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April 12, 2020
It is with profound sadness that the family of Ryan Johnson announces his passing on Easter Sunday, and anyone that knew him will surely get a laugh out of his one last Dad joke. He left the same way he lived his life, on his own terms, in the early hours of the morning on April 12, 2020 at the age of 65.
Ryan will be greatly missed by so many people that he touched with his endless generosity and unwavering honesty, but especially his immediate family: his wife and the love of his life Debbie, his son Nathan (Nate), and his daughter Sarah.
Of course, Ryan's impact has rippled throughout the community far beyond his closest friends and family. Some knew him as that guy running up and down the road to the airport without a shirt on in the blazing heat of summer, some knew him as the Renaissance man behind Machen Manufacturing and Barbarian Motor Works, and many others would recognize his booming voice and infectious laugh from a mile away. Ryan was certainly a memorable guy, and truly a great man.
He was curious, smart, and loved learning everything he possibly could about the way the world works. Ryan would give the shirt off his back to help anyone who needed it, and he was one of the truest, most hard-working people most of us will have the honour of meeting in our lives. He wore his heart on his sleeve and that drove everything that he ever accomplished in both business and in his personal life.
Ryan was also painfully modest and humble - he would surely be embarrassed by us gushing over how amazing he was. He was always minimizing his accomplishments with a shrug and some simple statement about how he wasn't special, and this is just the bare minimum of how everyone should conduct themselves. But he was special.
In his last few weeks on Earth, Ryan expressed many times that he had a great life and had no regrets. From his daredevil youth flying airplanes, racing dirt bikes and motorcycles, and driving fast cars, to raising his children to be passionate and resilient, to finding the woman of his dreams later in life, his path was his alone. If he wanted to buy that car, he bought that car!... Much to the chagrin of some of his more frugal counterparts. All of us that loved him can take solace in the fact that he always did exactly what he wanted to do and was kind, loving, and courageous until the end.
Ryan's family will be organizing an online celebration of his life in the next few weeks for those of us who wish to connect and share memories of him in this time of uncertainty. We will be scheduling a larger celebration in person at his place of residence once we return to a new normal sometime in the months to come. If you wish to be involved in either of these services, please contact us through Bowers Funeral Service.
Online condolences may be sent to Ryan's family through his obituary at www.bowersfuneralservice.com
Bowers Funeral Service


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