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 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
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