Monday, December 31, 2012

the blog silence

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://celebrationoflifefortedryder.blogspot.com/ for more details.

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."

21 comments:

  1. So very sorry. My heart goes out to you and Justin, and little Ava as well. You are in our prayers.

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  2. So sorry. Prayers and (((((HUGS))))

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  3. I am so sorry for your loss!! :( I'll be praying for your family!

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  4. So sorry for your loss. Thinking and praying for you all. Love you. -Nina

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  5. Oh, so very sorry! Praying for you all during this difficult time!

    s

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  6. Libby and Justin,
    As I went to bed late last night, having celebrated New Year’s with family and friends, I did my nightly (at least 98% of my nights) check of your blog in anticipation of an update with how the Ryder families Christmas and New Year’s has been with family and friends, especially little Ava who is really at the fun stage. It was with heavy heart that I read about Justin’s father. Since waking up it has been on my mind and I have toyed with what to say. Having lost my Mom back in 2001 shortly after the New Year, I know the pain and emptiness in your hearts. I am so sorry for your loss but am so thankful that you have God right by your side as you go through this. Our heavenly Father is the only one who can completely comfort us in times like this. I know that while you are hurting you will find comfort and joy in all of your cherished memories of your Dad, Father-in-Law(Dad too) and Grandfather to little Ava. More importantly I know you will find as I did with my Mom the peace in knowing that your Father is in heaven. And while your Dad would love to be here with you he is experiencing a joy with our Lord that we cannot comprehend but will long for, as we wait to see our cherished ones again. My thoughts and prayers will be with you and your families as you go through these next days especially during his life celebration. It sounds absolutely beautiful and in just hearing about Mr. Ryder he would be so pleased.
    In Heartfelt Sympathy…..donna cason

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  7. Your family is being wrapped up in genuine prayer from the Chesapeake kids. I'll keep praying that you all see God's love and comfort in this broken time.

    In Christ- Mike Weiss

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  8. so sorry for your loss, praying for you guys and your family. That was one of the best obituary's I have ever read, very heartfelt and well written. Hoping you all will be showered with peace in the upcoming weeks!

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  9. Dear Libby, Justin and Ava, we are sorry for your loss. Thinking of you during this time.

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  10. Our hearts and prayers are with your family during this time. What a beautiful eulogy!

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  11. Awww Libby...I'm so sorry to hear this. Praying for your family.

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  12. So sorry to hear of the loss of Justin's father. My prayers go out to you and your family during this difficult time. What an amazing obituary Justin was able to write, he sure has a way with words. Thinking of you and your family.

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  13. Sending along an extra prayer for family. Loss is tough. I'm so sorry to hear of this. May God's love comfort you all.

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  14. Thinking of you and your family today.

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  15. So sorry Libby to hear about the loss of Justin's father. I read a little bit of his blog. Seemed like a wonderful man. Made my heart smile the way he talked about the lake. Praying for you, Justin and the family!!

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  16. I just found this blog and want to say what an enjoyable time to look through to this post thanks for all the effort which you did for us.

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  17. Just wanted to share my condolences with you and your family at this difficult time. We've been following Ted's blog for a while now, and he and Shirl were a great inspiration to us, as we're planning on cruising this year. We shared a few emails with Ted, and he seemed to be a wonderful man.

    Because of his blog, I have visited your blog a few times as well over the past few months. I was drawn to your story of survival, and you too are an inspiration.

    Our thoughts are with you, Justin, Shirl and your family.

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  18. Stopping through via BlogHer. I am so sorry for your loss, and I pray that the peace that passes all understanding envelops you and your husband, and your family and that you all lean on each other in this time of bereavement. ((hugs))

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  19. Wow. Libby, praying for your sweet family in your father in laws passing and your new precious Lyla. What emotions to be grieving so over Justin's dad and in such joy simultaneously because of your daughter. Praying sister.

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  20. Libby, you and your family are in my prayers. I am so sorry for your loss. Even during these hard times, your trust in God is truly inspiring.

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