On the morning of Wednesday, April 30, under the backdrop of the clear blue sky and warm spring weather, students and educators sat amongst each other at the main stadium for prayer and reflection in memory of Mr. Jim Ryan. 

For the past couple of months, Ryan had been dealing with heart issues that kept him out of teaching and coaching since December. 

Ryan passed away on Tuesday, April 22. 

Six days following the announcement of his passing, the first day back from spring break and the first day on campus since Ryan passed, numerous former students and colleagues gathered on the grotto before school to pray the Rosary in his honor. 

Looking around, the impact felt by the loss of Ryan was evident in not only the sheer number of people who voluntarily attended an early prayer before school, but also in the different parts of the Gibbons community that were present.

Lined up on the front grotto were rows filled with family members, former students, athletes, coaches, fellow English educators, other educators, and so many others who knew him.

Ryan’s presence at Cardinal Gibbons wasn’t just longlasting, it was all-encompassing.

The impact he had echoed throughout each area of the school, and his voice is still heard even after his passing.

“I think it hurt a lot of people because even if they didn’t interact with him much, it was positive. And even if they only knew him from the things he was involved in, they knew how well he was liked, and how he was really a pillar of the community,” said friend and colleague Mr. J. Mike Blake. 

In the Classroom 

It’s almost impossible to mention Ryan without bringing up his sense of humor and wittiness, which many would say was the highlight of his personality. 

Ryan’s wry sarcasm was the avenue for his passionate approach to learning that exuded a positive light over his classroom, and as a teacher, he used that enthusiasm to encourage his students to share that same fervor for learning. Ryan was committed to not only decipher and break down the information present, he also made sure to allow space for students to draw their own conclusions as well.

“Mr. Ryan cared for his students more than anything. He did not just teach us about the basics of studying and creating language and literature — he taught us how to understand the complexity of the human experience with words as our medium. He pushed his students to not only think outside the box, but live outside the box,” said former student Noe Dwight, class of 2024.

“He knew how to talk to the kids. He knew how to joke around with them, but also get them to be serious about their work, and I think kids were drawn to that,” said fellow English department co-chair Mrs. Amy Rokita. “There was that good energy within his classroom and I think he was able to share that same kind of laughter with his students as he would with us.”

On top of his dedication to brighten the mood of any room he found himself in, Ryan’s intelligence as an English educator glistened amongst his colleagues and students as many of them admired his extensive knowledge on Shakespeare and literature.

“He could quote stories to me or quote lines from things I was doing in my class that he probably hadn’t taught in a classroom in a decade or more,” said Blake. “He just was super talented.”

“I admired his vocabulary and his knowledge,” said Rokita. “He could quote Shakespeare on a dime, and he could talk about any piece, and its importance and value, despite being an older piece.”

“He seemed to know the answer to just about any question I had, and even if he didn’t, he would discover a way for us to find it together,” said Dwight. 

Ryan’s value as a teacher was more than just his comprehension of literature, it was also in the way he used his gifts to add to the community around him in areas outside of the English department. Whether it was working as yearbook moderator, coaching basketball and lacrosse, helping out during graduation and morning mass, or teaching multiple classes that ranged from a plethora of different topics, Ryan left his mark at Gibbons.

“He to me was almost like a leader by example in the way that he could be his own natural self, and be a rigorous grader and be involved in extracurriculars and be someone that’s a role model, and did not hesitate to share his talents with everyone else.  I don’t aspire to be Jim Ryan, because there was only one,” said Blake.

On the Field 

With multiple conference and state championship titles won over the past years, the boys lacrosse team at Gibbons has built itself into one of if not the best program across the entire state. 

A part of that long history of winning pedigree is the presence of coach Ryan.

As a former head basketball coach turned assistant lacrosse coach, Ryan’s addition to the team as a leader wasn’t in the X’s and O’s, it was in the heart.

“He was our unofficial hype man,” said head coach Gordon Galloway. “He wasn’t a lacrosse expert.
He had some background with it but that wasn’t his expertise. His expertise was knowing people, knowing personnel. It was knowing the kids at heart and getting some juice out of the kids.”

Ryan mirrored his humoristic approach as a teacher identically in his attitude towards coaching as well. This gave him a deeper insight into his athletes that other coaches couldn’t always replicate. 

“He was hysterical.
He was a really, really good judge of both character and talent. And even though we didn’t always see eye-to-eye, or even agree on every decision, his input on that was always valued and valid,” said Galloway. “He was just so authentic, and in that, it was biting sarcasm, and it was, funny retorts, but like, he had this license to do it because everyone knew everything behind that was love when it was coming from him.”

Over the years Ryan and Galloway built a connection that far exceeded their duties as coaches of the lacrosse team. Because of that growth in their relationship, Galloway saw Ryan more than just a colleague and eventually more than just a friend. 

“For me, he was my last father figure.
I lost my own father, my brother, and my father-in-law,” said Galloway. “Every day I come in here and I would stop in his classroom before I came down to my room. We talked every morning for 15, 20 minutes just about life, jobs, lacrosse… whatever it is.”

Because he was so deeply respected, the devastating loss of coach Ryan hasn’t just impacted the members of the coaching staff. Many players on the team are returners from previous years including 12 seniors that all spent multiple seasons learning and developing under Ryan’s leadership. 

Even before his passing, the team had to play the entire season without Ryan on the sidelines and in the huddle due to his medically-induced absence from teaching and coaching. This shifted much of the seasons’ focus from just winning for each other into also playing for the man many of the players admired. 

These held emotions culminated in a game that brought Galloway to tears thinking back on. 

