An image from Ryan Krug’s memorial service on Sunday will likely always stay with me. It is the scene of Ryan’s dear friend, Grant Lyons, standing behind the podium and speaking from the heart, flanked by nine teenage boys.
The other boys didn’t say a word. They simply stood there, honoring their deceased friend and quietly supporting Grant. I’ve no idea what was going through their minds, but what I saw was pure grace and love, support of the most meaningful kind, a pulling together at a time when there’s little else anyone can do.
On Vashon, where one degree — not six — separates us from one another, this has been a tough week, capping (we can only hope) what has been a tough five months. Three young people — Palmer Burk, India Castle and now Ryan Krug — have died tragically. Though all were lost under very different circumstances, their deaths bind us together in a shared sense of loss. And for the last several days, it’s been palpable and real, captured in tearful conversations, in Facebook posts, in a weight that has settled on the island.
At the memorial service, Father Tryphon spoke words that resonated with me — and likely with many others, as they transcended the barriers of faith and religion that often separate us. He said we shouldn’t numb our grief by telling ourselves that Ryan has passed to the other side and that those close to him will eventually see him again. Instead, he said, we should simply feel our grief. Mourn his loss. See it for what it is — an incomprehensible tragedy.
If there has been beauty, it’s been in scenes like those at Ryan’s memorial service, where teens have stood together in solidarity and love. It’s been found at Rich Krug and Rose Belknap’s home in Dockton, a home that has been filled with food, life and energy since their son’s death Tuesday night. It’s unfolded at all hours of the day and night at the site where Ryan died — an unremarkable stretch of road that has been transformed into a monument bearing witness to a very remarkable life.
Another image that will always stay with me is that of Rose Belknap, holding a single white rose as she entered the high school gymnasium, supported — quite literally — by her friend Kirsten Jennings.
As the family confronts their immeasurable grief, we know many on Vashon will stand by them. We know many will hold them. And we hope Rose and Rich find some solace in the love that embraces them.
— Leslie Brown
Fund established
A fund that will help defray funeral expenses and go toward establishing a scholarship fund in Ryan Krug’s name has been set up at Bank of America. Donations can be made to the Ryan Krug Memorial Fund account.
