Our beloved son and brother, Cooper Reese Lyles, was tragically taken from us on December 2, 2024, at the age of 18. Cooper was a quiet young man who blossomed into an incredible athlete, great friend, and a leader both on and off the field. Cooper was selfless, loved his friends, teammates and family. He was always there to help, no questions asked. One friend quoted, “if I had one phone call to make, it would be to Cooper, because I know I could count on him.”

Cooper was an outstanding athlete, a three year starting defenseman and captain for the St. Augustine High School lacrosse team, leading them to their first district title in five years. He was honored with the “Victory with Honor” award, one of only two awards given by the lacrosse coaches, for his work ethic, leadership, and dedication to the team. In his free time, Coop enjoyed hanging out with friends, playing pickleball, fishing, and golfing. He planned to attend the University of North Florida, majoring in Criminal Justice in addition to accomplishing his goal of becoming a Florida Wildlife Officer.

After he passed, our family struggled to make sense of it all. One thing was clear though, we had to keep his memory and legacy alive. Our family started “The Cooper Lyles Foundation.”

Through charitable donations, an annual golf tournament and other potential fundraisers, our goal is to honor Cooper by providing scholarships in his name to deserving St. Johns County high school students. In May 2025, we were able to award over $10,000 in scholarships to three deserving student-athletes.

On September 27th, 2025, the foundation will host its Inaugural “Play Like Coop” Golf Tournament. With your support, we hope to continue the annual scholarships and donations to help underprivileged youth in our community, just as Cooper would have wanted. To learn more about Cooper and see what we are doing, please check out and follow our Facebook page, “The Cooper Lyles Foundation.”

Thank you for your generous outpouring of love and support. The Lyles Family