Life Celebration Event - Rehoboth Beach, DE

On September 22, 2012, family & friends gathered in a circle next to the ocean on a glorious autumn day in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, to celebrate John's life and legacy and help set his spirit free.

Here are a few words that we shared during the ceremony:

Reading from Thich Naht Hahn

The Energy of Prayer

________________________________________

No Coming, No Going

This body is not me.

I am not caught in this body.

I am life without limit.

I have never been born and I never die.

Look at the ocean and the sky filled with stars,

manifestations from my wondrous true mind.

Since beginning less time, I have always been free.

Birth and death are only doors through which we pass,

sacred thresholds on our journey.

Birth and death are a game of hide-and-seek.

So laugh with me,

hold my hand,

let us say good-bye,

say good-bye to meet again.

We meet today,

we will meet tomorrow,

we meet at the source in every moment,

we meet each other in all forms of life.

_________________________________________________

Let's pause for a moment, and bring our attention inward.

A helpful practice for difficult times is the Tibetan practice called Tunglin.

Breathing in, we feel the sadness, the tender spot in the heart

Breathing out, we feel the love that surrounds us

Breathing in, we feel our vulnerability

Breathing out, we feel our limitlessness 

Breathing in, we feel the sense of separation

Breathing out, we sense the oneness

Breathing in, we feel the shared suffering of all people who have known the loss of one they love

Breathing out, we release that suffering into the vast space of sky and ocean

_____________________________________________________________

In closing, let's share a blessing ...

honoring the principles by which John lived:

May we all appreciate and protect the beauty of this natural world,

May we live in the world with clarity and wisdom,

May we each manifest our greatest gifts and empower others to do the same.

You might like to offer these wishes for yourself:

May I be at peace.

May my heart remain open.

May I know great joy and happiness.

May I be a source of healing for this world. 

May I be free.

Now we offer these wishes to all beings on earth:

May all beings be at peace.

May all beings live with open hearts.

May all beings know great joy and happiness.

May all beings be a source of healing for this world.

May all beings be free.

May John's spirit be free.

Namaste

from Judy Siegel // Vienna, VA

Who is John Ryan to me?

A thinker, a doer, and a highly principled person.
Willing to give his all, whatever it takes, to advance economic development. Even if it meant spending months away from family, in the most rural parts of countries such as Brazil, China, and India, where he thought he could help, teach, and inspire. He also left his mark on many other countries as well.
Ardent believer in “business principles and practices” to reduce poverty, leading us down a path where energy is an input to agriculture and other sectors.
Perennial student of academia and life, always trying to learn more, apply it, and push the envelope.

John worked for me at Winrock and ESG but it was always clear who the real boss was. It was impossible to keep up with his intellect and thought process and easier to sit back and learn.

John loved Missy and his family and was a true colleague and friend to those he worked with.
John would always tell it how he saw it, with no sugar coating, and let you know how you were wrong in the most thoughtful and systematic way possible, making it very challenging to argue.

I miss John a lot and think of him often. This is particularly true now as I am sending this from London, a place that he spent a lot of time in and holds many memories.

John loved what he did. As we have learned recently, maybe too much.

But without people like John, (and I do not know many), who are able to stand up for what they believe, take risks, deliver results, and refuse to take no for an answer, our plans for a more equitable world would fade as quickly as John’s life. 

John’s passing has brought many of us back together who have lost touch. It is up to us now to continue John’s vision in a way that would make him proud and rest a bit easier.

Judy Siegel

ESG

from Ashley Ammann // Ft. Collins CO

I loved Uncle John so much, we had such a unique relationship and I so looked forward to spending the time I had with him, with him. He wasn't like everyone else when they talked to me asking about school and stuff, I mean he did, but mostly he talked to me like my opinion mattered, he made me feel important. He saw me as an equal and loved me as an equal just as he did everyone else. He never fit in our family, he was just Uncle John. He looked at the bright side of every problem, fight, or situation. When I say he didn't fit in, I mean that he was just special, he wasn't like everyone else wrapped up in there own realities. He saw everything and everyone for what it was & he knew that everyone's opinions and feelings were important and valid. He was just good, genuinely good and I know he had the most love in his heart that anyone I've met has. I didn't know Uncle John all that well but I like to think that I knew him as much as I was supposed to know him. I love Uncle John. I hope that one day I can continue his amazing efforts to help the world - I know I will go to India, I want to see what he did for my own two eyes, and I want to continue his work. I want to devote my time like he did. I love him and he will forever be in my memories as a hero, a beautiful man, and a gorgeous spirit.
I love you Uncle John,
Ashley Ammann

from Callie Metzinger MacKenzie // Alexandria VA & New Orleans LA

We want to express our deepest sympathy to all of John’s Family & Friends.  John was such a special person. Our friendship & his love changed my life many years ago. I was blessed to go to college at Tulane with John. He was truly the most giving, non-judgmental, supportive, caring, thoughtful, considerate, kind, and generous person I have ever known.

John’s legacy of what he did around the world was his true values & calling. He was always able to bring the best out in each person he met in his life. He was able to bring people together to do amazing things around the world.  John pushed you to always challenge yourself and to do your best. John never let obstacles or confrontations stop what he wanted to do with his life.  He persevered in all aspects of his life.

All the carefree days we spent together at Tulane and at Rehoboth, were wonderful.  I guess we should have studied more. I loved the Latin American Study class that we took together.  I knew he would do something international with his career. We were both so idealistic and wanted to save the world.  My career went on to help struggling youth as a Social Worker in the inner city. I am still involved in the community helping foster children grow to their full potential.

