Ryan Klesh Was Something Incredibly Special

Dear Friends of Ryan,

Now that he's gone, the thing that strikes me most about Ryan was how profound a connection he made with the people that crossed his path. As I looked around the people gathered together on the day we got the news, it was crystal clear that all of these people had truly loved Ryan Klesh and that he was a soul of a higher sort than the rest of us.

He had connected to each of these people in some way that I've never seen with anyone else. Not through some special effort, but simply from the guy he was. I know I had a special connection and affinity for Ryan, but dozens or hundreds of others seem to share that feeling. Ryan was the reason. He drew people to him with his sense of humor and kindness and a kind of down-on-his- luck rock star kind of a way.

I loved this guy. He was something incredibly special. If you knew him, then you understand what I mean. If you didn't know him, then you have missed out on something extraordinary. To have him gone, is to view most deeply what he provided when he was here. Something generous, and fun, and kind, and entertaining, and sad, and unpredictable, and goodhearted, and self-destructive, and conscientious, and reckless, and honest, and sweet, and cool, and a little dangerous, and funny, and exceptional, and so many things that made him a magnet for all of us.

I know it can't be defined, but we all had something magical if we were privileged enough to have Ryan for a friend. I wish I could join him again at Jim's Time Out and tell him I love him and let him know how singularly important he was to me, in ways that I never understood before this week. We'd drink our pitchers and play the jukebox and talk again about the greatness of a Johnny Cash or ACDC or ABBA song, and we'd laugh and tell each other high school stories and I'd come away feeling better, happier, and drunker from our time together.

Ryan will always be in my heart. And, as time goes on, I will keep him close to call on when I need a smile or comfort or a glimpse of the best this world has to offer. We will miss you, Brother. But I will never forget you, and never lose the things you gave me. I'm so sorry that you felt you had to go, because the world is a perceptibly duller place without you in it. I love you, Ryan, and thanks for being my and our great friend.

Todd Rongstad