Ryan was born in Des Moines on October 31, 1982 – a Halloween baby. He played soccer, went to school and did most things boys his age would do.
As a preteen, he couldn't wait to start earning money, so he and his brother, Chris, delivered weekly shoppers around the neighborhood. When he turned fourteen, he started working at McDonald's and by the time he was in high school he had three part-time jobs during the holiday shopping season.
Ryan carves his pumpkin
Ryan & Chris go for a ride
Working wasn't Ryan's only passion; he did volunteer work at a retirement center and while in high school he got involved in political activities and stuffed envelopes for candidates. In 2006, he was the Welcome Tent manager at the Annual Asian Festival, which he thought was sort of funny considering that he isn't Asian, but he loved their diversified cultures and foods.
Full of life and bearing a mischievous grin, the future looked very bright for Ryan.
