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

from Russell deLucia // Cambridge, MA

I, along with John’s other friends, have lost a dear friend and brilliant colleague whose values and commitments to equitable and sustainable economic development I am proud to say we shared. I knew him for more than 20 years and had the good fortune to collaborate with him on various projects and assignments in multiple institutional settings during that period of time. Even when we were not collaborating formally, we were often informally sharing ideas and mutual constructive criticism. 

I experienced the great pleasure of a relationship with John that evolved from one in which I was mentoring him, to one in which we were peer collaborators to a relationship in which I was so often learning from him too. I was senior in age to John when we first met - he was a young professional who had yet to pursue his advanced degrees - and, as I continued my active professional life, I worked together with John on an intermittent basis in various organizational frameworks. Even when we were not working directly together, we often stayed in touch, exchanging ideas, viewpoints, and constructive criticisms on matters of mutual interest, many of which pertain to an enterprise-centric approach to poverty alleviation and development.

John had a wonderful way of remembering comments and other details of our exchanges - often ones I had long forgotten – and had a unique ability to make these details and exchanges useful in some manner. My favorite example of this (and the one that I remember best given that he had multiple occasions to note it) had to do with dealing making, financial structuring, and types of financing. I once commented to him that previously we only worked with a limited menu of options using the analogy of just vanilla, strawberry and chocolate choices that dominated Howard Johnson’s ice cream scene. Then we segued into talking about where we have move to - namely dozens of options like Baskin Robbins’ raspberry, rocky road, and countless other menu choices offered by multiple local and national ice cream outlets. Knowing my liking for ice cream and my perennial dieting problem, John and I would be discussing options like secondary debt and contingent grants along with “plain vanilla debt.” John would often mention aspects our shared analogy and I have even used the analogy in presentations. I think John might have too.

But my fond memories of John are not just about our work and professional interactions; some of the best moments we shared were during meals together in which we discussed food. He taught me about cheeses that I had not heard of and about the nuances of ciders. These wonderful conversations always seemed to become intertwined with discussions of our work in small-scale enterprise development. John was so very dedicated to both supporting and actively doing this work.

Finally, I want to express that, because of the generosity of his networking, I have friends and colleagues that I would not otherwise have and with whom I will not only continue to collaborate, but with whom I will also share fond memories of John - a dear, brilliant, kind and generous person who I was lucky to have as a friend and colleague.   

Russell
--
Russell deLucia
S3IDF
Cambridge, MA

from Karl Boettcher // France

I'm so sorry to hear the news of John's passing.  He's truly going to be missed.

In fact, I was just thinking of the two of you as I returned from
Europe, as we talked about crossing paths in London or Oxford.  And
when I took my first drive down to the beach house, I instinctively
turned toward your old back porch as I pulled into the driveway. It
was always great to start a visit with a wave and a smile from
friendly neighbors.  I'll miss that, and also the colorful
conversations about travel and worldwide business adventures.

One thing I appreciated about John was his sense of practicality.  He
had an engineers love of materials, and a keen instinct for making
sustainable solutions work in the remotest parts of the real world.
I'm going to miss the stimulating interactions, chatting about our
latest projects and comparing notes on everything from 12 volt
renewable backup solutions wheeled reluctantly into the jungle, to eco
living structures.  I remember him as a renaissance man, master of all
the relevant disciplines.

I know there's nothing that I can say that can help make the rawness
of this tragedy go away.  But please know that you are not alone...
there are so many friends who are also bearing the weight of mourning
the loss of John.  I hope you can feel that our best thoughts and
prayers are with you as you carry on.

Sincerely,  

Karl & the Boettcher family

from Kathy Magee Warren // Houston, TX

John stood out in the wild, wild west of Solar Energy Industry Association (SEIA) days of the early 90s. He was the guy in the suit, the one who tried to remained (mostly) professional. He coached me in my first post-college job and taught me about solar energy, international development and the complicated agencies of World Bank, US AID and others. He was vastly entertained by my efforts to host the South Pacific contingencies who visited Washington that insisted on tons of chicken and bottles of Crown and then evenings of dancing at sketchy clubs in Adams Morgan. John laughed and laughed when I complained to him and pushed me to look at this as incredible networking and career advancement.

I miss exploring unusual restaurants with him in Washington and visiting the wineries in Virginia. Once when we were in Red Rock, CO it was late at night and we were at the deserted outdoor amphitheater there and he made me go up on the stage and sing a song. He was so good at pushing people out of their comfort zone and being supportive of risk-taking.

He was warm, witty, intellectually curious, kind, and complicated. He could argue until you were ready to scream in frustration. He looked out for everyone and wished the best for everyone. I can’t even believe I am writing all this in the past tense.

The only good thing about death is that it brings people back together. I am looking forward to celebrating John with everyone and I will make every effort to be in Delaware in September. All of my love to everyone who he touched.

