Rest in Peace Mama 💔
Posted on May 25, 2025
Lost my Mom on Friday and I’m heartbroken. She was a single mom and as far back as I can remember she nurtured my creativity at every step. She bought me a manual typewriter and kept me supplied with paper and ribbons when I dreamed of being an author as a teenager.
Mom went into debt to send me to the best school for creative writing (the University of Iowa) and when I graduated in 1995 she bought me a very nice PC to continue my writing career. I instead discovered digital art and computer science and that is why you are reading this post right now.
In 2004 Jessie and I decided to move from San Diego back to my home town with our baby Ian so he could have a better relationship with my parents. Our kids had the best grandma you could ask for and she never missed a birthday, a concert, soccer game, basketball game or tennis match.
Mom was a nurse for nearly 60 years and only retired at 77 when she was diagnosed with an aggressive form of Parkinson’s Disease. She was a much better suited to be a caregiver than a patient and the last few years have been very hard for her (and difficult for me as her power of attorney). Small bits of her have been steadily ebbing away in recent years and I’ve been grieving the whole time.
I am glad that she is finally at peace but the reality that I will never get to talk her again is a gut punch. Mom was just such a huge part of a life.
She’s always been my biggest fan and I’ll miss her forever 
Rest in peace Mama.
25 thoughts on "Rest in Peace Mama 💔"
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We are so sorry for your loss. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.
So sorry for your loss, hope you will be ok.
I’m so sorry for your loss Ryan!
The love that is so clear in this photo will always be with you.
May she rest in peace.
I’m just now seeing this. Ryan, I’m so very sorry for your loss 🙁 May you and yours find peace during this very tying time. My deepest sympathies and condolences, sir.
I’m a long time follower of yours as I assume many of us here are. I am sorry Ryan!
Sending love and warmth, to you and your family, Ryan.
Ryan, I am so very sorry for your loss. If I can be of any assistance to you or your family during this difficult time (even if it’s just to listen), please email me. You and yours are in my thoughts.
Warmest regards,
Nathan Zachary
My condolences to you and your family, Ryan! As a single mom she was basically the sole parent you had growing up, so I can only imagine that the blow must have been akin to losing both parents at once. Priases for the selflessness, sacrifice and love of mothers can be found across civilisations and cultures, and your mom was very much a living demonstration of why that is so. Wishing you and your family all the very best as you navigate through these times, and may your art help you release, reflect and heal~
I am so sorry for your loss. Your Mom was a wonderful lady; I can see that just from the picture of the two of you together. I lost my own Mom three years ago, and she also went through a long decline which was difficult to watch. When she was gone, I felt like she (and my Dad) should have had more time. But now I just try to treasure the memories of have of them both. And I am thankful both are no longer suffering. Thank you for all you do, Ryan; I appreciate all of the art you have done over the years; it has given me a lot of joy. I thank your Mom too, for she was the inspiration for DB. Please take care, and continue to take time for yourself. Randall.
My deepest condolences ❤️
Dear Ryan: I’m sending you my condolences on the loss of your mother. Your memories of her tell me she wold have been someone I would have loved to have as a close friend. May those memories sustain and strengthen you as you move forward in your life.
So sorry to hear this bad news Ryan. My condolences to you and your family. I’m glad your son had time with grandma xx Blessed!!
I hate to hear it, my friend. Vaya con Díos for your mom and healing for you.
So very sorry to hear about your loss. Also though, its wonderful to hear what a great woman and mother she was. I lost my sister last month after a long slide into dementia, and sitting here with photos of her from every stage of life covering my desk, I find myself very grateful that I got to share my life with her. It sounds like your mother was like that for you, and I’m so happy for you that you got her for a mother, and had the joy of her being there for all this time, sharing your children too as they grew also. Hang in there, and be gentle with yourself. Sending my deepest sympathies and big hugs. 💔🫂❣️♥️
My condolences to you and yours, friend.
I lost my mom in February, to Alzheimer’s. She was one month shy of turning 84. So I feel your pain. We had a similar situation where we had basically been grieving for the past 2 or 3 years, as the mom I had know and relied on for so long gradually disappeared and no longer recognized any of us. In a way, her passing was a relief and an end to our grieving. Still, I feel the gut punch regularly as well, even months after her passing, so you have my sympathy and understanding. It sounds like, much like my own mom, your mom was one of a kind.
Very sorry for your loss
dear Ryan,
mom never left. she just moved a bit away, waiting that your paths will cross again and you will be reuilnited. and she stays. in you, your family, in friends she knew. she never left. please accept my deepest condolences, to you and to your family. -t
So sorry for your loss Ryan.
So sorry to hear of your loss Ryan, she was obviously a selfless person and raised a great son.
This is a very difficult time (lost both my parents a few years ago-one to Dementia) but it appears that she has raised her son right. My deepest sympathies to you and yours.
I’m so sorry to hear this, Ryan. Losing a parent is a unique and difficult loss. Your mother’s grace, grit, and creativity live on through you and all of the joy you bring into the world for so many people through your own nurtured and developed creativity. Thank you for sharing this difficult time with all of us out here on the internet and in your membership so we can help support you.
You have my deepest sympathies. The anniversary of my own father’s passing approaches, and though it was many years ago, this time of year is still hard. The reality that I don’t get to talk to him remains harsh. May you find strength and peace as you navigate this.
Oh no Ryan, I’m so so sorry 💔. There are no words someone can say, only companionship while grief makes its journey through the heart, in its own way, in its own time. If there are any financial needs in this process, please share a link so I can help support your family. Your mom raised a wonderful son that has made and is making the world more a more beautiful place. May God’s peace, love and mercy rest on your family.
Sincerely, Jake
Love and sympathy to you ❤️❤️❤️