[meteorite-list] Sadly we have lost another member of our ‘family’.

From: Callisto Designs <messages_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Sun, 29 Nov 2020 09:31:12 -0700
Message-ID: <C140274A-32ED-46B8-B6F3-922E8E68FDFC_at_callistodesigns.com>

I am sad to report that Ryan Dillon has died as of yesterday. He was really invested and very much passionate about meteorites and was also a truly amazing as well as funny and super goofy friend of mine. The world is waaay less funny without him already. I?m just so very sad.
I have not gotten all the details, but as far as I know he was found in his yard by his neighbor and whatever it was, was sudden and appeared to be instant. I think they suspect maybe a heart attack?!? But he was in his 40?s so I?m just shocked by that really.
We spoke with him last week and it just seems so shocking to me. I?m still partially in disbelief really.
He has a 10 year old daughter, Maya, that is really good friends with my daughter, Penny. She is really sweet and so loving and caring of others.
Apparently she was present and he had her at the time but she was sleeping because it was later at night when this happened.
I am sure we may know more later.

But I just wanted to pass it onto the meteorite community. I can assure you that if you knew Ryan, you?re life is better for it and he brought a lot of happiness and laughter to the meteorite world and the Gem show experience every year.
We always shopped together and so this is just really shocking to me.

Ryan was also started and ran the TMC club - Tucson Meteorite Club that met at Sky Bar occasionally. It was never terribly organized and like all things Tucson, it was informal and not very serious. But that is exactly how we like things here in Tucson. Tucsonans tend to not take themselves very seriously.

I hope we can all get together here in Tucson and maybe have a memorial service with a party and gathering to remember the fun and funny times he brought to this lovely little meteorite family we have.

I also wanted to say that I was texting with Mark Bowling, Jim Shorten and John Humphries last night as soon as I heard and that is when I was informed about of Dave Gheesling passing away too. I am just really shocked to hear about both of these deaths on the same day. I have tried to stay off Facebook so I just didn?t know about Dave. So I am really sad to hear about his also very unexpected and sudden death.
I am sorry to hear about Dave and I hope Maddie is handling things as best she can.
These two losses are so very sad and only days apart at that. This is just a really sad moment for this meteorite community.


I don?t know what the Tucson Gem Show is going to really look like this year, and I know they cancelled the main show and some other shows, but if there are people that do decide to still come and set up and meet up, I really hope that at the IMCA dinner or some other place where we are all together as a family, we can take some time out to remember these awesome guys and do something kind for their families.
I think it would mean a lot to Maya if she could see how well her dad was loved by this community.

I have been a part of the meteorite community for a very long time. I have been in IMCA as well as other clubs and organizations, such as TMC (Tucson Meteorite Club) and COMetS - which is the Colorado Meteorite Society In fact I joined comets when I was only 18 years old (and I am like almost 27 now (that is a joke, I?m 45) ;) .
So I have been a part of this meteorite community MOST OF MY LIFE!!!
I am not understating this when I say that it is like a family. And I suppose it may be that I always felt that way because my own family of origin was lacking in many ways, but I think this is a family. To me, it is my family anyway. I remember when I got engaged to my first husband (or was it the second?) anyway, my boyfriends and husbands were inspected and introduced to that whole COMetS gang, The Jensen?s, Anne, Dan Wray, and Robert and Robert, Paul and Paul BEFORE ever even meeting my actual family.

And their opinions and thoughts often mattered MORE than my own families as well I now have a family of my own, but the meteorite community will always be my first family of origin
And it isn?t replaced. It is just larger and bigger now with more people to love and more people to care about.
And (for me) IMCA dinners and Gem shows every year, are like family reunions. And at these ?family reunions?, we all see how we have changed from year to year and see how our own individual families grow and change.

 We all come together and talk about the newest finds and fireballs and show off our most recent brag purchases. And we learn new things by keynote speakers and we eat good food with people we love.
We talk amongst ourselves about things that maybe would perhaps otherwise bore our significant others or our ?everyday-real-world? friends and families. And we all gather in a community where we all really ?get? each other.
I mean I don?t know what else that would be called but a family.
To me... it is.
I also think that this community was seen as family too by Ryan.
So I really hope ... in memory of Ryan and Dave that we all love and appreciate your own families more and hug your own kids longer and tighter and snuggle with your own significant others more. And when we all come together again ... if we all come together again... I really hope we can put together something memorable and nice for the ones that won?t be Able to be there anymore.
I think it would be very important.
I?m really just so very sad. :(

-Leigh Anne DelRay
Received on Sun 29 Nov 2020 11:31:12 AM PST