My deepest condolences to you and your family. Just wanted to let you know those who were fortunate to know Ryan.

Are sharing your pain. Its has been a honor and privilege to have known him.

I am so saddened by Ryan’s death.  I taught Ryan in grades 10-12 (English Lit) and I can honestly say that he was one of the most interesting and engaging young people I have ever taught.  I learned as much from him as he learned from me!  My condolences to his family.  My thoughts and prayers are with you as you grieve.

Bob Hazelton

Teacher, Forest Heights Community School

Dear Zita & George, & Ryan’s family.

I’m shocked and deeply saddened at the passing of Ryan… there are no words to describe such a loss. My heart goes out to each of you.

Ryan was my first beau, during my final years at Dalhousie University 13 years ago.  He was an old soul, like me. We had many interests in common like classical music, old movies, history and a love for English Breakfast. Once he even cooked us an ostrich egg for breakfast, which ended up being breakfast for a few days! Haha! He was such a sweetheart, a galant man with high morals and refined values. He treated my mother, Ingrid, like gold. Ryan was in many ways a tremendous support to me and I truly loved him. I hold beautiful memories of our time together in Halifax. 

My deepest condolences and love to you all…

Paul Medeiros

 (Residing in Amsterdam, Netherlands) 

Ryan was a great colleague and wonderful friend. It's hard to accept his absence. If I was this gutted about losing someone else Ryan would have been one of the first ones I turned to for solace and perspective. 

I'll miss the in person chats about gardens, books & life, but those things will always make me think of him. 

Cheers, Buddy

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Morris,

I am so sorry for your loss.  I felt compelled to write something in an attempt to try to convey what Ryan meant to me.  He was such a special person.

Didn’t You Know

Didn’t you know as I read what you had chosen

How much I looked forward to our next book club?

Thinking of the beautiful drive down shore

With hills inflamed by autumn’s glory and blazing shrub.

I anticipated the welcoming warmth of your kitchen

An affable sanctuary of wood stove and downhome grub.

Didn’t you know how much your stories fascinated me?

You had such an engaging way of spinning a tale

From clandestine forages into the guts of old houses

To treasures found while beachcombing the habour’s swale.

Your colourful descriptions of exotic life in the far east to

Down east camp outs and off road adventures never got stale.

Didn’t you know how much I valued your generousity?

From gifts of shared genealogy to packets of rare seed

You gave freely of things that made others feel special.

Defiant were your efforts to help those in the most need.

Dropping off books to students during the locked down and

Helping a new driver with deliveries by riding along in tweed.

Didn’t you know how much I admired your expertise?

Your command of the language is a skill I desire.

Author’s names and ideas you’d enounce with a flourish

As my tongue-tied articulations were lost in quagmire.

Your most recent book choice a challenging motivation

A legacy of an enriched vocabulary I hope to acquire.

Didn’t you know you could trust us with your dark thoughts?

Our little group of truth seekers who liked to meet

To walk, to talk, to eat and drink, to ponder life and laugh.

It all seems so shallow now, in hindsight, just conceit.

How could we miss the pain you felt behind your smiling face?

To ease your mind and change your path is all we would entreat.

Didn’t you know how much you’d be missed

By family, student, colleague, and friend?

So many wish they had been more perceptive

To detect how much you needed to mend.

Too late we are left with mere memories

And a desperate hope that you found peace in the end. 

Dear Mr & Mrs Morris, I am so very sorry for your loss.  I was so shocked when I heard the news from My son Paul, and my heart aches for you.  Ryan was such a special young man and I was so privileged to have known him and having shared time with him in my home for a short period of time, I still think about it often and how good he was to me.  The world is that much poorer without him.   May you feel comfort and receive strength from all those around you and the memories they share.

With deep sympathy,

Ingrid Medeiros

I never knew Ryan nor did I interact with him, however over the past few days of listening to his students coming through Tim Hortons in Parrsboro talk about how sad they were and shed tears for him and many positive words about him, it makes you think. 

To the family of Ryan, I am sorry for your loss. To the students, etc. I too am sorry for your loss. He truly had an impact on so many! He isn’t gone forever, just no longer in the eye sight of life, but with us spiritually!