It is with heavy hearts we announce the untimely passing of Michael James Ryan, 67, of Hudson Bay, Saskatchewan. Michael was surrounded by his loving family when he left our sides on December 30, 2018.
Michael was born in Hudson Bay in 1951. His parents were Mickey and Ruth Ryan, he was the eldest son of five children. In 1977 Michael married Cathy Foster and they have two children, Jessica and Blake. Michael started working for his dad’s trucking company, H.B. Transport, after school from about age 10. Once he received his license at age 16, his lifelong trucking career started, and he was working for H.B. Transport full time.
From a very young age Michael had a love for sports; he played hockey and baseball for most of his life, making many lifelong friends in and around the Hudson Bay area. He was a diehard Philadelphia Flyers, Roughriders, and Blue Jays fan. He played hockey with the Old Bulls team and helped organized many games and tournaments. Unfortunately, his work intervened, and he had to leave the team, but always did his best to support them in any way he could.
When Michael and his brothers decided to close their parents trucking business; Michael returned to his love of truck driving and began hauling logs to the mill. In 2008, when the mill had a closure, Michael went down south to the oil patch and found a job with Spearing Services. In his almost 10 years working with Spearing Services, he worked alongside many friends from the Hudson Bay area and got to know several new people who would turn into close friends. On his many trips he would always have the radio tuned to a classic rock station or a sports game.
Michael was a happy and loving guy, he always had a joke or idea to add to a conversation. He was always willing to lend a hand around the community. Michael loved to pass on his knowledge, he taught his kids everything from how to skate and drive, to how to hammer a nail and use the barbeque. Michael loved to be outdoors whenever he had the opportunity, he particularly enjoyed camping and fishing. He loved to travel and explore new roads he’d never been down before.
After his retirement from trucking in 2017, Michael had time to finish up the projects he had started around the house, finally putting his new power tools to good use. He rebuilt the veranda, helped his daughter renovated her kitchen and bathrooms, and put up the steel shed he had purchased the materials for more than nine years ago.
Michael’s family would like to give a special thank you to the following – The Merrit Emergency Staff, The Kamloops Royal Inland ICU Staff, and The BC Transplant Team – for their overwhelming compassion and exemplary care. As a true test to the kind and caring person Michael was, he was able to donate his lungs and both kidneys to benefit the lives of three others.