Ryan Matthew Spiess was born September 4, 1983 in Fargo, ND. He was
baptized at Holy Spirit Church in North Fargo where he went to
elementary school for several years. Ryan finished elementary school at
Longfellow Elementary School in North Fargo. Later Ben Franklin Junior
High and graduated from Fargo North High School.
As a child, Ryan had a passion for using his imagination to create humor
and fellowship. Gravitating towards Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,
Thundercats and role playing games as a child, those interests continued
later in life as Ryan carried this imaginatory hope of a child into the
real world.
Throughout Ryan’s life he was a regular at a number of local
establishments like the Frying Pan, Paradox Comics, the local band scene
and was well-known in the downtown Fargo culture.
After high school, Ryan earned a living as an essential worker at a
variety of places around Fargo Moorhead. There are quite a few
strangers who knew Ryan from his years helping people at Casey’s General
Store and many friends of the downtown culture remember Ryan slinging
tacos at Vinyl Taco or dealing with the cast of characters at the Empire
Off Sale.
Ryan was also active in the music scene, assisting bands behind the
scenes with set up and production elements of their shows.
On August 22 Ryan’s heart failed sometime during the night. Ryan got
off work, went to a small get-together at a friend’s house, then went
home, streamed “Where The Buffalo Roam” as he fell asleep and never woke
up.
Ryan is preceded in death by his mother Faye Celcia Spiess, who passed
in 1999 when Ryan was 15, and half-sister Beth who passed in 2020.
Ryan is survived by his father Robert James (Sharon), brothers Robert
James Jr. (Jackie), Keenan (Deb) and Jason; half-sisters Jill Torres and
Julie (Mark) Riggleman; nieces and nephews Keely, Karson, Otis;
half-cousins Monica Yopp (Cody), Wyatt Berryman, Katherine Parrish
(Micheal), Victoria Riggleman and Rebecca Vance (Steven).
A memorial service will be held at 2:00 P.M., Tuesday, October 12, 2021,
at Holy Spirit Church in North Fargo. A burial of Ryan’s ashes will be
held Memorial Weekend in 2022 in Minneapolis, MN at Fort Snelling
National Cemetery next to his mother’s final resting place.
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