Bigger than Life

Zach Luworo begins his nursing career inspired by the legacy of ‘Cowboy Kyle’ By Victoria Payne

“The most rewarding part of my job is just getting people out of the hospital,” says Zach Luworo (B24). He stands outside PeaceHealth Sacred Medical Center in Eugene, Oregon, wearing gray scrubs and a nursing badge. The letters “RN” fall just below his name, complemented by a shiny cowboy boot pin.

Zach completed his bachelor’s degree in December and was hired as a cardiac surgery nurse in his hometown. Naturally, his mom – whom he considers his biggest role model – was proud. He told her first. Then he called two people who, months earlier, had been complete strangers: Joe and Nadine Kincaid.

The Kincaids had been following Zach’s future with great interest since October, when the couple invited the remarkable nursing student, Bruin football player, and recipient of the scholarship they started in 2022 to their home. The Kincaids established the annual scholarship in honor of their son, Kyle Kincaid (B09), a trauma nurse who died in a 2021 motorcycle accident.

Kyle left behind many who loved him, including his twin sister Kaisa (Kincaid) Butcher (B09) and his own growing family. Just 11 days before he died, Kyle and his wife Kristin (Kelso) Kincaid (B09) had welcomed their second son. Meeting Zach offered the Kincaids a meaningful connection and another way to honor Kyle’s legacy of generosity and service.

A Lifetime of Serving Others

“He was bigger than life,” Nadine says. At his memorial in Canyon Commons on the George Fox campus, more than 250 attendees shared stories about Kyle and his bottomless well of support and encouragement. A family friend described him this way: “He made everyone feel like you were his best friend. If you needed help, he’d drop everything and come dig you out of a ditch with a smile.”

The Kincaids knew they wanted to honor Kyle’s legacy of faith, service and caring for others in cowboy boots – a habit he picked up when he started his nursing career in Texas. “I think his love of nursing came from his ability to figuratively wrap people in his arms and to brighten an otherwise traumatic situation,” Joe says.

A year after Kyle’s passing, the Kincaids began the Cowboy Kyle Kincaid Scholarship, awarding two nursing students $2,500 annually. They recently converted the fund into an endowed scholarship, extending their investment – and Kyle’s memory – beyond their lifetimes. While they expected the nursing department to find exceptional recipients, meeting Zach came with an unexpected bonus: the discovery that he embodied Kyle’s big heart and passion for life.

A Big Man with a Big Heart

Zach is the youngest of four in a close family, led by their single mom. Although they struggled financially, he found inspiration in his mother’s passion for teaching children with special needs and her relentless work ethic. Her dedication, exemplified by her pursuit of a PhD at the University of Oregon while raising him, significantly influenced his college journey.

“My mom represents what you’re really able to do,” Zach says. “You might not have a lot of money, but it doesn’t mean you have to miss out on anything else.”

At 6-foot-4 and 330 pounds, it may come as a surprise that Zach, a star offensive lineman on the Bruin football team, almost missed out on college football. “Going to camps and recruiting events can be expensive. We couldn’t afford it, so I never sent my tape out,” he recalls. When a George Fox coach visited Eugene to scout another player, he discovered Zach instead.

Zach earned All-Northwest Conference First-Team honors in 2022 and 2023. Along with practices, classes and homework, he worked as a caregiver at Friendsview Retirement Community. During his senior nursing clinicals, he found a passion for acute care – and its connection to football – during medical surgery rotations at Providence Newberg Medical Center.

“Football is funny because it influenced what I wanted to do,” he says. “Sometimes you’re hurting, you’re bleeding, but you look back and it’s nothing,” Zach says. “It prepares you for hard times. They shape who you are. They help you become a man, a father and a participating community member.”

A ‘Simple Man’ and His Growing Legacy

First meetings don’t usually feel like a reunion, but the day Zach met the Kincaids felt different. Hugs were exchanged, and soon everyone gathered to swap stories.

Joe shared the story of Kyle, a young nurse who developed a hobby of cutting up fallen trees with his chainsaw. He donated the firewood to people in need, calling it the “Simple Man Project.”

Nadine shared that Kyle loved many things, in addition to his wife, their boys and their farm – baseball, fishing, motorcycles, rodeos. He especially loved George Fox football. Nadine, a season ticket holder, attended every home game with Kyle.

When asked how Kyle might feel knowing Zach received a scholarship in his honor, she didn’t hesitate: “There’s cowboy boots stomping in heaven,” she said. “Start listening, Zach. You’re gonna hear it.”

During their visit, the Kincaids gave Zach a special memento: a cowboy boot pin, commissioned for friends and family in Kyle’s honor.

Carrying a Legacy Forward

Months later, the pin was the first thing Zach added to his nurse’s uniform. More than a personal touch, it offered warmth and softened his first impression as a 6-foot-4 former football player. But its purpose also runs deeper. “I didn’t want to put it in a drawer and forget about it,” he says. “I wanted to carry it with me.” For Zach, it’s a constant link to Kyle – a man he never met but whose legacy inspires him.

As a fellow nurse, Zach sometimes wonders what it would’ve been like to work together. “I know we would have been good friends,” he says. “Everything his parents said about him are values I want to implement in my life, and I want to show them their investment will benefit not just me but the people I hope to help someday.”

Zach’s “someday” has already begun, as he finds purpose in helping patients heal and return home. “Caring for them on their worst day and sending them back to their families – that’s a great feeling.”