Jason's Passing

It is with the heaviest of hearts that we share news of the passing of our friend and colleague, Jason Eyler. Jason passed away on Wednesday, April 6th, surrounded by his loved ones after an unexpected and sudden illness. His death has been a shock to all who knew and cherished him, including our Kiva community.

Jason served as the Executive Vice President of Kiva Marketplace beginning in 2020. In the two years that Jason was with Kiva, he left an incredible impression on everyone he came in contact with. He was patient, thoughtful, caring and held a positive outlook that lifted the spirits of those around him. Jason’s humor was treasured. We hold fond memories of Jason cracking jokes to break tension at just the right moment and would belly-laugh at his lighthearted anecdotes of life with three children. He often wore colorful ‘trucker hats’ to our all-staff meetings and many of us looked forward to seeing which one would make an appearance each week. We learned about his love for gardening and got to witness his musical talents at a Kiva talent show, where he sang a beautiful rendition of “I Will Follow You Into The Dark” by Death Cab for Cutie. Each of these memories are all the more precious now.

Above all else, Jason is remembered for his genuine love and kindness. He took time to get to know his colleagues and deeply cared about their wellbeing. Sending a thoughtful gift basket to maintain connections during the pandemic or checking in to ask if you were okay were second nature to him. He often spoke about his love for his family and was a true role model, not only as a father, but as a leader and person.

Jason’s passing has left an enormous hole in our community and hearts. We are working to process our collective sorrow together as a Kiva family. We hold close Jason’s wife, Kelly, and his three young sons, who are moving through an unimaginable level of grief. A Memorial Fund has been launched to support Jason’s family during this time for those interested in offering support.

On Friday, April 8th, our Kiva staff community will be coming together to remember Jason and grieve with one another. We have also shared counseling resources with our staff and are hosting group sessions for Kiva employees who are interested. For those in our larger Kiva community, including volunteers, lenders, borrowers, and partners who may have known Jason, we understand this news may come as a shock to you, as it has to us. You are not alone in your sadness. We encourage you to reach out and share your memories of Jason through this We Remember board.

In memory of his beautiful and vulnerable talent show performance, we leave you with a portion of the lyrics from “I Will Follow You Into the Dark”:

You and me have seen everything to see
From Bangkok to Calgary
And the soles of your shoes are all worn down
The time for sleep is now
But it's nothing to cry about
'Cause we'll hold each other soon
In the blackest of rooms

And if Heaven and Hell decide that they both are satisfied
Illuminate the no's on their vacancy signs
If there's no one beside you when your soul embarks
Then I'll follow you into the dark

We will miss Jason immensely.