John really knew how to have fun and enjoy life. Good spirits, Good food, Good Company always made a fun entertaining evening.  He was an amazing cook, in part thanks to the wonderful recipe book from his mom, Mrs. Janet. The dinner parties he had at his apartment were a hoot. His sense of humor came from his dad, Leon.  His laugh was so contagious.  John’s stories were always expressive and funny, but also quite serious at times.

This year my father struggled with kidney failure and succumbed to this horrible disease on July 20, 2012. I was able to go to New Orleans and help my mother care for my father in his final weeks. My father and I had long talks together. He made me realize how important it is to have family and friends to share your hopes, dreams  & struggles with on a daily basis. Certain people touch your life in a way that inspires you to do your best and never let someone tell you can’t do it. That was John, of whom my father was very fond.

John had the love and respect of everyone he touch in his life. He will be truly missed and loved by all his family & friends. We look forward to the celebration of John’s life In September.

Our prayers & love to John’s family,
Callie Metzinger MacKenzie and Family
Alexandria VA and New Orleans LA

from Vijay // Colombo, Sri Lanka

I must say that I had known John only for a few months, but nevertheless developed a very personal and deeply emotional relationship with him, especially as I was close to him in his last hours before he died. I am assisting the Resource, Recovery and Reuse (RRR) research section as Project Manager at the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) in Colombo, where John started earlier this year. He was very respected by the whole team as he brought a flowerpot of fresh ideas to IWMI and it was sometimes hard for the rest of the team to keep pace with all his suggestions. It was a fantastic time of open brainstorming, which sometimes meant that ideas strongly promoted by John on day 1, accepted by all on day 2, were again dropped by him on day 3 as he had a better suggestion. He was always thinking of something better and kept us on our toes. Our section head, Dr. Pay, said that he had never before and after John had such an intensive time of learning and communication with any other staff.
 

Against all our wishes, John decided to terminate his contract in early May but we were very happy that he wished to continue with us as consultant. He was busy making plans for the work and for travel, discussing all the things he would do over the coming months. On 16th May 2012, it, all came to an unbelievable end.
 

We all really miss him and his great input as the most creative team member; we don’t know why God has taken him so soon. God bless him for his rest-in-peace.
 

Even though John worked with us only for a short period, he is known to all staff due to his joyful character with his friendly personal relations.  He is an example of creativity and innovation. His analytical thinking was far beyond our theoretical and logical way. He represented a great mixture of theoretical and practical knowledge, skill and experience. We were proud having him as a team member.
 

Vijay

Resource Recovery & Reuse team member

IWMI 

Colombo, Sri Lanka

from Dave Anderson // Washington DC

I met John in 1998 when we were entering grad school at the University of Texas at Austin.  He was clearly a unique individual with a raging torrent of a mind bent on solving fundamental economic problems in Latin America and the rest of the developing world.  But he was also hilarious including the way he made connections between seemingly unconnected things.  He liked his beer, and I never saw him in a dark mood.  We kept in touch over the subsequent years and talked over his various projects and travels, which, to be honest, I couldn't always follow, but I guess that brings us back to the fact that his mind was racing faster than most people's.  In any case, it was fun and good exercise to try to keep up with him.  
 

Our last visit was in the winter of 2011 when we toured the historical sights around Philadelphia and spent a few hours in a sports bar, talking about people we knew at UT and the state of the world.  We both played electronic golf (the kind where you hit the ball into the movie screen), did terribly, and had a great laugh.  I could never pin John down in terms of being Democrat or Republican, but he liked to play the role of a conservative in a Stephen Colbert sort of way.  My guess he probably saw both parties as silly little schoolyard rivals.  
 

I'm thankful to have known him and know he's in a better place.  
Dave
--
David H. Anderson
Director, Global Business Development
Zurich Credit & Political Risk
Washington, DC

from Simon Cook // Colombo, Sri Lanka

I confess I still really miss John. He and I used to take coffee virtually every morning we were in Colombo. I provided the coffee [Colombian, of course]. He provided the interesting conversation. I admit it was like having a triple espresso: one shot of coffee and two shots of John. We’d talk round and round, a million miles an hour, flitting from apples to insurance to Godel  - me bluffing and he patiently but excitedly correcting me. I’d waste an hour afterwards searching the net to find out what he’d been talking about and trying to source material for my next bout. Good for my education. Bad for productivity.

John really was bright. He’d fly our conversations around the world, dipping into this topic or that. His conversations were always illuminating and clear. Never negative, even though I think he must have looked at what I was doing sometimes and wonder how anyone could be so dim-witted. I now realize that enthusiasm with excess responsibility came with a heavy price. I thank him for paying it but I wish he hadn’t.

He dined and danced with us, in our house in Colombo, the night before he died. He actually had a great time, cooking pizza with (3 year old) Laura [what a perfect guest / lousy host combination] and dancing salsa with Ingrid or whoever was nearby and stationary. The last I saw of him was when he piled into an undersized car with others to return home.  I remember his idiosyncratic grin, extremely generous gratitude and, (I’m sure), interesting comment that I vowed to check as soon as I got back onto the internet. I remember him thus.

Goodbye, John and thanks for the uplift! It was way too short, but I still thank you for providing it!

Your friend,

Simon

--

Simon Cook

IWMI

Colombo, Sri Lanka