be forgotten.

"This keeps their memory alive," she said. "Say their names. Then you know they have not been forgotten."

Deb Hadley acknowledges that grief is not something that ever goes away and there will never be a time when she will not miss her daughter and son.

"I never want to 'not' miss them," she said. "There will always be tears and that is OK. But the opposite of grief is love. It is the love we wish to remember."

At the foundation event, a closing prayer included expressions regarding the connection between love and loss: “As we remember the loved ones, we grieve deeply because we loved deeply. Also thankful that in the midst of grief, we can experience joy.”

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