John E.H. Ryan, 45, died on May 16, 2012, while working in Colombo, Sri Lanka. John was born October 31, 1966, in Cheltenham, England, and spent many years of his youth in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, including three years as a lifeguard.

John was educated at Worcester Preparatory School in Berlin, MD, and The Lawrenceville School in Lawrenceville, NJ. He received his Bachelor’s degree from Tulane University in New Orleans, LA; Master’s degree from University of Texas-Austin; and Doctoral degree from Warwick University’s School of Business in Coventry, England.

John will be remembered for his passion and commitment to reducing the human footprint on the planet while opening economic opportunities for rural communities around the world. For over 25 years, he traveled the globe seeking fellow entrepreneurs and providing opportunities to enable them to create environmentally sustainable businesses. He will be missed dearly.

He is survived by: his wife Melissa Ryan of Arlington, VA; parents Leon and Janet Ryan of Lewes, DE; brother James and sister-in-law Loretta Ryan of Seattle, WA; sister Mary and brother-in-law Mike Roth of Wilmington, DE; and brother Leon and sister-in-law Candy Ryan of Birmingham, AL.

Private family services were held in Lewes and Rehoboth Beach, DE.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to: Friends of Cape Henlopen State Park or a local organization of your choice.

Friends of Cape Henlopen State Park - P. O. Box 132 - Nassau, DE 19969


Tuesday, September 4, 2012

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
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