with no words to possibly ever do this justice i will briefly share where our lives and hearts have been this past week.
in the early morning on dec. 22 justin woke up to several missed calls and jumped out of bed saying
"something happened to my dad."
within a few hours justin was on a plane to fort myers flordia to be with his dad and his family.
his father had experienced a heart attack and cardiac arrest stemming from undiagnosed sleep apnea.
as the news of his prognosis worsened i flew to flordia on Christmas morning to be with my husband and my family.
after a few days on life support he went to be with Jesus due to a heart attack and cardiac arrest resulting in an anoxic brain injury.
there is so much more to this past week and to ted and to his life and to the deep sorrow felt by those who love him. i will share my heart and try to find the words because he loved this blog. he read every post i ever wrote and would usually always comment (especially when i had cancer) or send a text when he especially liked something i had written. his support of my heart and my writing always meant so much to me. i will share more soon.
but for now...dropping in to share where we are right now.
deep grief but holding tight to the hope and peace of Christ.
he and his girlfriend, shirley were on a sailing adventure when this unexpected tragedy happened.
they blogged nearly everyday
to catch up on the incredible journey they were on please go to:
we are heading to ky tomorrow to be with family and will honor ted by celebrating his life this saturday at the same place his daughter, sara and her husband tommy were married and where justin i had our wedding reception. we all feel that ted would prefer this non-traditional way of honoring his life oppose to a funeral service.
for details go to:
we are beyond thankful for the family and friends around us who stopped at 8pm on Christmas day to get on their knees and pray as we pleaded with the Lord for a miracle. we are thankful for the countless ways our family has felt so dearly loved and cared for in the midst of this heartache.
my dear husband wrote his dad's obituary today.
Ryder, Ted Wallace, our beloved father, “Pop-pop”, son,
brother, and friend passed away suddenly into the arms of Jesus on
Thursday Dec 27th, 2012 in Fort Myers FL, following a heart attack.
Until the end, his family was by his side, praying and hoping with him.
As a father, his love and loyalty was unmatched. He will forever be a
hero to his children. As a “Pop-pop”, his laughter, sense of humor, and
giving spirit made him larger than life to his grandchildren, who will
miss him dearly. As a certified orthotist he faithfully and
compassionately served patients in the tri-state area with The Brace
Shop and Prosthetic services and eventually through Hanger Orthotics for
over 30 years. Patients remember his gentle tone, consistent care, and
expert craftsmanship. He was a guiding light to many around him in this
community, who alongside Ted, learned to walk, to love, to read, to work
at their passions, to pray, to chill, to swim, to never (ever) dive,
and to celebrate life. And oh how he celebrated the people he loved and
the places he enjoyed! As a sailor, adventurist, writer, traveler, and
captain he had a profound love for living and moving on lakes and
oceans, and thus to honor his life passion his remains were committed to
the sea around his sailboat, “Serenity”. Ted is survived by his
daughter, Sara Floyd and her husband, Tommy; his Son, Justin Ryder and
his wife, Libby; his 5 adoring grandchildren: Ella, Jack, Ava, and Cash.
His fifth grandchild, a little girl, who is scheduled to arrive in January will be his namesake, Teddy. He also leaves behind
his partner of 4 years, Shirley Lambert; his mother, Joy Ryder Moore;
his brothers and sisters Kris, Todd, Tracy, Greg, Shelly, Shawn; his 12
nieces and nephews and many devoted and loyal friends. His late father,
George Ryder, and nephew Sawyer greeted him in heaven. Though there is a
sense of devastating loss for those who loved him, there is also an
overwhelming sense of gratitude to God for having been a part of his
beautiful life. We laughed with him, cried with him, relied on him, and
ran to him. He was always there for those he loved. His children have
chosen to honor him with a Celebration of Life Memorial on Saturday,
January 5 at The Covington Madison’s Crystal Ballroom, from 6p-10p.
Please visit http://
sail on ted. sail on...
the very last thing my dear father in law did for me was comment on facebook about the photo below. only hours before everything changed. it so dear to my heart. he simply wrote, "great picture."
sail on ted. sail on...
the very last thing my dear father in law did for me was comment on facebook about the photo below. only hours before everything changed. it so dear to my heart. he simply wrote, "great picture."
