Gone Before Their Time

Two of my younger siblings have gone to meet their maker, ahead of schedule. 


My younger brother, Daniel Paul Ryan, passed at the age of 9 months.  He caught pneumonia, which was very often fatal in that day and time.  

I remember my Mom being frantic, loading up the kids and heading down the road.  I had no clue where we were going, only that we were in a big hurry.  I learned later that we were trying to get Danny to the hospital, since he had stopped breathing.  

Now, I can only imagine what was going through my Mom's mind.  CPR was unheard of, and may not have been the answer in any case.  Daniel was born after me, and before my younger brother Tommy Dewayne Ryan, and my sister Glenda Melvina May Ryan (McClure).  

I also remember attending Danny's funeral.  We had an old Dodge station wagon, and we have a picture of the family, at the cemetery, standing around the car.  Strange thing to remember, but little things like that just get stuck in memory and won't go away.


My younger brother, Tommy Dewayne Ryan, passed at the age of 57.  Tommy and I were best friends when we were younger, and spent a lot of time fishing, hunting, camping and riding motorcycles together.  We just enjoyed spending time and talking.  We never solved any world issues, we just talked about the things kids talk about.  

Even though we spent a lot of time together, I feel like we should have had more time.  Tommy was a good guy.  He cared about Mom and Dad and his family.  In fact, he cared more about friends and family than he cared about himself.  Not a bad trait, if you have plenty of money or time to spare.  Sadly, Tommy didn't have an overabundance of either. 

I made the slide show, and spoke at his funeral, but I still feel like I should have done a lot more.  Tommy wouldn't have cared.  He would have been happy to know that we cared enough to show up.  If he were still here, I would say "I love you man", and he would say "I love you too."

I still have two surviving siblings, so I need to make sure they know how much I care. We all need to make sure our loved ones know that they are indeed loved.  Hugs should always be free to anyone that needs one.

My mother passed in 2017 and dad made until 2023, just short of his 94th birthday. 

  

I guess I'm the sentimental one, because I always send a text to my older brother and baby sister, on their birthdays and the birthdays of the family members that left us too soon.