On the same day that Ryan passed away, the team suffered a tough loss in Pennsylvania to Springfield High. Shortly after the game, Galloway had to deliver the saddening news to the boys while they were on the bus going back to their hotel.

With only around 15 hours to process the loss and realization that a former mentor had passed, the team had to prepare and get ready to play their next opponent, Marple Newtown, the following day.

In almost a story-like ending, the players delivered an amazing performance and edged out their opponent in a hard fought game resulting in a 12-11 win in overtime.

“That was the first time I ever actually saw the team win a game for something. He was in our minds and in our hearts. We took a time out at some point during a big moment in the second half essentially just about him, like Jim Ryan ball is to go get a tough damn ground ball,” said Galloway. “I don’t think there was a way, we were going to lose that, you know, with that going on in our hearts.”

In the Halls

Whether it was the last week before winter break during mid-term testing, or it was the middle of May and lacrosse playoffs were in full swing, Ryan could always certainly be found in one place throughout the year. 

Much like him, the halls connect the school and the people that walk through them each day. Even through small daily interactions, hallways can shape a community, and for Ryan, it was a foundational piece in how he connected with others.

In his own unique way he seamlessly extended the positive atmosphere from the four walls of his classroom to the rest of the Gibbons community. Either through funny retorts or random pieces of advice that came from deep within his inventory of seemingly endless knowledge, Ryan never hesitated to share his interests with others through small conversations. 

“Although I absolutely adored his class, some of my favorite memories of him were passing him in the hallway or stopping by his classroom to say hello,” said Dwight. “He would always have some silly greeting like ‘Where have you been?’ or ‘Oh, now this is exactly what I needed!’ I would ask him how he was doing, to which he would crack some joke and ask me how rehearsals were going. Then he would ask about my sister and parents and about classes all while causing me to laugh every other word. It was special to me that he made just as much of an effort to connect with his past students as he did with his current students.”

“I think building relationships was important to him, and I think part of that was being honest and supportive and kind,” Rokita said. “He talked a lot about his love for Kristen, and just love of family, spending time with them. And then the same thing here. You’d see him build relationships with people all over the building. I’m like, he was friends with everybody.”

“I think for us, especially in the English department, the impact was just in those daily interactions,” said Blake. “You want to have that quick conversation with him, even if he’s moving somewhere else and (the talk) won’t last but two minutes. You want to hear his stories, you want to hear his jokes, you want to know what’s on his mind. Jim was just a special person who had left his mark everywhere.”

As much as his ability to converse with practically anyone made him such an adored member of the Gibbons community, it was Ryan’s aptitude as a listener and source of positive reinforcement that reflects how ingrained his presence still is within the entire community.

“Mr. Ryan always let his friends know he saw them and recognized any difficulties they were going through. He was not one to spout advice, but rather to listen and let us know someone cared. He did it without criticizing anything or anyone, without feeding into fears or anxieties. And when he’d listened and let us know he understood, he’d end the conversation with, ‘Okay, kid.’ He was steady, and he helped to steady us too. A talk with him made a person feel like they could keep going,” said longtime friend and colleague Mrs. Laura Ingerham.

“He was super supportive of everybody when something was going on in your life. He was the first to step up and maybe take over your class or offer a chance to lean on him. He was just that kind of guy who saw everybody’s gifts and celebrated them,” said Rokita. “I had such a hard year last year. I lost my brother suddenly, and he (Ryan) was probably the most supportive person I needed and had in my life, because we just shared all that time together. He’d shut the door and I’d just cry and he’d talk me through it. He was one of the only English teachers that came to my brother’s memorial without me knowing, he just showed up. He was both supportive and kind in so many ways.”

When asked about what aspect of the community Ryan embodied most, it was hard for some to accurately describe an answer because as a man so deeply involved in a multitude of things, there was no one area that could easily be pinpointed as most impacted by him.

But after some thought, the most repeated and most remembered facet of Ryan’s character and involvement at Gibbons was unequivocally his faith and service as a follower of God. 

“Mr. Ryan was heavily involved in the spiritual life of the school, reading scripture at morning Mass, reading names at Junior Mass, helping to lead the guys’ retreat. He just seemed to be everywhere you looked,” said Ingerham. “Mr. Ryan was a servant of Christ. He did the Lord’s work, taking care of the people God sent his way — his family, his friends and colleagues, his students and athletes. He was the same with all of us, and we are blessed to have had him.”

In our Hearts

The messages and stories that Ryan shared live on with those who knew his presence and shared moments with him.

His voice of wisdom and inspiration still echo throughout the community even after his passing, and others can continue his legacy by bringing positivity to others through small interactions. They may only last a minute, but will be remembered for a lifetime. 

As a teacher, he was passionate and demanding of his students, yet also patient and encouraging.

As a colleague and co-chair of the English department, he was a leader by example and a source of wisdom, but also a quiet ear to open up to and a person to lean on.

As a coach he was intense and challenged his athletes, but still compassionate and interpersonal.

“He reinforced to me that nothing is about the outside world. It’s about the man in the mirror. And you know what the right thing is, you know you’re doing the right thing, and stand by that,” said Galloway. 

“He taught me to have love, curiosity, and gratitude for life. He encouraged me to remain passionate and to search constantly for more people and places and things to be passionate about,” said Dwight. “He opened my eyes to the blessings that God pours down on us daily. And now, following his passing, he continues to teach me to never take a single day for granted, as each day is a gift.”

“The importance of his legacy for me is just the strength or the amount of time, effort, and energy put into building relationships. It’s so worth it in the end,” said Rokita.