Xoxoxx - Kathy

from Douglas Burton // Arlington VA

For the short time I knew John, I found him to be a kind and generous soul; someone with great passion for life and a friend to those in need.  He devoted his entire life to a higher calling, working tirelessly to find solutions to world issues.  He will be terribly missed.  Douglas Burton

from Marilyn Villanueva // Centerville, VA

John was my mentor, my direct supervisor, and the older brother I never had. We worked together and traveled all over India and Nepal together. He taught me how to pack light; literally packing what I need for 2-3 weeks of international travel in a small carry on (for a woman, that’s asking a lot). He taught me how to appreciate fine wine, a good lamb dish and Kingfisher beer (all in one evening). We’ve traveled by plane, by rail, by boat, by electric vehicles, by bus, by trucks and on foot in the remotest villages of India and those adventures and conversations remain close to my heart.  He also taught me the art of networking, every place we travelled, John knew someone and in most cases he already had various meetings lined up from breakfast all the way to dinner.

He also showed me tough love. When I was being indecisive about what steps to take next in my life, (grad school or another job) he kept pushing and prodding me to not just let time pass by; that attempting to calculate every possible misstep; was keeping me from experiencing my true potential.  I was young and learning the ropes in development work from him, he told me that the worst thing potential partners, investors and funders can do is say no; that whatever I decided to do in my life, whatever I focused on, I should believe in it with all my heart and I should know my material well, research everything and anything about it, then just be bold and sell it, the worst thing that people can say is no.

As passionate and as enthusiastic as he was, bold and unafraid, one of my favorite memories of him was when we went to Pune India. He mentioned that Iyengar lived there and you practiced his form of Hatha yoga. This time it was my turn to push him and I somehow got our rickshaw driver to make a side trip to Iyengar’s Center. When we got there we saw Iyengar sitting on a chair reading a book. John, all of a sudden became this shy hesitant person, I had to press him to approach Iyengar, to say hello. He didn’t want to intrude, so we decided to go the reading center. There he purchased a book for you and again I told him he should get it autographed, he didn’t want to and for some reason, a voice inside said, well “just be bold, the worst thing he can say is no”. So I did and Iyengar gladly signed the book, he even offered for us to stay, chat with him and have some tea.

I finished grad school and am again at a crossroads in life. It would have been nice to contact him again after all these years to get his advice.

I extend my condolences to all of John’s family. My prayers go out to all of you.

from Sue Conley & Peggy Smith // Marin County, CA

We send our love and offer support for the loss of John...a person who we will always remember for opening the whole wide world to us.  John made us feel like we were part of a much bigger picture.  We honor his legacy and his brilliance.

Sue Conley & Peggy Smith
Cowgirl Creamery

from Sharon Forsyth / Washington DC

I can only say that the day I met John, at the Costa Rican embassy, it felt like reconnecting with a long lost friend. We spoke for hours, and I was filled with joy to have discovered such a brilliant and fascinatingly complex person. He was one of the most intensely interesting, enthusiastically intellectual people I ever met, and the joy and wonder that he found in the intricacies of a staggeringly broad range of arcane topics enriched my life and made every shared tea or lunch more fulfilling than a lifetime of conversation with almost anybody else. His intensity, his passion, his sensitivity, seemed to allow him to experience life on a higher plane, in more vivid color than most of us, which must have made his life much more wonderful, but also undoubtedly more painful, too.

Even the memory of John is brighter than most else that I have experienced in this confusing, all too mediocre world.

I'm looking forward to celebrating John's life, rather than just mourning his loss. Thanks for providing that opportunity. Let me know if there is anything we can do to help.

Sharon Forsyth

from Adrian Forsyth / Washington DC

Here at the Forsyth house our hearts go out to you and John's parents in what must be a desperately hard, sad time. I just wanted to say please let us know if we can help in some way and also I wanted to let you know how I am thinking about this tragedy.

Many years ago my sister killed herself with a heroin overdose. Was it an impulse, an accident or carefully intentional? I can't ever know because there was no goodbye note. Like John she was young, good looking, physically healthy and highly intelligent. Family and friends can't help but try to find answers the the source of such a tragedy. But over the years of looking for anything sensible in her death I have come to just see it as not much different from some other biological system failure-- Like a seizure of the heart or liver but in this case, of the mysterious neurology of the human brain. No conversation, no pill, no surgery can repair some of the things that go wrong in the fragile complex machine that we are. At some level all deaths are accidental and the inevitable consequences of biology going wrong in a way that is beyond our ability to change it.

