02/06/2023
Yesterday, our family at Ding Tea lost a piece of our heart and soul. Many of you knew Ryan, or you may have known him as Kevin or Thanh; regardless, Ryan was the life of our family here. Whether you’ve been personally touched by him or have a favorite memory or interaction with him, we welcome you to share.
We are blessed to have shared just a small fraction of his life with him. The number of lives he’s touched, smiles and days he’s made, and the laughter he’s shared in the year that we’ve known him is miniscule in the face of the 20 years that he’s been doing so for his family and friends before meeting us. With this, to his family, we are tremendously sorry for your loss, although incomparable and incomprehensible to the loss you feel, our hearts ache for you. Ryan, you were the little brother I never had. We were protégés. Your eyes always so eager and curious to learn. You always told me I was the best boss, when the truth was that your curiosity and never-ending questions were what kept me from making mistakes I would regret and pushed me to do better. I admired you more than anyone in my life. You faced challenges with eyes wide open, welcomed discomfort into your life, and planned for an ambitious future that I know you would have and should have achieved. You were an inspiration to me. Thank you for teaching me to always be doubtful of comfort and that the most common solutions may not always be the best solutions. In the New Year I wished for your success in all that you do and for us to continue making memories together. I promise you that there is a piece of you in each of us in our little Ding Tea family, and that we will continue to make those memories together, never forgetting the person that brought us all together. I know that you would want for us to all be strong but it is so much easier to imagine you walking through the back door tomorrow or the next day than to imagine that this is all true. I cherish every second that we’ve spent together and I promise you that we will all drive safe, because someone loves us, and we know that you’ll be watching. Thank you Ryan. Bye for now good sir.