(SSgt, Infantry Unit Leader, United State Marine Corps, Retd. 2002) It is with heavy hearts that we announce that Ryan peacefully died of natural causes while serving his country in Afghanistan as a civilian contractor with Constellis/ACADEMI on November 20.
Ryan was born in Duluth on September 14, 1964. He attended Lakeside Elementary, Ordean Junior High and East High schools, graduating in 1982. He enlisted in the USMC and made California his home base weeks after that. He was a member of the Marine Corps Embassy Security Group, and served in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Leningrad and Bangkok, where he met his former wife Nikki Jantavit, the mother of his two daughters and son. As a member of the Marines 1st Battalion during Operation Desert Shield in 1991, he helped liberate the Kuwait City Airport, forcing a ceasefire the next day and ending the Gulf War.
He was Past Master of the Fallbrook Masonic Lodge #317 twice, and a member of the Al-Bahr Shrine, Scottish Rites, Valley of San Diego, Orient of California.
Ryan was preceded in death by his infant son Anthony; his grandparents Manton and Edna (Erickson) Thompson, Ralph and Ann (Naslund) Welhaven; his aunt Barbara O'Donovan and his uncles Dennis and Chester 'Knute' Welhaven. He will always be the husband of Gisela; father of Ronni Taylor and Rachel Welhaven; grandfather to Bettie Rae; father-in-law of Weston Taylor; step-father to Sabrina Brannen; son of Ron and Judy; brother to Randi and Reid Welhaven; brother-in-law to Tony Minnick and Lisa Welhaven; uncle to Travis and Manton Minnick, Riley and Reegan Welhaven; nephew of Val (Terry) O'Rourke, Barbara East, John 'Butch' Thompson and Betty Welhaven; cousin to Kris (Mike) Durdin, Kari (Kevin Dodge) and Paula O'Donovan, Tracy and Christopher Welhaven, Matthew O'Rourke, Chad (Erica) and Jay (Shanna) Thompson, Kathy Isaacson, Bob (Kelly) East, Susan (Steve) Moroney, Patti Katoski, Penny (Dane) Ford and Allen (Jennifer) Young.
He married Gisela just seven short months ago. He loved his girls and his Buell motorcycles. He will be so incredibly missed and remembered with love always.

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