Biography

The best farewell that could be made for our friend was the memorial service held at the Van Nuys airport by Ryan's family and friends. On Sunday, 15 March 2009, a celebration of Ryan's life was held at the Van Nuys airport. Ryan's good friend Eli McKinney put everything together and it was such a beautiful tribute to Ryan. All of Ryan's friends in California, co-workers, pilots from his flight club, and everyone he associated with in California was there. It was such a beautiful night! Everything was so colorful, including flower bouquets on every table along with pictures of Ryan. There was a message board for people to write a note for or about Ryan. They had 3 of the airplanes that Ryan always flew parked next to each other, and at sunset two of the planes took off and flew over us. Thank you to everybody who came and supported our family, and for sharing so many great stories and memories of Ryan- it was an unforgettable night!.

Ryan's ancestors were "Pioneer Mormons" arriving in Salt Lake City, Utah region in the late 1840s, and his understanding of family, friendship, and loyalty were strong. He was entrepreneurial and created his own opportunities in life. While he never went on a Mormon Mission as a young adult it was one of his regrets later in life. He later learned about the potential of making aviation flights to help out needy people in poor nations around the world. Unfortunately, he never got to pursue that ambition as such. He loved helping others and aviation, so that would have been a perfect mixture for him to pursue.

Ryan did get to help another aviation organization that helped handicapped children in American called "Challenge Air (dot) com" as this organization was dear to his heart.

In fact, after his passing, fellow Actress (from "Reba" TV show), Melissa Peterman wrote the following on her web-log:

"I played for 2 different charities. One was Challenge Air For Kids And Friends in honor of Ryan Mouritsen. Ryan was a wonderful part of our Reba show family and recently passed away and this was a charity that was close to his heart. Ryan was one of those really special people that always had a smile on his face and he was always ready to help and good for a laugh. You are missed my friend.".

He was an avid aviation enthusiast and had his pilot's license. He flew regularly at the Whiteman Airport (KWHP) in Los Angeles.

Ryan worked with Reba (2001) (TV Series). He was: (assistant to executive producer and writer - season 6) / (production assistant - seasons 4-5) . His death 27 February 2009 (due to an ultralight plane crash on 26 February 2009), was just a few years after his involvement in the TV series ended, but he became one more production team member to die that had worked with Reba McEntire. Reba had lost her original band members 16 March 1991. She lost 8-band members (and their two pilots) in one crash.

Ryan was loyal to friends and family. He would be happy to drive in bad weather to help others even if it placed himself in danger. He was inclusive and loving, so much that it seemed everyone felt that "to know him was to love him," but also to be loved by him.