Obituary for Richard Ryman Survivor, Musician, Sailor, Builder, Skier, Kayaker, a Friend to all he met. Passed quietly in his home with Cindy beside him on July 25, 2018. Richard Wesley Ryman was born in Lincoln Nebraska on October 16, 1925, to Dr. Floyd and Pauline (Moore) Ryman.
His father was killed in an airplane accident when Dick was 9. Dick developed his love of Colorado when the family summered at Red Feather Lakes. He remained a loyal NU football fan throughout his life.
He started playing drums when he was 14 years old and played with an area band while he was in high school. Dick enlisted in the US Navy in 1943 and served as a torpedoman aboard the USS Wilson, DD408. He saw action in the South Pacific including Okinawa.
The Wilson survived a Kamikaze attack on April 16, 1945. After his honorable discharge in 1946 Dick returned to Lincoln and graduated from the University of Nebraska on the GI bill. He returned to the Eddie Garner band during this time.
He moved to Colorado with several friends after graduation. He started his insurance career with Travelers Insurance in Colorado where he discovered skiing in the early ’50s and decided he needed a cabin in the mountains. He built a cabin in Frisco that became a “bed and breakfast”.
He met many men who served in the 10th Mountain Division as they started ski areas in Colorado. He served as a vice president of Arapahoe Basin from 1966-1974. Dick raced kayaks in the FiBark races on the Arkansas river near Salida in the 1950s.
He moved to Glenwood Springs in 1968 and discovered Sunlight, tennis, sailing, hiking and mountain biking. He had the first sailboat at Lake Powell and spent so much time at Bullfrog Marina that he became the unofficial mayor of Bullfrog. He loved sailing his boat, the Defiance.
Dick continued playing his drums and played with the Defiance Jazz band and the Walt Smith Trio. His last performance was his 90th birthday party. He found property along the Roaring Fork river with views of Mt.
Sopris and built his house in 1970. Dick married Marjorie Leese in Lincoln in 1947. They had three children, Carol, Luanne and Bruce.
He married the love of his life, Cindy Viehe in 1974. Together they enjoyed his five grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. Dick and Cindy enjoyed traveling and made two trips to Europe, went to numerous Wilson reunions around the country, and sailed in the Atlantic, Pacific and Caribbean oceans.
Dick will be remembered for his sense of humor, he enjoyed a good joke, even if it was at his own expense. Many children were enthralled by his ability to pull a Chapstick out of his ear. He became a member of the Elks in 1998 and often enjoyed a glass of wine and a cheeseburger with friends at the club.
His family would especially like to thank his wonderful caregivers, Deb, Cody and Susan, who cared for Dick with love and humor. The family would also like to thank Hospice & Homecare of the Valley. A celebration of Dick’s life will be held at Farnum Holt mortuary on August 11, 2018, at 2:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made to the Glenwood Springs Elks Lodge 2286 designated for the Winter Sports Clinic, PO Box 57 Glenwood Springs, CO 81602 or the Alzheimer’s Association, National Headquarters 225 N. Michigan Ave.
, Fl. 17, Chicago, IL 60601 www. alz.org.
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