In Memory of Christopher Ryan Greene

Our beloved Ryan passed away on August 22. Outside of the family he went by Chris, CJ, Meek, SOMA.

The day he passed, he was in his grandparents' home, and had gone to lay down for a rest. When he was found, it was too late for paramedics to save him, though they tried valiantly. He was in a safe and comfortable place when he passed and we believe he did not suffer.

The preliminary cause and likely official cause was a fentanyl overdose. This, unfortunately, is taking the lives of so many of our young people, such as Ryan, who was 29. He was always enthusiastic to participate but struggled to fit into a world that didn't know how to accept his uniqueness. He was an artist of so many mediums - he brought his rare point of view to drawing and painting, music, his personal style, and hair and makeup designs. He was a voracious student of history and genealogy, and was intensely proud of his heritage - Laotian, Cherokee, Irish, French Canadian. He was deeply spiritual. and even in his most difficult moments, he was unwaveringly optimistic and intent on self-reliance.

It is a sudden and tragic accident that we have lost him, and while striving for grace, the family is devastated. Like most people in their 20s, Ryan did not have life insurance or a plan for his passing - it's not the natural order to need such arrangements so young. We've started this fund hoping to allow the family to grieve without the crush of financial pressure.