October 1, 2008 9:00am

In previous entries, I have written about my friend Ryan (aka Local Rapscallion).

On Friday, September 26, 2008 Ryan lost his long battle with Hodgkins Lymphoma. It was just about a week past his 34th birthday, which I was lucky enough to be able to celebrate with him, his family and other friends.

To go on and on about what a wonderful person he was seems trite at this point after so many others have more eloquently described his life. So, I will just leave this entry with the obituary that his father wrote:

Sept. 26, 2008 - Ryan Stuart McCormick, age 34, peacefully slipped the surly bonds of this earth and went to be with God. He was surrounded by his immediate family, just as he had wished. Our hearts are very heavy for our loss. We know that he is now without pain, without physical limitations, and in the presence of our Lord. We are happy that in the last 2 weeks, Ryan was visited by so many friends/family and that he and they had the opportunity to be together.

In this space, I want to acknowledge what he did in his short life.

Ryan was born September 14, 1974 in Syracuse, NY. He graduated from Freedom High School, Bethlehem, PA. He was an Eagle Scout at 14 with his service project being a POW/MIA Day for his school. He served in the Civil Air Patrol in Whitehall, PA. He worked as a first responder then EMT while in high school serving with the Bethlehem Township Volunteer Squad (Assistant Captain). Ryan graduated from Springfield College in 1997 with a degree in Emergency Services Management. At his time in college, he founded the Springfield College Emergency Response Team to provide services to the campus. It still exists today.

Upon graduation, Ryan worked many paramedic jobs including Nazareth, PA, East Stroudsburg, PA, Mountainside Hospital, NJ, University Hospital, Newark, NJ., St. Joseph's Hospital, NJ. It was when he was a paramedic in Newark that he was a first responder on 9/11/01 to the World Trade Center and Ground Zero. We attribute his Hodgkin's cancer, which appeared in 2002, to his service at that time.

Ryan served over 8 years from 1998-2007 in the Army Reserve as a Weapons of Mass Destruction/Chemical Warfare Specialist.

After 9/11, Ryan served as Assistant Director of the Center for BioDefense at University Hospital in Newark where he met his wife, Jessica. He moved to Verona, NJ and then served as Captain in the Verona Volunteer Ambulance squad. Ryan and Jessica were married on May 21, 2005 at the First Presbyterian Church, Bethlehem, PA.

He was then hired at St. Barnabas Healthcare System and became the Director of Emergency Management. He continued to pursue his Master's Degree at Kean University and then Penn State University.

During his illness, Ryan and his wife founded the non-profits NJ Heroes and TurtlePods (giving iPods to cancer patients)

Ryan is survived by his devoted and loving wife, Jessica Marie; by his parents, David Gary and Nancy McCormick, Surfside Beach, SC; his sister, Jessica Lynne, of Bethlehem, PA; his paternal grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. A.W. Stuart; his maternal grandmother, Mrs. Pat Layman, Salem, NJ; many loving aunts, uncles, cousins and friends. All will miss him dearly.

The viewing will be held at the Prout Funeral Home, 370 Bloomfield Ave, Verona, NJ on Monday, September 29th with times from 2-4 PM and 7-9 PM. Funeral services will be Tuesday, September 30th at the First Presbyterian Church, Verona, NJ. at 10 AM. In lieu of flowers, it is Ryan's request that money be donated to NJ Heroes, 40 Wedgewood Drive, #115, Verona, NJ 07044 or to the Verona Rescue Squad, 12 Church St, Verona, NJ 07044

The family would like to thank all of you who made this journey with us in prayer. God heard all of you and gave us 6 years with him after diagnosis. We don't know the "why" of this but we have faith in the Lord that this was what was needed. I know that Ryan and his story have impacted so many lives all over the world. He did not lose his battle; he won a seat with God forever.

We would like to thank the Saint Barnabas Healthcare System and the administration of their corporate offices for their loving care of Ryan throughout the years.

In Service to God and Country,

The McCormick's




I miss you, friend.