Jacob Ryan was the type of person you had to get to know before you really knew him. He was guarded on who he shared himself with. He could easily switch from the quiet loner guy to the charming sociable karaoke king. He had learned how to fit in anywhere to which I attributed to him growing up in two households.
Yes, Jacob knew struggle and strife as we all do, but it never broke his spirit. His wit along with his sarcasm could easily rival my own, and it wasn’t long before he passed me by in many areas. Dedicated and detail orientated Jacob could master anything he put his focus on.
I knew him as a driven young man, brilliant mathematician, arrogant pilot, video game pro, but mostly as a dreamer who was going to do more than anyone I had ever known. If you didn’t know…
Jacob enjoyed riding dirt bikes and at times could pull off a decent wheelie.
He had attained the rank of captain in the ROTC. He was skilled in color guard, the sabre team and became a nationally ranked marksman.
Jacob was also a trained and licensed pilot on a single engine plane at the age of 17.
He graduated high school early with honors in the top 10% of his class. He had begun his second semester at Arizona State University, was a member of the ROTC program, majoring in aeronautical engineering. His plan was to become an astronaut, after being an Air Force jet fighter pilot became boring.
But above all of that, he was my beloved son and we miss him dearly.
