It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our son, brother, stepson, grandson, nephew, and stepbrother, Ryan Trevor Jacob Thiessen on July 1, 2018, at the young age of 23.

 

He is survived by his loving mother, Sylvia Wollf, stepfather Alvin Wollf, sister Allison Thiessen and fiancé, Tyler Kroeker,  stepsister Nicole (Rob) Precourt (Lynn & Hunter), stepbrothers Kevin Wollf and Tyler Wollf, grandparents Jake & Marilynn Thiessen and Ann Friesen, and the Thiessen, Friesen, and Wollf extended families.  He was predeceased by his grandfather, Daniel Friesen, on January 5, 2012.

Ryan was born on April 14, 1995 in Winnipeg, Manitoba.  He was a busy, curious, often mischievous child, and loved playing with his sister, Allison, who adored him.  He was full of laughter and practical jokes.  From locking his mother out of the house as a toddler to sneaking out of his bedroom window during a time out and reappearing at the front door, there was never a dull moment with him around.  He was our walking encyclopedia, full of knowledge about many different subjects.  He had a thirst for knowledge and was a deep thinker.  He was always a gentleman:  thoughtful, kind, caring, and polite to everyone he met.

 

Ryan attended Calvin Christian School from Kindergarten to Grade 9, then joined the Building Construction Program at Murdoch Mackay Collegiate, where he graduated in 2013, receiving the Bob Land Memorial Award.  Ryan was a hard worker and held numerous part-time jobs from the time he was 13 years old.  At the age of 17, he started working with Wayne DeJong at Masterpiece Tileworks, where he worked until the end of June.  This was a great experience for him and it was clear that he and Wayne had a lot of fun while working together.  Ryan put his skills to use by tiling our bathroom floor, shower, and around the tub.  He also helped many family and friends with their home repairs or projects.

 

Ryan was an adventurous young man.  From cycling all over Winnipeg as a young teenager, to hikes and kayak trips throughout Manitoba & Ontario, to a 3-week road trip to California in an old Ford Focus with his best friend Brayden just last summer, there was never an end to his adventures.  His next adventure was to be a 2 month motorcycle trip across Canada and the US – a trip he had been planning for many months.  His planning was meticulous, down to the finest detail.

 

This thorough detail was also evident in his many projects.   Ryan was a master craftsman.  From creating his own Lego projects at a young age, he progressed to building construction.  He built shelving for the garage, a miniature cabin to scale, planters, benches, coffee table, office desk and a personalized sign for a friend’s cabin.  Then he moved on to stonework, creating beautiful stone bowls and sinks.  To save money, he often built something instead of buying, including tools or jigs for his projects.  He was very critical of his work and while everyone else thought it was perfect, he saw all his flaws and already knew how he would make improvements for his next project.  He also did some fun projects:  a giant 18’ snowman in the front yard and an ice bridge built with precisely preformed blocks of ice. 

 

Ryan, we will miss you every single day for the rest of our lives.  Your memories will live on in all of us.

 

A celebration of Ryan’s life will be held at Riverwood Church, 270 Gordon Ave, on Tuesday, July 10, 2018 at 7:00pm.  Cremation has taken place.

 

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his memory to Canada Parks and Recreation Association.