Family and colleagues offer stories of State Trooper Kyle McAcy's warming personality at his funeral

Friends and family gathered inside Ralston Arena to remember the life of fallen State Trooper Kyle McAcy on Thursday. McAcy died while on duty Monday, Feb. 17. He was struck by a snowplow while helping people involved in a traffic crash on Interstate 80.

His casket and motorcade received a police escort to his funeral service.

(Video by Nick Loomis of Nebraska Public Media and The Midwest Newsroom.)

Family members shared memories and stories of the Omaha-area native’s life.

His sister Bethany McAcy said she's heard many stories from her brother’s colleagues in the last week, like when he saw a person showing signs of self-harm while on traffic duty.

“But Kyle pulled over, pulled them out of their car and let them cry on his shoulder. Kyle saved their life that day, and they have since gone on to get the help that they needed,” she said.

Off duty, he worked security at a children’s hospital. Bethany said her brother delivered fresh baked cookies to nurses and staff around the holidays.

Fellow trooper Keith Bell said McAcy loved to joke with people, and he was a dedicated son.

“Sometimes you would ask Kyle, ‘Hey, how’s Mom and Dad doing?’ Bell recalled. ‘You know what? They’re doing great. Mom had a great day the other day. She was eating. She was happy.’ And that brought him joy, just the fact that you asked about his folks," he said.

Bell shared several stories of McAcy’s generosity at the service, including a time he purchased meal tickets for a fundraiser, only to give them away to nursing home residents.

State Patrol Superintendent Col. John Boldoc said McAcy was fearless. He wasn’t afraid to reach out to the State Patrol director personally — side-stepping the agency’s traditional workflows in the process.

“On occasion, I would receive a text from Kyle outlining some crazy rumor he heard and he wanted to know if it was true,” Buldoc said. “Usually my reply was ‘No Kyle, that’s not true.’ ‘Good enough for me’ was his response. And I can imagine the conversation around the lunch table, and Kyle would tell his partners ‘I just texted the Col. and he said not true.'”

McAcy loved his job and his coworkers, Bolduc said. McAcy cared for the family of late colleague Jerry Smith’s family, when he passed away in 2019.

For many reasons, Bolduc said, he will be missed.

“Kyle could laugh at himself, make you laugh at yourself, in the spirit of good teamwork, get everyone else laughing at each other,” Bolduc said. “So many of us will miss Kyle’s laugh, his infectious personality and his genuine love for others. If you did not know Kyle, you missed out on a little bit of life.”

McAcy worked at the State Patrol for 10 years. He graduated from Millard West High School. He was 31 years old.