When the burdens and scars of life take too heavy a toll, even a truly amazing person can burn out. Such was the case in the life of Ryan Jenkins. On the surface, his star was shining brightly, but inside, a simmering fire was growing that eventually burned out of control and resulted in Ryan’s escape from this life, as he leapt into eternity and the arms of God. Suffering from worsening depression, Ryan must have felt his pain was too deep and he could not find a way to reach out for the help he so desperately needed.
Ryan had many hidden scars. He was born into a troubled marriage to parents who were always at odds with each other and struggling with their own serious problems, but this is the reason the Seeleys were blessed to take care of him starting when he was just 18 months old. Ryan’s mother loved him the best way she knew how, but she could not overcome her addictions and died in his arms despite every effort made by Ryan to save her. He lost his first successful banking position due to the strain, and bankrupted himself trying to care for her. He never really recovered from her death three years ago.
Ryan was a wonderful little boy caught in the middle of two families, unsure of his proper place in life. Despite this, Ryan excelled in school, in sports, and in leadership positions. He was kind-hearted and humble, forgiving of others but demanding perfection from himself. While in college at CU Boulder, he was honored in Greece as his fraternity’s president, traveled to many countries around the world with the Semester at Sea program, and interned with the Governor of Colorado’s legislative staff. He was able to witness a bill he had drafted go through the entire legislative process, get signed by the Governor, and become law. His goal was to eventually run for the US Congress. Ryan also interned with Wells Fargo while in college as an assistant credit analyst. He loved college football and was a diehard Buffs fan. After graduating in 2009, Ryan was hired by Wells Fargo as a full-time credit analyst. Wells quickly saw the potential in Ryan and within six months promoted him to be the youngest Wells Fargo commercial banker in the US. His star was definitely rising.
When the time came for retirement, the Seeleys moved to Charlotte in 2010. Ryan stayed behind in Colorado to care for his ailing mother and eventually fell out of touch with everyone. This dark chapter cost Ryan dearly. He became jobless, lost a long-time girlfriend, and was unable to save his mother from the depths of alcoholism and addiction. In 2018, he was devastated when she passed away. Having also lost his grandmother, he was ready to leave Colorado when Mr. Seeley invited him to come out here to start a new life in North Carolina.
In Charlotte, Ryan quickly became a credit analyst with First National Bank and was promoted to underwriter within a year. He was getting his life back on track and his star was rising again. He often attended church, loved coaching flag football for Eddie, and taking Eddie and Christina to Dave & Buster’s to play arcade games with them. He was such a fun uncle! In May of 2020, he accepted a position with Bank of America as a Vice President of Commercial Lending. This job was demanding, especially in work- from-home isolation. Most importantly, he met and fell in love with Kelly Reardon around this time, and they began planning their future together. He had a great future ahead of him on many levels. Things seamed to be working out fine, but he was starting to slip back into depression again. A combination of old and new things was starting to weigh on him. Under the veneer a storm was brewing, which he kept almost entirely to himself.
Tragically, Ryan decided to leave this world on his 35th birthday after gathering with family and having a weekend visit from his childhood friend, Reed Schuyler. He will be missed terribly by all those who loved him. Ryan loved the Lord Jesus Christ as his Savior. May he rest in peace, together again with his mother in the Lord’s hands.
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