A former well-known Bellevue businessman died last week at a Boise hospital following a truck accident on Oct. 13 near Burley.
Kyle Otto McGehee, 65, who owned and operated Kyle's Club in Bellevue for 15 years, was pronounced dead the evening of Wednesday, Oct. 15, at Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center. McGehee had been flown by emergency helicopter to Saint Alphonsus from Minidoka Memorial Hospital in Rupert where he had been transported on the morning of Oct. 13 following the accident on state Highway 27.
Idaho State Police reported that McGehee was crushed between two trucks. He had stopped to help another truck driver at about 7:45 a.m. but failed to set his brakes. His truck, a 1993 Kenworth pulling a bulk cement trailer, rolled forward and pinned McGehee between the vehicles.
McGehee's son, Casey McGehee, told the Idaho Mountain Express that his father died of massive internal injuries.
Casey said his father received "last rites" on the evening of Oct. 13, but was improving until "massive organ shutdown" occurred two days later.
Casey said he had tried to prepare himself for his father's death, but it still came as a shock.
"There's too many emotions involved to completely prepare yourself," said Casey, the manager of Idaho Concrete Co.'s Wood River Valley operations. "The only thing that makes sense is that he passed away from the massive injuries, which put an end to his pain. He never regained consciousness from the time he was brought to Saint Alphonsus, but had he survived he would have lived in pain."
Kyle McGehee was also employed by Idaho Concrete Co., typically hauling bulk concrete from Inkom to the company's plants in the Magic and Wood River valleys.
Kyle most recently lived in Twin Falls, but lived in Bellevue from 1975 through 1990 when he owned and operated Kyle's Club, which is now known as Mahoney's Bar & Grill.
The bar was known as Sam's Club when Kyle McGehee purchased it. The facility caught fire and burned in the late 1970's, but Kyle rebuilt it and reopened.
"The bar was a lot like 'Cheers' on TV," Casey said. "Everybody knew everybody. It was a great place to come and have fun."
Casey said friendship epitomized his father's life.
"He had friends everywhere," Casey said. "We couldn't go anywhere as kids that somebody didn't come up and shake his hand. And if we did end up somewhere that he didn't know anybody, then he quickly made friends.
"It was always amazing—wherever we would go, somebody would come up and say, 'Hi Kyle.'"
Celebration of Life
A celebration of Kyle McGehee's life is scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 26, at 2 p.m. at the Episcopal Church of the Ascension, 372 Eastland Drive in Twin Falls. Military honors will be presented for McGehee, a U.S. Army veteran.
Mahoney’s Bar and Grill in Bellevue was known as Kyle’s Club when it was owned years ago by Kyle McGehee. Well-known and well-liked wherever he went, McGehee died last week in a Boise hospital after being injured in a truck accident on Oct. 13 near Burley. Photo by David N. Seelig
