'You will always have four sons,' Kyle Korver tells parents at brother's funeral

At their family's church Monday morning, brothers Kyle, Klayton and Kaleb Korver shared Bible verses and spoke of their youngest sibling, Kirk, who died last week.

"We say in our family all the time: 'How do you make it without Jesus?' How do you make it without the hope that he gives? How do you make it without faith?'" Kyle, the oldest of the Korver siblings and current guard for the Cleveland Cavaliers, told scores gathered inside Third Reformed Church in Pella. "Faith is real. We have faith.

"Kirk had faith."

Third Reformed Church posted a video of the service on its YouTube channel late Monday.

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Dan Sorensen, the executive director of operations for Third Reformed Church, told the Des Moines Register last week that Kirk died following an undisclosed sudden illness in Iowa City. He was just 27 years old.

Kirk, the youngest member of one of Iowa’s most prominent athletic families, starred as a prep at Pella High School, graduating in 2009. He was named third-team all-state his senior year by the Register after averaging 14.4 points and 9.2 rebounds a game.

After high school, he went on to play at the University of Missouri-Kansas City from 2009 to 2014. During his college career, Kirk Korver scored 597 points in three seasons, ranking 32nd all-time. He appeared in 113 games — good for fourth in program history — with 50 starts.

All the Korver brothers played basketball at the collegiate level or above (Kyle—Creighton, 15-year NBA veteran; Klayton—Drake; Kaleb—Creighton.)

Kirk's father, the Rev. Kevin Korver, is a senior pastor at the church. He, along with his wife, Laine, also spoke Monday. They examined the first, middle and last verses of Psalm 46.

The first two lines, specifically, read: "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear."

Near the end of their eulogy, Kevin preached "how a relationship with Jesus eternally is so important," using John 14 as a guide.

"Jesus has made a way," Kevin said. "Jesus is the way. He is the truth.

"And our son is more alive right now than he's ever been in 27 years."

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Pella's Kirk Korver remembered as a kind, gentle basketball star

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From the archive: Pella's Korvers are the first family of Iowa basketball

In Kyle's eulogy dedicated to his brother Monday, he explained how Kirk's faith flourished because of Kevin and Laine.

"You two," Kyle said braced with emotion, "are so good. And you have thrown the seed and you have lived out a faith that's caught and not taught in this church for 25 years. Harvest has come, and much more is coming. ... We are grateful for you. Kirk is grateful for you. ... But it's going to be different. There is a before and an after, there is.

"But you will always have four sons," Kyle continued, standing beside Klayton and Kaleb. "You will always have four."

You can watch a full video of the funeral service here, courtesy of Third Reformed Church.