an artist in the truest sense of the word
In memory of Ryan Stoops
Ryan Stoops, beloved son of Lloyd and Mary Stoops, passed away Feb 11 in Boulder, CO. He was born on March 18, 1976, at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois. Soon afterwards, the family moved to Boulder where he spent his formative years, attending Mesa Elementary, Southern Hills Junior High School and graduating from Fairview High School in 1995. During that time, Ryan was active in several youth sports including football and baseball. Ryan's biggest accomplishment as a young man was attaining the rank of Eagle Scout through the Boy Scouts of America. He loved attending summer camp each year with his older brother, Scott, as well as monthly campouts, come rain or shine. After High School, Ryan moved to Greeley, CO to attend the University of Northern Colorado. He majored in Marketing and Economics in his time there, graduating in 1999 with a Bachelor's degree. After graduation, Ryan began his career in marketing working at several technology firms in the Denver Metro area. In his spare time, Ryan especially loved to play music. He was a self-taught musician and played guitar in several different bands over the years. He also loved to write his own music. When time allowed, Ryan spent it tinkering with Mopeds. He built and upgraded several mopeds over the years with the help of his father, Lloyd. Ryan also loved spending time with friends and family, including his niece and nephews. Ryan was preceded in death by his Grandparents, his father Lloyd and his uncles Gene and Bill. Ryan is survived by his son Kamryn (3) and Kamryn's mother, Cherie, his mother Mary, brother Scott and wife Michelle and their children Andrew, Alex and Abby as well as numerous extended family and friends. The hope of our family is that Ryan will be remembered as a kind and compassionate soul who loved deeply. We believe that the world was a better place because he'd been in it. In lieu of flowers, a fund has been created for Ryan's son. Kamryn is a vibrant, curious and extremely funny little boy who is loved by all. This fund was established to help Cherie ensure that Kamryn has the future that Ryan would have wanted for him. Please consider donating to his fund at https://gofund.me/74826c49
Ryan was a very gifted songwriter
Ryan and Mike met on the first day of college outside of the dorms and wrote music together for most of 20 years. Whether you knew the band as "Little Black Pill", "Blau Bard", "Devouring Saturn" or just simply "Ryan and Mike", soulful folky pop, with heady lyrics made for a very unique sound that often featured powerful female lead vocalists. Click here to listen
A Stone's Throw
A collection of live and recorded songs from around the early-2000s, during the height of the band "Devouring Saturn" which included Phil, Dave, Glen and June. While all bands have some degree of collaboration, pay close attention to the songs "Shadows" and "Without a Name" that were written and completely arranged by Ryan. The latter song, I consider to be one of the best songs ever written by any artist...ever. Ryan wrote it when he was 15 years old. Click here to listen
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