Ryan James

March 26th, 2007 - October 14th, 2025

Memorial

Mementos

Welcome to this space where we can celebrate our beloved Ryan by sharing pictures, videos and memories. Ryan was so many things - an athlete, a true sports fan, a great student, a generous volunteer, but most importantly he was an amazing and beautiful son, brother, nephew and friend. While we are left with a permanent hole in our hearts, we are so lucky to know and love him.

Your stories, pictures, and especially videos capturing his voice will be a tremendous source of comfort and we are so grateful for you taking the time to share. Given his adventurous spirit, sense of humor, engagement in our community and his passion for living life to the fullest, we know there are many stories we have never heard!

Ryan embraced everything life had to offer so many may not have known that he had epilepsy. While his seizures were infrequent, epilepsy is ever-present and unpredictable and, unfortunately, it was a seizure that took our Ryan. Please take the opportunity to learn more about epilepsy from the following organizations and consider a donation to fund a cure, raise awareness and support families living with epilepsy.

www.cureepilepsy.org

www.epilepsylosangeles.org

The Cameron Boyce Foundation

www.dannydid.org

This site is permanent so please return as often as you'd like and feel free to share the link.

With all our gratitude,

Chris, Nancy and Aidan James

Tributes

Share a favorite memory, send condolences, and honor Ryan’s life with a heartfelt message.

Katie M

I had a very limited time with Ryan but it was a good one. In 2023, we were in the same group for a scavenger hunt around NYC for a Model UN and it was so much fun. I remember my friends and I texting about “our new BFF Ryan”. He has been so missed and will continue to be ❤️❤️❤️

Published October 15th, 2026

Yuri Chien

Dear Nancy, Chris, and Aidan, Please accept our deepest condolences. I started this draft in November during the season of gratitude. I wanted to let you know how grateful I was to have known Ryan as a boy. Aidan and Zachary were classmates at Meadows, and fortunately, through the years, I got to know Ryan as a Makerspace and Meadows Run Club volunteer. In Makerspace, I will always remember Ryan as curious, logical, and wonderfully intelligent...and that easy smile of his could brighten a room. In Run Club, I will remember Ryan as determined, self motivated, and while he was having fun running laps, it was clear that he was in-it-to-win-it. If there was a student who got his money's worth participating in these two programs, it was Ryan. It is obvious that these characteristics continued with Ryan into young adulthood. What a treasure it must be to have a son so well loved and respected and so sorely missed by family, peers, teachers, and community. I am beyond grateful that I knew Ryan,

Published January 9th, 2026

Liana Kuklinski

I had the privilege of teaching Ryan James in third grade, and that class remains one of my all-time favorites. I remember Ryan vividly—bright, curious, and always eager to learn. We often recited our scholar’s pledge together, and Ryan truly embodied it. He will always be extraordinary.

Published December 10th, 2025

Leilani

Although my interactions with Ryan were infrequent, I can always remember laughing, smiling, or leaving feeling a bit more whole after I saw him. Ryan and I were in Model UN together; we travelled to Philly together, were in the same class, and I always saw him as someone I could genuinely look up to. One of my first memories of him was during Golden Shovel. In a class of over 80 people, Ryan zealously declared that cross country was by far the most attractive sport, because out of a team of nearly fifty members, 7 ("count them, seven!") runners had girlfriends. That was the kind of thing that I admired about Ryan; he could both make a joke and take a joke, and he always managed to make people smile. Arguably my favorite memory of Ryan was hiding in a closet from the cops with him. At a party that got just a bit too loud, we all ran out of sight as soon as we heard sirens, and I distinctly remember the feeling of adrenaline that came with hiding in someone's dad's dark closet with three other people while trying our best to be quiet. Despite the seriousness of the situation, I couldn't stop smiling. Ryan could make the best of any situation, and even in a situation like that we could have a good time. When it came time to apply for a senior year position in Model UN, I sought out Ryan for advice on how it was being a TA. I expected a simple text back - it was standard, and all the other TAs had done the same. Instead, Ryan asked me if I could meet him in person, and we spent the entirety of snack talking about his experiences and answering any questions I could ask, whether related to being a TA or just about life in general. Ryan went above and beyond in every way. He didn't know me well, and he had no reason to take the time and effort out of his day to talk to me. But he did, and he did it happily. He always wanted to help out, always offered a kind smile or a helping hand, and always wanted to make people into the best person they could be. I wish I could have known Ryan more, but I am infinitely grateful for the conversations and experiences I had with him. I find myself thinking about him all the time, and I will forever cherish the fact that I got to know him. LLRJ

Published October 14th, 2026

Timothy Kelley

I had the honor of having Ryan as a student in my Honors Precalculus class. He was an outgoing, caring, hardworking, intellectually curious young man. It was always a joy to watch him approach our day and content with what I imagine was the same intensity he had at running. He was always engaged and brought a true passion for understanding to the class that showed his desire to truly know why things work the way they do. I tried to encourage him to believe in his really good math knowledge and be confident in taking his naturally gifted approach to solve things in the way he thought best. He was constantly embracing and proving there is more than one way to be successful. His outgoing personality and commitment to excellence helped others around him grow and thrive. It was an honor to have had the opportunity to work with him. I am deeply sorry for your loss!!! Sincerely, Mr. Timothy Kelley

Published December 13th, 2025