Ryan with his mom & brother               

 Ryan with his mom & brother

 Ryan with is dad & brother

 Ryan with his aunt

 Ryan with his brother

mom

God blessed me with a little brother named Ryan Thompson. My lil brother was awsome and like normal brothers we had our differences and didn't get along at times but no matter what when it came down to it for the most part we had each others backs. Ryan liked punk rock music and he was a huge fan of underground hip hop. Sage francis and atmosphere are a couple of groups off the top of my head that i could name. He had so many friends i mean i didnt ever have any clue as to how many friends he had till i was at the hospital. We werent that far apart in age so we kinda knew the same people but i soon came to realize i didnt know half of them. He was always a hit with the girls they all seemed to like him even if he was rude and blew em off. He did good in school he wasn't a straight a student but he graduated. We had good times and i miss him more than anything but it's cool because at the hospital i had run into a old friend that we both knew and i had learned that a couple months prior to his accident he had started going to church and gave himself to the lord so i know some day ill see him again. That day couldn't come soon enough.

ALWAYS LOVED, FOREVER RESPECTED, AND NEVER FORGOTTEN
IN LOVING MEMORY
MY LIL BRO
RYAN MICHEAL THOMPSON
JULY 1, 1980 - JULY 4, 2007

beautiful soul and so inquisitive and intelligent.  He is greatly missed.

Betty Smith (Ryan's grandmother)

Ryan was loved by his Uncle Larry, Aunt Sharee and Cousin Jessica.
The Watt Family

This is from Jason's mom, Terry Porter (Stacey's friend and Ryan's second mom):  Sarah, I'm so glad Ryan gave you a chance at life and the time for Jesus to use your faith and love to bring others to Him.  Ryan spent a lot of time at our house in California when he was around 10 to about 16 or 17.  Ryan was like a brother to Jason and is very much missed!  We have so many stories about Ryan's youth; Jason can tell you more.  ~~ Terry Porter
 
Hi Sarah, this is Jason, Ryan's best friend. I'm so glad that Ryan can give you a second chance at life. Ryan was like a brother to me, he was three years older than me and was always there for me when I was in trouble or just needed someone to talk to. I just want to say: stay strong and pray, I will be doing the same. I really hope you get better and i'm glad you have his heart, cause I know it is a strong one just like you! Say hi to your family for me. We'll keep you in our prayers.
Jason Porter

I wish I had known my cousin better.  When I think back on memories of him, they are few and far between, with the most recent being about 13 years ago at our grandparent's house.  How time does fly.  In the weeks prior to Ryan's passing, I had been doing a lot of thinking about him and his brother David, and had been planning on getting in touch with them.  One is always caught up in their own little bubble world, however, and believes that their family is, somehow, immortal and will always be there.  This was especially true for Ryan because he is only 6 months younger than me, and it still seems like there is so much ahead.  I never could have ever expected that this would happen to him.  Unfortunately, this was quite to the contrary, and not picking up the phone will always be one of my greatest regrets in my life.

In Ryan's death, I learned about a side of him I would have never expected to come from the person I remember as a  kid.  He is an absolutely amazing artist, and one of the most eloquent writers i have ever had the pleasure of reading.  Sitting down with his notebooks to read his random thoughts and poems, I was completely in awe of him, and somehow felt connected to him.  I will always admire him for writing down words in a way that I could only ever hope to.  Ryan's words revealed to me a very passionate spirit, and I feel lucky to have met that person.  I just wish it could have been under different circumstances.

Sarah, you could not have asked for a better heart.  I know it will be strong for you and allow you to live a very long, happy, and fulfilling life.  Take care of that heart and guard it carefully, please.  It means a lot to me to know that a piece of Ryan is still alive within you.

In Loving Memory
Alisa Thompson

Ryan was loved by his Uncle Mike and Aunt Shelly.  We will always remember Ryan’s wonderful sense of humor, his cute smile, and the good times we shared together.  Ryan, we think of you often and miss you a lot. 

Uncle Mike and Aunt Shelly

Ryan Thompson will always be remembered in my eyes, as my shy yet loving cousin. And although Ryan was only about a year-and-a-half younger than me, I always thought of him as the baby of the extended family. Ryan was a lot like me in many ways. He was very laid back, sensitive, and had a go-with-the-flow attitude. I will always cherish the fun times we had as children vacationing with our fearless grandparents. I remember playing games while driving up in an RV to Colorado, swimming for hours in the hotel pool in Florida, trying to go on every ride in Disney World, walking for hours around Epcot Center wondering why we were not spending our time at Disney World, watching Ryan and David catch and release fish in Lake Mead and thinking that was so gross, and always celebrating Ryan’s birthday while vacationing on the houseboat. J All those memories will stay in my heart forever.
Ryan will be missed greatly. There isn’t a day that goes by that I do not think of him in some way. Ryan never got to meet his new second cousin Oliver, and that makes me sad because Oliver would have really liked him. However, it is no surprise that through the tragedy of Ryan’s passing that greatness unfolds with Sarah’s new chance at life because that was the type of person Ryan was: selfless and caring. He will be missed!!!

-Michelle Chase