Myles Joseph Kearns

Myles Joseph Kearns passed away peacefully surrounded by his family on August 30, 2023 after a long month of illness. He is the strongest person we know and fought to stay with us until the very end.

A celebration of life will be held on 9/9/2023 at Bethany United Methodist Church located at 2809 Guess Rd. Durham, NC 27705. Visitation at 12pm, service at 1pm, and reception to follow in the fellowship center immediately after the service. All are welcome.

He is survived by his wife, Katelyn Beck, of Durham who was and IS the love of his life; their beloved dog, Chop Kearns; parents Gary and Lisa Browning Kearns of Durham; sister and brother-in-love, Lauren Kearns Dawood and Guss Dawood of Durham; grandma Virginia Browning of Durham; great aunt Bea Elliott of Durham; numerous aunts, uncles, cousins; and his enormous community of friends, who are more like family.

He was preceded in death by paternal grandparents Bob and Linda Kearns; maternal grandfather Philip Browning, Sr.; and maternal aunt Kathy Dowdee.

Myles graduated from Riverside High School in Durham, NC in 2011, and graduated from Campbell University in Buies Creek, NC in 2015 with a degree in Business Administration. Myles was an entrepreneur from a very early age, starting numerous businesses, beginning with Street Ice Skateboarding Company. Myles and his sister, Lauren, started Street Ice when Myles was only 14 years old. Street Ice grew into a successful business, working with many athletes, musicians, artists, and skateboarding companies, both local and across the country. He learned how to do all aspects of the business from designing, printing, marketing, and more. After college, he decided to start a new venture focused on creating all types of custom apparel and accessories which grew into another successful business called Printees Plus. He was always ambitious and successful in every way.

Myles grew up attending Bethany United Methodist Church in Durham, NC. He was an active member in the youth group who always brought numerous friends to church with him and participated in a variety of mission work and projects. Myles looked forward to attending the NCCUMC Pilgrimage youth event every year, and created so many special memories there. We are honored to be incorporating aspects of Pilgrimage into his celebration of life. Myles had a huge heart and always wanted to help. He showed this through numerous mission trips, preparing and serving meals at Urban Ministries of Durham, and collecting clothes/shoes/etc. for charity. Myles loved the Bull City and would often drive around downtown dropping off clothes, skateboarding products, and more to anyone in need.

Myles was a fan of Duke basketball and watched many games with his dad, grandaddy, brother-in-law, and friends. Myles had a passion for Atlanta Braves Baseball, and growing up, would pick trips to Atlanta over anywhere else. He loved NASCAR and attended and camped out at many races around the country with his wife Katelyn. Myles could turn on any radio station and find a song he liked; he was a music lover who embraced all genres and loved to share songs with those around him. Myles was also a horror movie enthusiast and especially loved the Halloween series. He loved to cook and especially enjoyed his Blackstone Griddle making delicious meals for everyone. He even had a travel griddle, which came in handy since he and Katelyn loved to be on the go and live life to the fullest.

Even though Myles was only with us for 30 years, he LIVED, and he lived life to the absolute fullest. If there is anything we can take away from his life and legacy, it is to live life, do good in the world, work towards your goals and dreams, enjoy the community you build around you, don't take your loved ones for granted, and say "I love you" as much as you possibly can.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Urban Ministries of Durham, an organization that Myles loved dearly.

https://umdurham.org/donate/