Ryan Jeffrey Liebendorfer was born in Seattle, Washington to Julie and Mark, his devoted parents, and his beloved older brother Garrett. He was a squirrely, emotional, mischievous, stubborn, kind and introverted young boy who especially loved and admired his brother. He felt Garrett gave him the confidence to try new things and be his true self.
Ryan had Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and high-functioning autism which limited his physical and social capabilities but he chose to deeply and bravely explore his inner emotional world as he got older. As he lost physical function, he gained mental strength. This enabled him to find ways of managing his anxiety, fears, stress, and ultimately grief following his brother’s death.
He loved listening to audiobooks with his mom, playing video games with his dad, meditating, watching birds outside of his window, and going to Camp Promise where his favorite activities were arts & crafts, dressing up for the theme days, and going to dances. He taught people the importance of patience, humor, listening, and love. He was often quiet and reserved but was a light of positivity.
Yet the past year brought so many losses that even with his incredible resiliency, Ryan’s recent mental health issues pushed him to give up fighting to live with all the challenges he faced on a daily basis. He died as he lived: doing it his way.
He will truly be missed by all who knew him.
To view the slide show that was shown at Ryan's memorial service click here:
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