Family and friends remember Air Force Academy Cadet in the days after his passing

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Family and loved ones of an Air Force Academy Cadet are grieving after he passed away in an off-base incident.

According to the USAFA, Cadet 1st Class Cole Kilty, 22, of Elk Grove Village, IL passed away Monday, March 6 in Park County. Officials said his death is still under investigation.

Chris Morris, Cole's Air Force Academy Sponsor Dad, told KRDO he wants to make sure people remember the 22-year-old as the funny and outgoing young man he was.

"Cole had a very stone-cold sense of humor. You know witty, he had great timing on his sense of humor and that and that's what took immediately for me was that he's hilarious," said Morris.

Cole moved from Illinois to Colorado Springs four years ago with one goal on his mind, to become a pilot.

"Cole he, he worked hard and he won his place in the academy," added Morris. "Being a pilot was number one on his list. He wanted to be a pilot."

Cole was part of the Class of 2023 and was supposed to be commissioned as a second lieutenant this spring. He's been working toward getting into an undergraduate pilot training program this year. 

"He was always looking for that really great experience and I appreciated that," said Morris.

Morris says Cole's unexpected death is devastating, but now, his sponsor family is choosing to focus on the memories they shared the last few years. 

"I took a lot away from my time with Cole. You know, being almost twice his age at that point and having my own career in the military I still learned from a 22-year-old air force academy cadet," said Morris. "Live your best life, that's what Cole would have told us all, that was his thing." 

Cole's family is now preparing for his funeral next week in Illinois.

For more information on Cole's funeral services, you can visit the funeral home's official page.