The way a person has lived is vastly more important than the manner of their ending. For me John was all about doing good for our amazing world. In his thirst and appreciation for the splendor of human creation he had no peer. I remember when Sharon came home from first meeting John. She was so happy and excited to meet someone who knew so much, who cared so much, who was so full of enthusiasm for things she valued. Every hour I spent with John was exhaustively interesting---an hour with John was like a week with anyone else, in terms of what he might impart to you. There was never anyone so full of diverse passionate interests coupled with a prodigious knowledge and enthusiasm for the richness of the human cultural experience. Who else could explain to you the details of how to make biogas from guinea pig dung in the Andes,  the best way to help organic tea farmers in the Himalayas and where to find the best goat cheese in Marin County -  all in the space of five minutes? His flame burned brighter than the rest of us. I can not help thinking that John sometimes must of felt like a fish out of water when surrounded by plodding mediocrity, constrained by bureaucracy and thwarted by people who did not care as intensely as he cared for his work and ideas.  We are very saddened to lose John. But the memory of John will not be a sad memory but an enduring, grateful happy one of a uniquely brilliant good man the likes of which I do not ever expect to meet again.

Please convey our condolences to John's parents and know our thoughts are with you.

Sincerely,
Adrian and Sharon

--
Adrian Forsyth, PhD
Vice President for Programs
Blue Moon Fund

John exploring the Amazon, January 2009

from Larry Manekin / Ft. Myers, FL

John Ryan taught me how to drink beer.  And wine.  And cognac.  And whiskey.   Not just to drink as in the copious amounts that most college students drink, but to appreciate the good stuff.  We didn’t drink to get drunk, but to understand the art of it.  Even on one particularly memorable occasion when we drank beer and wine and cognac and whiskey and sake in the same night.

He also taught me how to enjoy food and to disdain chain restaurants.  Long dinners together ranging over many topics are my fondest memory of our time. 

He loved to experience all there was to life.  We had times spent together at mardi gras parades, art museums, the ballet, horseback riding, and Shakespeare plays just to name a few.

I have always been shy socially.  John was the one who encouraged me to be bold.

He is the only person who has visited me in every place I’ve ever called home.  He stood up with me as a groomsman the day I married.

There was a time when I was at my lowest; unemployed, alone and despondent.  Out of the blue he called me up and invited me to a weekend at a luxury hotel.  I don’t think he ever knew how much he helped me that time.  There are many things I owed him.  Things he did for me and things he taught me.  I owe him more than I can repay.

We met the first day of class, freshman year of college.   It was the oldest assignment out there; interview the person sitting next to you. 

Since then 28 years have passed. 

Over those years were a lot of adventures.  I always assumed we’d have another.

IWMI memorial service / Colombo, Sri Lanka

"Sharing interpretations, observations, and assumptions and working together on narratives is one of the greatest joys. What I think any work should be about."
John Ryan

 

"John was a remarkably bright light - a true believer in the spirit of free enterprise and in one's ability to create exciting opportunities where others might see only impossible challenges."
Dennis Wichelns, IWMI, Senior Fellow, Colombo

"He was such a nice guy and indeed an inspiring person! An example for me."
Luca di Mario, PhD student, Cambridge, UK

"John did not just bring passion to his work - passion was a given. Above all he brought a certain honesty. John looked beyond organizations and strategies. His intellectual integrity constantly reminded us why we set out to do what we were trying to do. To all of us, John was a gentle, guiding friend.“
Avinash Krishnamurthy, S3IDF, India

"John was a deep thinker and had great insight into issues. I appreciated the deep perspectives he brought into our field of research." 

Olufunke Cofie, CPWF

"I very much enjoyed meeting John in Colombo and especially our discussion over breaks - he had an amazing career and inspiring ethical viewpoints. I'm sure he will be sadly missed by many."
Kate Medlicott, WHO, Geneva

"We do not only lose a good friend but also an important project partner."
Johannes Heeb, CEWAS, Switzerland

"I interacted with John during his visit to Accra. One week wasn’t enough and I was looking forward to meet him again some time soon... too bad this can’t happen. RIP John." 

Edmund Akoto-Danso, IWMI Ghana

"John made a big impression on me, particularly his enthusiastic character and dynamic approach to his work."
Fraser Sugden, IWMI Nepal

"John impressed me by his simplicity, his patience and his capacity to lead and motivate the whole team to perform. We will miss him.“
Josiane Nikiema, IWMI Ghana

"John had only been with us for a short time, but had already left his mark on IWMI through his enthusiastic and creative approach to problems in the RRR team. He will be sadly missed as a colleague and friend to many of us."
Colin Chartres, DG, IWMI, Colombo

Photos from IWMI trip to Accra, Ghana - March 2012

Update

Thanks to everyone for all of their support and best wishes during this very difficult time. The entire family is doing as well as can be expected and are all back at their respective homes. Please keep in touch via email: melissa.ryan.beach@gmail.com. I'll forward emails to John's family and/or pass along addresses as requested.

John's global family is a truly powerful and inspirational group of people and we are all so grateful for all of the love and support.

 Missy & John, Rehoboth Bay, Delaware - October 2011