These inseparable brothers were the youngest boys of our family, which granted them the nickname “the boys” by all that knew them. Sage was a junior at Valley High School, and Rylie was a sophomore at West Jordan High School.

The boys shared many passions, including anything with a motor, outdoors, guns, and country music, which contributed to their closeness. Sage and Rylie could always be found together either working under a car—whether it was one of their own, a family member’s or friend’s—in the West Desert or in a field of mud. These two were a perfect pair; Sage’s charisma and fearlessness broke it, then Rylie’s ingenuity and practicality would fix it.

Sage was the most spirited of all his siblings. He could persuade any of his siblings or friends to participate in his shenanigans, or convince them to do things even Sage would not do himself. There was not much Sage wouldn’t do, though. Everything Sage did was wild, fast, and sometimes dangerous. But if you were to ask him, it was wilder, faster, and extremely dangerous.

Sage was a captivating storyteller; he could keep everyone at the edge of their seat wondering what would happen next, even though they had all heard the same exaggerated story countless times. Sage could draw anyone in with his stories, but they stuck around because of his quick wit and caring heart. Sage was so genuine he made all those around him feel like family.

At a very young age, Sage developed his love for anything with a motor. It all started with vacuums, then lawn mowers and four-wheelers, and eventually cars. Sage has owned more cars than we can count because each car only lasted as long as his attention span, then it was off to the next one.

Rylie, on the other hand, was quiet and reserved with a fascination of how things work. If it had nuts, bolts, or screws, he would take it apart and try to put it back together again. Over time, Rylie developed the patience to pull things apart and not just put it back together, but make it bigger, faster, or better. L ittle did we know these traits would turn him into the Mr. Fixit we knew him to be.

Since age 11, Rylie could make major home improvements like running new electrical circuits, installing underground sprinklers, building sheds/fences/decks, and laying tile or hardwood floor—things most people would hire a contractor for. Although Rylie could fix anything, his passion was fixing cars. Before he even learned to drive a car, he knew how to fix one.

At age 15, he rebuilt a motor for his eldest brother’s car. As the excitement of routine automotive maintenance and work faded, Rylie was still the first one to offer his assistance because of his love for his family and friends. Rylie’s big heart was one of his most defining attributes. Whenever Rylie saw someone in need, he was always willing to lend a hand. This was not limited to the people he loved. Rylie had a love for all animals. He had given a home to multiple stray animals which became his loved pets.

These two boys were inseparable, even in death. Sage’s and Rylie’s lives may have been short, but can be described as nothing short of full. Sage and Rylie will be greatly missed by everyone that had the opportunity to know them.

On the night of the crash, my boys left our home at 11:10 p.m. They crashed and passed at 12:07 a.m. It was raining and the roads were wet. We were planning to change the tires, but they crashed before that happened. Sage was driving at least 15 miles an hour over the speed limit. He was known to speed, cruise, and race cars. They think Sage was driving a lot faster than the police could tell. The car crossed the centerline and they collided with another car.

Please remember that speed can kill, driving should not be a race. Leave your competitive instincts at home. I know teens like to have fun, and they should, but not when they are driving. Please save the fun and games for when you reach your destination. Also, if the car has safety issues, take care of them immediately. Do not put it off.