Ryan Christopher South

To my sweet nephew Ryan,

Ry, I remember the day you were born, we were so excited to meet you! You were the sweetest baby, with your rosy, plump cheeks and your infectious laugh. You grew into such a warm, kind hearted boy who loved his Legos and sports, family and friends. I think your love of basketball came from sharing your birthday with March Madness just about every year! And oh how you loved your pets, from Holly to Callie, you took such good care of them. You and Callie had a lot of wonderful years together, you were her rock and she yours.

You were the best big cousin, always up for a game or to play Legos or nerf wars. You were so excited and proud of Hayley and Alex when they played basketball, and football, and ran track, just like we were so proud of you in all your sports endeavors. Making your district run in track was a highlight, but watching you play soccer at 3 or 4 and having more fun playing in the mud puddle was a close second! 

Some of my favorite memories of you, Courtney, Hayley and Alex were when you all shared reading the Night Before Christmas every Christmas Eve in your stripey jammies. When you donned the stripey jammies again as a young man, we laughed so hard – that was your fun loving spirit! And I think you still hold the record for eating the most Christmas Eve meatballs, not sure anyone will ever be able to top it!

I loved watching you in your element at work, you took such pride in your job and you did it well. You were so passionate about providing a great experience for everyone, no wonder people asked for you by name! It was so fun over this last year to see all the creative concoctions you made to drink, so beautiful -they made me wish we had taste-o-vision!

You were the ultimate Duck fan, well maybe you and the rest of the crazy Duck loving family members would argue they are the ultimate fan, but I’m giving you the edge! We had a good Oregon State – Oregon rivalry going, and I could always count on a text from you to good naturedly rub it in if the Beavers lost! 

Looking back through 30 years of photos, you almost always had that beautiful smile on your face and that is how I will always remember you. Your last words to me were “I love you” and mine back were “I love you too.” My sweet nephew with a heart of gold.

Until we meet again Ry…

Auntie

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Ryan's name to the Williamette Family Inc.-Health, Wellness and Recovery Services in Eugene, Oregon or NAMI-the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

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