Ryan M. Spiess

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.