Birth date: May 22, 1997 Death date: Jun 13, 2023
Ryan Joseph May (26) died on June 13, 2023 from pneumonia after living with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) for nearly five years. Ryan was born in Payson, Utah on May 22, 1997 to Andy and Debbie May as the fourth of six sons. Read Obituary
We will miss him so much! He and Elder Day were the best Missionaries we had in our ward (Leipzig II, Germany) He was really wonderful. He even liked the german "Kartoffelpuffer mit Apfelmus".) We loved him very much. He will be forever in our heart. Daniela and Frank Jakobi from Leipzig, Germany
What a great young man! I got to know Ryan through my son who was his age. They grew up together playing on the same soccer teams and lacrosse. What fun boys! I remember picking them all up from various practices and having to keep all the windows down, regardless of the time of year because they were all pretty stinky after practices. Boys will be boys and would sometimes get a little over the top on what they talked about and volume. Ryan joined in but always was the one who knew where to draw the line and be respectful. He was always loved and respected by the other boys and they looked up to him. I'm grateful for the friendship my son has had with Ryan and for Ryan's influence in our lives. I dearly love his mother, Debbie, and have been blessed by her courage and strength as I, personally, have suffered from all of this. When I should have been blessing her, she inspired and lifted me. I'm so grateful for eternity and for our Savior making that eternity bright and hopeful. We love you, May family!
We met Ryan when he and Rachel moved to Huntsville. He was a happy, smiling, funny wonderful guy. On a hot summer’s day, Ryan and I were going around the neighborhood chatting. He asked if John could move a sprinkler so it would spray him as he went by on his wheelchair. We all loved it! On a snowy March morning, Ryan came over driving The Beast, a super wheelchair with a snowplow on it. He cleared our sidewalk and even gave me a ride on the back of it. We only knew him the last few year of his Huntsville life but his humor and joy attracted us to him. Seeing him with Rachel alway made me happy. We feel lucky that our lives crossed paths.
Ryan- Thanks for your example in always looking after the person who may not feel that they fit in or need a boost of confidence. This was very apparent in our scouting/young mens trip to Moab several years ago. You always made sure everyone had a partner to participate with and a big boost of confidence for the guys who were intimidated by the high adventure activities we were participating in. You were one of the guys, but also held your high values in setting an example of conduct. We will miss you Ryan, we know that you are actively participating in our Saviors work on the other side. Scott Young
When I was at my lowest point, after a failed marriage and a tough summer of work, Ryan reached out to me shortly after finding out about his own diagnosis. We cried together, and he made special point to care for me, even as his own life was in jeopardy. He was always an incredible example to me of what a strong priesthood man should be like.
We shared alot of special memories, but one of them was that we would call ourselves the three amigos, (another person was involved to make it three) and we bonded over that for years.
Nerf wars in the church, monopoly until early hours, or lord of the rings conquest late night sessions are favorite memories as well. He won alot, which was infuriating. But In a good way ;)
From one of the three amigos to another, I love you Ryan, and hope I can live up to your example.
Ryan was always a great friend to my parents and I and to everyone else, I can still remember him helping me serve my service mission at Deseret Meat and at the Spanish Fork High School Seminary building training the volunteers and being a teachers aide at the seminary building. He was such a great friend. Him and his parents will always hold a special place in my heart
